Don’t worry, I’m still here! They say no news is good news, and they’re definitely right in my case…whoever they are. I have had a post-it note on my desk for about 17 days now reminding me to BLOG, but between classes starting back up, my new babysitting job, and Greg visiting it’s been a pretty whirlwind month. Throw in a couple museum visits, lots of cafes, even more ancient philosophy to read, and a weekend in Barcelona, and it’s no wonder I’m sitting here asking where my time keeps going!
For anyone who is not up to speed on my brother’s European adventures, he spent the first two weeks here in Paris with me, then set off for London and Amsterdam on his own, and rounded out his trip with a weekend in Barcelona on which I readily accompanied him. Three days with my brother in sunny Spain? Twist my arm, but someone had to help him eat all those tapas.
In Paris, it was awesome how well Greg clicked with my friends. I think they would have been happy to have him stay the rest of the semester…I know I would have! He joined us when we went out to see my friend Shai perform—she’s a very talented singer and she’s been doing lots of open mic nights at bars around us with one of our RA’s who happens to be a pretty awesome guitar player. He experienced his first Shabbat dinner one Friday. My own introduction to this Jewish celebration was not long ago either, and even though I don’t understand any of the Hebrew blessings my friends say, I’m always happy to share a good meal with good company, and it’s become a nice little Friday tradition!
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| At the Musée D'Orsay |
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We have a picture of this clock hanging in our house...now he's seen the real thing :)
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Barcelona was absolutely fantastic. My Spanish was a bit rusty (Señora Muller si usted está leyendo, lo siento) but it was still fun trying to practice and seeing what we could both understand! We managed to hit lots of sights in our short trip, including the Parc Guell, Catedral de la Sagrada Familia, and of course the beach. We also stumbled upon a parade and a small festival celebrating the feast of Saint Eulália in the Ciutat Viella on our last day there.
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| Parc Guell |
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| Sagrada Familia |
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| Arc de Triomphe (Jr.) |
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| Plage de la Barcaloneta |
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| Crazy Gaudi architecture! |
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| Narrow streets of the old city |
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| Apparently they celebrate this particular religious festival by building giant human towers? |
Back in Paris, I mentioned I have a new babysitting job. Unfortunately my class schedule changed so I was unable to keep working with the same family this semester, but I did take my friend’s job from last semester as she found herself in a similar schedule predicament. So now instead of chasing after three little French boys, I’m trying to keep track of three petite French girls. Their names are Alice, Susan, and Eleonore, and they aren’t sisters but just three friends who happen to live very near each other and have parents on similar schedules, so I watch them three evenings a week after school! It’s a bit of a challenge since Eleonore speaks no English, the only words Alice knows are “Santa Clause” and “reindeer,” and Susan understands some English but refuses to speak any other than showing me how quickly she can count to 20. (She can actually only count to 10, and then she skips right to 18-19-20, but I’ve decided to let her have this one.) Despite the occasional miscommunication, my French has improved leaps and bounds, so we make do. Also, they like when I sing songs from “Frozen” with them and they say I make pretty drawings, so I’d say we get along pretty well.
Other than that, life in Paris has been continuing as before! I’m still having a blast exploring different neighborhoods. I think I could live in this city for years and still turn down a new undiscovered street every day. Lately we’ve been spending a lot of time in the Marais. It’s filled to the brim with cute little shops and cafes and museums! Also, spring is coming soon (fingers crossed), so we’ve been scoping out potential picnic locations, and I’m counting down the days until I can ride my bike without wearing gloves!
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| Brioche French toast...Annie, Leah and I have made a pact to try one new restaurant a week. I think I'm up to the challenge. |
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| Tarte tatin...basically apple pie in a jar |
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| Breizh Cafe with Shoshana--they're supposed to have the most authentic crepes in Paris! Mine had chèvre, honey and greens. YUM. |
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| Salted caramel crepe with vanilla ice cream |
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| Former hotel in the Marais that is now the Musée Carnavalet |
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| Gotta love the Marais street art |
Not much else to report, other than an upcoming trip to Amsterdam the last weekend in February which I am very much looking forward to! Sending hugs to everyone. À bientôt!
