Every first Sunday of the month, the Louvre opens it’s doors with free admission. A friend and I decided to try it out. However, when we arrived, the line practically wrapped around the building… and the building is HUGE. Instead, we walked to a neighboring bridge and strolled the gardens.
It was a bit chilly that day, so I put on my black tights. I opted for all black, white, and gray – I think I could have passed as a true Parisian. ;)
My feet may be seriously injured, and I think my Achilles heel is bruised. I’m not sure how I’m going to get to class and work tomorrow! Let’s just hope my feet heel tonight. I have never walked so much in my entire life, and it doesn’t help that the majority of my shoes are new and require “breaking in.” I’m hoping that my feet will transform into one, rock-hard callous that can withstand absolutely anything and that will be immune to any sort of pain. Here’s to hoping!
On a very sunny, warm day, I hopped over to the Luxembourg garden, a very large green space complete with manicured lawns, overflowing lines of flowers, am impressive Baroque-style fountain, and shady areas with lots of benches. It reminded me of many Impressionist paintings of Parisians at leisure. Sunday Afternoon at the Grande Jatte and Luncheon on the Grass came to mind. I didn’t spend as much time here as I’d like, but I have 4 months to return.
I’ll be sad when winter comes and all the beautiful flowers go away!
One of the activities of my Intensive French Course was a “Cinébalade,” which pretty much translates to: Movie Stroll. The movie on which our stroll was based was Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. I’m assuming you’ve either seen or heard of it by now, but if not, it’s a wonderful movie full of quirky, funny, interesting, and lively characters based on real writers, artists and intellectuals of the past. And of course, it’s set in Paris.
We also learned about the history of the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne, the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company, and had the opportunity to go inside a very old and well-known restaurant called the Polidor. It’s still open for business today, and the prices aren’t outrageously expensive! I mean, this is relatively-speaking, as every single restaurant in Paris is very expensive in general.
Among other things, we saw the steps Gil sits on when he is first transported to the past in the automobile – the beginning of the magic in the film!
Montmartre used to be a village on the outskirts of Paris, but as the city grew, this charming, hilly, cobble-stoned area was eventually integrated into Paris. “Back in the day,” so to speak, starving artists and bohemians frequented this area. At the base of the Montmartre hill lies the famous Moulin Rouge and Pigalle, the red light district of Paris.
Lucky for me, the metro line I live close to takes me directly to Montmartre! I surfaced from the metro at Abbesses (TAKE THE ELEVATOR UP – I made the mistake of using the stairs, and I think I hiked up about 10 floors-worth of stairs) and the first thing I saw was a vintage clothing store. I immediately went inside to see what they offered, and was extremely happy to see dresses priced at 10 euros and skirts at 5! I didn’t end up buying anything, but I will definitely return someday.
This is the second half of my Ile-de-la-Cité trip!
The Metro station Cité dropped me right on the edge of the flower market, and directly in front of St. Chapelle. I was pleasantly surprised by the flower market because I had forgotten about its existence, and because I love anything to do with flowers.
Not only were there flowers neatly arranged in rows and bunches, but also pots, lanterns, and garden accessories strewn about in the most charmingly chaotic way. I’ve heard that this area also becomes a bird market on certain days… I’ll definitely have to see what that’s all about. I mean, how many people can there possibly be who buy birds every week? In any case, here are the photos:
I’m back with some more pictures!
This was my second excursion of the semester. This trip particularly will remain in my mind because it was the first moment of authentic enjoyment I felt in Paris after the dismal loneliness of the first few days. It was the first time I felt myself relax and thoroughly enjoy being in Paris. I didn’t think I’d enjoy seeing Notre Dame as much as I did, but it was beautiful! I was able to leisurely stroll through the streets taking pictures. The entirety of Ile-de-la-Cité had such a charming ambiance. One of these days I’m gonna go back and see St. Chapelle and wait in line to go inside Notre Dame.