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| Le Tour Eiffel sparkling right before it turns off for the night-the most beautiful 5 minutes of the evening |
Salut!
Well classes are out and exams are almost done. I am 3 hours
from summer, with my Examen Orale being the only thing left between me and that
sweet sweet time of year. I had my major French exam last Saturday, which
lasted for 3 hours and accounts for 80% of my overall grade. Absurd that I
attend class every day of the week 2 hours per day for 4 months, and that
accounts for 20%. The proportions seem out of whack to me, but I’m in France
and under France’s rules. Needless to say, I’m happy to have that done.
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| Classmates before the exam |
Life has been beautiful. Paris has decided to open it’s
skies and allow sunshine to surround us…a rare occurrence. But we have soaked
up every ray of it.
With our last days in Paris closing in quickly, I have gone
to some of the last museums I wish to see during this time in Paris. First I
went to Mémorial de la Shoah, which is a Jewish history memorial and outline of
the destruction of the Jews in Europe. It was very intense but very moving.
We also went to the Rodin Museum. I had been waiting on this
museum all semester, as it was closed for renovations and has only recently
re-opened.
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| Dome of Les Invalides on the left and tip of Le Tour Eiffel on the right |
After our major exam, Lauren Missy and I went to a local
flea market. Unlike some of the other ones I have found in Paris, this one was
very authentic and flea market-esque with everything you could think of being
sold at a bartering price. I thoroughly enjoyed the environment, largely due to
the gorgeous Saturday afternoon it was and the exam was over.
I spent the rest of my Saturday in Jardin des Tuileries,
relaxing on the grass, reading, and taking a nap or two in the warmth of the
sun.
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| Looking down from the Louvre, through Tuileries, past Concorde, down the Champs, to L'Arc |
Sadly, 1 of our 3 roommates, Natalie, left last Sunday to
make her way back to the United States. Sad to see her go, we decided to do something
for her last night, which we had talked about all semester. BUNNY PARATROOPERS.
Naturally, right? With our bunny parachuters that Natalie’s mom had sent for
Easter, we enjoyed our last night together by parachuting plastic bunnies off
of our 7-story high balcony to the ground below. Fun night, and Nat is dearly
missed.
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| Bunnytrooper about to parachute with Le Tour Eiffel |
Being in Paris, I had the convenient once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the French Open (known as the Roland Garros in France) on
Sunday!! It was quite the exciting experience. After a great deal of help from
my aunt and father, I finally snagged a ticket on court Philippe Chatrier, 7th
row. From noon until 9, I watched the beautiful sport of tennis unravel in
front of me. A man from Mississippi, who was sitting behind me, was so kind as
to give me insight and teach me some things I didn’t know throughout the
matches. I watched the men’s singles between Del Potro (Argentina) and Montanes
(Spain) first. Next, Kuznetsov (Russia) and Tsonga (France) dueled it out. That
match was my favorite—as Tsonga is a well-loved French tennis player, currently
ranking World No. 5 in men’s singles, which he achieved this past February.
Needless to say, the fans were going crazy and the stadium was packed. Also,
Tsonga is quite the theatrical tennis player, expressing his emotions openly,
making the match an entertaining one to watch. Finally, ended the day with a
solid match between Venus Williams (yes—America) and Ormaechea (Argentina)!
Some people aren’t the biggest fans of women’s tennis, as they claim it moves
too slowly, which was evident in the amount of open seats in the stadium.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed the
match and cheering Venus on as one of my own. It was a memorable day to say the
least. It’s one of my most favorite things I’ve done since being in Paris,
which says a great deal about the event, as I have explored many places in
Europe. I absolutely loved it.
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| Match #1 |
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| JW Tsonga |
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| Match #2 |
Tsonga winning his match
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| Venus Williams |
Venus winning her match
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| Gorgeous sunset |
Ash and I decided to go explore the outskirts of Paris
yesterday. We went to L’Isle de Ste Catherine, with it’s country homes and
quaint rivers. Although it didn’t turn out to be exactly what we had planned,
we still had a good time adventuring. We then returned to Paris around 3, only
to grab a baguette and cheese from the store and eat lunch in the gardens de Le
Jardin des Plantes.
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| Il y a un incendie |
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| Lunch |
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| Last sushi in France |
Every Monday night is jazz night at Le Piano Vache, a bar
located in the 5th close to the Pantheon. I have become rather fond
of the place and thoroughly enjoy relaxing in the dim lit room on a back
cushion, sipping a glass of red wine and listening to the soothing Parisian
jazz. Sadly, last night was our last Monday night in Paris and thus the last
jazz night for a while. It was one of my favorites however, as Ash and I stayed
until 1 AM enjoying the atmosphere, friends, and tapping our feet in beat with
the music. I have attached a video from that last night, as there was a guest
player filling in for the usual man, and he decided to sing. I have never heard
them sing during their jazz, but this man decided to use his one evening to add
some beauty to the music. I absolutely adored it. Even though I didn’t capture
it all, hopefully this will give you a glimpse into the beauty of the music and
the life inside.
Got a light jog in this morning and some things done around
the apartment, blogged, and now it’s time to fully get ready for the day and
head out to my exam soon! Hope everyone’s doing well wherever they are,
enjoying the summer, and fairing the heat nicely (thinking of the sweet
Texans)!
French phrase for the day: “Aimer, c’est vivre. Paris, je
t’aime.” You can translate this one on your own J
GROS BISOUS.
