Il me semble que je suis toujours occupée.
Bonjour, tout le monde!
Many, many things have happened, so... vignettes!
I went out Monday evening with two Sweet Briar girls, Caroline and Victoria, at the Galeries Lafayette at Opéra, the shopping district. Caroline wanted a snack, but at nearly 8 on a Monday, very few cafés were open. We happened upon a Brioche Dorée, which is a sort of chain bakery in France, and Caroline ordered un pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant). While she was paying, she noticed that the shop girl was throwing out the pastries. "Vous les jettez?" she asked. The shop girl stopped, nodded, then proceeded to put several pastries in boxes and bags, and handed them to us over the counter. "Gratuit", she smiled. "We have to throw them out anyway. Please, take them. But," she paused and glanced around. "...don't say anything. Or everyone will expect free pastries when we close." Victoria and I were stunned. We laughed, collected the bags, and hurried away, promising at the shop keeper's insistence that we would tell everyone in America that "Les parisiens, ils sont le meilleur!" As we were walking to the metro, Caroline exclaimed "I'm so happy I spoke bad French to them!"
Yesterday, I went on a Bateau-mouche, or a boat tour of Paris. It was incredibly touristy. I also managed to buy my books for my literature class at Paris III, which was less touristy. And last night, after wandering around aimlessly for far too long, Victoria, Adam, Andy, Alanna and I, managed to sit down at a bar next to Notre Dame, order, and be served, in less than 10 minutes. In Paris, this is known as an epic success. We were served our "Cocktail pour 2", complete with sparklers, by an incredibly attractive, zigane (gypsy) French man, and got stunningly smashed in 30 seconds flat. And after all that, we still managed to make the last metro. The moral of the story: alcohol, firecrackers, and pretty French Gypsy boys, can make anything better.
Perhaps, to finish up, a tale from Tours?
My host family in Tours was truly fantastic. Armelle, Patrick, Ann-Sophie, Stephanie, and Charlotte were all incredibly welcoming and sweet. We ate dinner together every night, and it was always fantastic. On the night the Charlotte came home from her summer camp, we were introduced in the following manner: "Charlotte parle très vite. Elle chante tout le temps. Charlotte aime bavarder." Around a mouthful of bread, Charlotte mumbled, "Oui, Papa." Charlotte does speak very quickly, and she does sing all the time, and she and Ann-Sophie talk, tease, and make fun of each other, incessantly. They are adorable, and I miss their dinner-table antics already.
So, I cannot waste the day at my computer. Please look at my facebook albums of Paris.
Much love, et beaucoup de Bisous!
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