After being a bit under the weather, it was nice to not have to set an alarm -- and I checked the clock for the first time this morning at 9:45am....how wonderful! I enjoyed a nice breakfast with Nana (Marilu's mother -- who has been here since before Christmas and basically only speaks Portuguese), where we communicated with gestures and occasional words in French that she recognized. I spent a happy time cleaning and refolding all the clothes in my closet and then cleaning out my desk drawer -- all was desperately needed.
It's been incredible how warm it's been! The past two days, I've only had on a vest as my "outerwear" and have almost been sweating! It's ridiculous. The birds are out and things are almost blooming -- it really does feel and smell like spring! I just hope that is stays fairly moderate -- or else it's going to be a nasty shock!
Perhaps (sadly) one of the more exciting things that happened yesterday was the delivery of my iPad -- I had it sent to a friend in the US who was here visiting and graciously brought it with him! I've had great fun playing with it thus far -- so far, I've downloaded the Kindle app along with some free classics to read (at some point), I'm reading some of the magazines that my mom gets subscriptions to at home (thanks, mom!), and she also directed me to this really neat app called Zite -- which basically lets you create your own magazine by indicating subjects that you like, and then searching the internet for news/blogs/websites that have info and articles pertaining to those subjects! I've only started to look at it, but it seems really great. Becca (Dan's girlfriend) has also given me lots of suggestions -- Epicurious, Flipboard, Yelp, etc. And of course, I've downloaded some Paris-related apps! I'm really enjoying the ones with the Paris metro and bus maps....is that sad? Anyways, I hope that it continues to be as helpful and interesting as it has been over the past 24-hours! It was a Merry Xmas present largely thanks to my wonderful Grandmother -- merci BEAUCOUP!!
Let's see -- the other big to do in Paris is LES SOLDES. Literally, I have never seen so many sales happening at once. It's ALL OVER PARIS. Every store. Every item. Usually up to 70% off. It's absolutely insane. They started yesterday -- and apparently there was madness throughout (think Black Friday?) -- I didn't dare go out. On the way to pick up my cowboy boots which I just had resoled, I stopped in a few stores to see what all the mayhem was about -- I found a jacket at Gap for just 10 euros! Sadly, it was a bit big -- but for 10 euros, I almost caved....They continue until the end of the month, so it will be interesting to see what else is out there. Marilu clearly knows her way around, so I think I'll have to hit some of the stores with her!
The pool where I normally swim was closed today and will be again tomorrow for whatever reason. I swam tonight with two guys, Adrien and Mehdi, from my team at Piscine Keller which isn't too far from where I live. Since Adrien knew the lifeguards, we got to swim in our own little lane -- which was actually half of one of the 50m lanes -- oh well. It was hysterical to see the "maitres nageurs" aka lifeguards teach swim lessons -- they would literally drop the kids into the water, and then I saw one shove a kid off of a foam board so that he could learn how to dive....I'm pretty sure most of what they were doing would get them sued by overprotective parents in the US, but hey, this is France!
It's been an interesting few days of reflection as I approach the halfway point of my time in Paris. They really do mean it when they say that the time flies when you're abroad. I'm trying to be proactive with doing and seeing things in and around Paris -- but it's always easier said than done. I have about 10 days off inbetween semesters, and I'm hoping to take day trips to each Chartres and Amiens as well as see some things around Paris! Soo much to see -- and so little time. Okay, well kind of a lot of time. But life always seems to get in the way!
I will end with a few pictures -- again, courtesy of my father -- that were taken over the holidays!
First, me and the Wall of Beer (or whatever it's called) in Bruges -- my father insisted that I take a picture in front of it being the "college girl" that I am...
The magnificent sunset as we left Mont Saint Michel:
And, the thermal baths in Budapest! No, we didn't go for a dip....
A bientot!
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