Paris - the first week

Its been a little while since I posted here cause I've been busy exploring and haven't had net access for a while. I've been having a great time though. So lets start from the beginning. Last Friday morning I left London on the Eurostar....

This is me organising myself for my 2 hour trip to Paris from Waterloo Station.

And this is my first look at the Eiffel Tower later that day! Yay! It was so hot and I walked into the 6th where the Alliance Francaise is. I had to register to start my 1 month course. It was such a shock to have to speak french all of a sudden and actually really hard. Every little exchange was such an effort at first, but now I'm getting a kick out of speaking to shop assistants and waiters in french. My course is helping a lot because its taught all in french, so you have to learn quickly. Also, the lady I am staying with doesn't really speak more than a few words in english, so I've really had to try hard.

The next day I went to Monmartre which is absolutely beautiful. It is quintessentially parisian. This is the Sacre Coeur right at the top of the hill. The area is surrounded in pretty little cobble-stoned streets lined with cafes and artists.

This is the view from the top.

And the Sacre Coeur again.

Ok, next installment of the sign thing. I love how Paris is so clean and nice, but its just like they say with the little dogs. They are everywhere and they are treated like children! I love how graphic all the signs are here. And there's one more on the Metro I have to take a photo of to show you. It involves the easter bunny - more on that to come!

This is Parc Monceau. The parks here are so green and pristine. And they have statues and beautiful fountains. A couple of days ago Alex and I sat in the Jardin du Luxembourg and ate a fresh baguette (and let me tell you, when its still warm from the oven it is amazing) and some cheeses we bought from the markets. Sensational!

This is the Arc de Triomphe. One of those things you just have to see. Quite amazing (and big) in real life.

And the memorial under it.

This is my bedroom. Not bad in central Paris. I have everything I could possibly need and its walking distance to most things. Although I have my carte orange which gives me unlimited metro use for a month and cost about $80 Australian dollars, so its pretty useful.

Yeah, so the Louvre is Awesome! So big you need a month to do it any kind of justice. This is one of the entrances. You can see the pyramid in the background. When I got into the main place there were military police with automatic weapons for security. It kind of freaked me out a bit there. They are also at the Eiffel Tower as well. Apparently the french are really scared of a terrist attack. But yeah, the Louvre... wow.

And more of the Louvre. What I didn't know is that about 20 years ago they excavated around the building that is there now and found that it was built on the sight of a grand chateau from about 1200. You can actually walk around the base of it in the basement of the louvre and there is a model they built to show what it looked like. Its like something from the Loire Valley. Unbelieveable!

I went for a wander out to Place du Vosges which is so beautiful. It was built around 1600 by Henri IV and Victor Hugo lived there and Madame de Sevigne was born there. There was a string section playing there which was gorgeous and sounded amazing under the 17th century arches.

On the opposite side of the square there was a little jazz quartet. So french! This is also in my new favourite part of Paris - the Marais. I just love the vibrancy and the mix of different cultures. There is a Jewish quartier which is great for 4 euro falafel and pastries, and then there's the fashion part, and then there are all the bars and restaurants. The buildings there are also older and have more character. They are just gorgeous.

So I made friends with an American girl in my class called Alex who is here with her husband for a year while he studies at Le Cordon Bleu. This is her husband Richard cooking us all dinner last Monday in their studio in St Germain des Pres. Such a good night!

And this is Richard's friend from Le Cordon Bleu, Rodolfo (he's brazillian). We bought 3 bottles of french wine to drink with dinner and have decided that due to our budgets we needed to find some decent low cost varieties. So this is Rodolfo trying to drink the cote du rhone that we paid 1.83 euros for! We did, however, have huge success with the 2.50 euro red from Cahors. It was really good!

This is Alex and I.

Then one night I went out at dusk and took photos of the Eiffel tower. This is right next to it on the Seine. Paris has so many statues and monuments!

And you know what this is!

For 10 minutes every hour it lights up with little lights and shimmers. Very pretty.

In the park next to my house, there is a hot air baloon that is tethered to the ground. You can go up in it and look around Paris for 15 minutes at a time. This particular day was really hot. All the children were running under the fountains in the park and people were lying on the grass til 8pm. They also rig up misting systems in the cafes so that thier patrons are kept cool. Its been really warm here most of the week. I've been living in my summer dresses.

This is the most beautiful bridge I've seen so far. Pont Alexandre III.

And the view from the bridge.

More bridge.

Near the bridge(!)

Alex and I having an afternoon glass of red in the Latin Quartier. Love it.

More of the Marais. I love it!

A Jewish gourmet food store. This shop was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It had everything you could want (and its tiny) and so may other things that I've never seen before. It has dates still on their stalk.

More Marais.

At the back of the Notre Dame. Check out the jet streams!

I love the back more than the front. And it doesn't have the tourists.

And the front of the Notre Dame.

Saint Michel fountain in the Latin Quartier.

This is a gorgeous little jazz club called Le Cameleon. It is not touristy at all and we made friends with the bartender. We are on a first name basis with him now! He reserves the front booth overlooking the road for us whenever we want it! This is the view from it.

The jazz was great. Its excellent to hear french jazz in a french accent. Beautiful.

Alex and I before it got crowded downstairs. I love this place. It feels like you are in a cave with the unfinished walls. Almost like a tiny wine cellar.

Until next time:)

Au Revoir!