Thursday, September 8, 2005

I woke up and headed towards rue de Passy and grabbed a can of Perrier on my way. I sat through three uneventful hours of French class where I got an A on my first assignment and presented an oral report on which I also did well. I am enjoying this “easiness” because it allows me to have free time in the afternoons and evenings to get to know Paris, plus when classes start and I have to study, I’ll be happy I had all this free time now.

After class, I jetted over on the metro to the Musee d’Orsay where I met up with Lora (my Parisian friend who studied in St. Louis 2 summers ago). We went through the whole museum and I took plenty of pictures (link at right). I saw real Monet’s, Degas’, Van Gogh’s, Manet’s, and several others. The museum is great—it is in a converted train station on top of a hill that gives one a great view of the city (I could see all the way across Paris to the Sacre Coeur), plus it has great ceilings and a huge gold clock in the main walkway.

Following the museum, Lora and I went on the RER (an express train) to a salon du the (you know, the traditional French coffee houses on every corner) and drank (more) Perrier and she taught me about the future tense and helped me with my French homework—it was great to have a real student help me! I had called my friends and told them to meet us for dinner, so as soon as they arrived, we set out to the Quartier Latin (the Latin quarter) for some grub. We got a 3 course meal (well a salad, a dish, and dessert) for 9 euros…and in traditional French style, it took 2 hours to get through when in the USA, it would take 40 minutes. Not that I mind, because I had nowhere else I had to be.

On our walk back to the metro station after dinner, we crossed the Seine to the ile de la cite, and a light drizzle covered the cobblestone streets. It was on the ile that I saw my first glimpse of Notre Dame lit up. It was an immense sight. On the other side, I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkling as it does on the hour, every hour at night. I made my way on the metro back to my apartment.

This weekend should be fun: a boat ride down the Seine followed by a trip to the top of the Eiffel tower and then maybe a club. Saturday will be shopping and a trip to Versailles (Lora said she would drive me to Normandie sometime soon, because it will be much cheaper than the $200 tour I was going to take). Sunday is Notre Dame and maybe some much needed sleep. A bien tot.