The Time We Danced in a Fire Station

I started this morning off right with a croissant and pear juice that tasted thick like liquefied pieces of fruit.

In the morning, our long walk took us to the outskirts of Paris - much different from the rest of the city in that it is more diverse, has higher buildings and frankly is not as nice. It looks like the outskirts of any other city with little hints of Paris. However, we stopped at a park with mural art and Teo said this is the best view of Paris because you can see all the monuments - though it seemed too far away to me.

It was a strange neighborhood and smelled pretty bad. The buildings were also higher than the six-story limit in central Paris, so it didn't have the same quaint appeal. Eventually we strolled down a few residential alleys that were very small and charming with flowers all around.

(An aristocat... kidding)

For lunch, we had brought sandwiches (rustic ham and cheese for me) to eat in a huge park with tall trees and a stone structure in the center. However, The Butte Chaumont Park was hilly and muddy, so I actually slipped and got mud all over my leggings and some on my skirt. It was kind of miserable sitting in the wet grass on a hill, but I guess it's a good thing that one of my worst moments in Paris was just getting a little dirty.

At the end of our walk, I went back to the hotel to change and got dessert at a bakery across from our hotel with a lime green storefront. The tricolore is a tiered chocolate cream dessert (with white, milk and dark chocolate) with a single raspberry on top that gave it so much flavor (I wish there were more framboises).

I had an early dinner at the café in the movie Amelie, which we'd passed by in a previous walk. Two girls came along to Cafe des Deux Moulins - it was really cool because the inside looks exactly like the set of the film, except now there are Amelie posters inside and pesky film fanatics eating.

Eventually we felt awkward because we could tell it was a touristy place - what do you call it, like a cliche faux café like we were on a movie set. The menus were in English, no customers were really French,and we could just tell it wasn't a real French café. On the plus side, they did have frog legs on the menu, which is something I've wanted to try here! With so little time left in the program, I thought I wouldn't get a chance to try them, so I was overjoyed. I ordered them with French onion soup for my dinner - can you tell it's a tourist spot yet?

One person was wearing an LA baseball hat, one person was holding a selfie stick... it was bad for us Parisians. I did enjoy the frog legs - they did indeed taste like chicken as I'd been told. It was super difficult for me to get the meat off them, though, because they were like 70% tiny bones. The onion soup tasted alright, but I could tell it wasn't authentic French because the cheese wasn't as messy and over-the-top as it's supposed to be. The bread was somehow simultaneously chewy and soggy and impossible to cut with a spoon.
Like I said, kind of a fake French café but still decent. Bucket list: check.

Since tonight is the day before Bastille Day, there are "balls" at the fire stations, where the firemen and other public officers raise money for charity apparently by throwing a dance in their station down our street. Literally everyone in the entire neighborhood went from grandparents to kids, from 9 pm to 4 am. We went from like 11 pm to about 2 am and I was exhausted, but it was really fun to see all the French people celebrating their national holiday like our 4th of July.

The line was so long for people to get inside to the courtyard. There were booths for food and drinks, and a concert-like stage with a DJ and colored lights. Almost everyone was speaking French, so we knew it was actually something that local people did. The firemen and officers were working by collecting money and checking bags - it was a really cool cultural experience to see this community dance party with people of all ages.

The Time I Lived the Baguette Life

The baguette life is basically code for the Parisian life, if you ask me. Since yesterday was a free Sunday, I was able to go to the market and get nectarines, an avocado, a baguette and a grilled poulet (chicken) for my excursion. I felt very French because I spoke to everyone in French and got all my goodies like the French people. Next stop for me was Jardin du Luxembourg, like the French. Teo said they all go there on Sunday to relax, and I wanted to be (read: try being) Parisian.

I got other foods from my room, like my fig cheese and cucumbers. Thus, baguette in hand I got in the metro. I got off early to walk a few blocks down Boulevard Saint Michel to the entrance. It's almost like a carnival with the dusty gravel paths through the park, a giant fountain with kids racing boats adorned with national flags, and lots of flowers and trees (even palm trees). Green metal chairs are scattered all over the garden, so I picked one and ate a third of my baguette with cheese and some chicken and cucumber.

Every 20-30 minutes I would move locations to a new spot, all around the fountain and even in the wooded area to get different views. Then I would snack on something different as well, sometimes listening to music, sometimes reading "A Moveable Feast" and sometimes just watching everyone.

The senate building is in the garden, so I could hear it chime every 15 minutes and longer on the hour. At one point in my novel, Hemingway talked about walking through Luxembourg Gardens and I was right there! It was a very relaxing morning/afternoon to be there by myself, eating and watching Paris go by.

I lived that baguette life, eating a whole baguette in one day over a period of six hours (I finished it later in my room). I'm not talking about a cheap Subway foot-long or anything - I mean a full fledged arms-length baguette. By myself. One day. I feel like I should be crowned a true Parisian now.

Side note: I saw a magnet the other day that said "I heart Paris" but the "I" was a baguette, the heart was a heart, and Paris was an Eiffel Tower. I thought the heart should be the Louvre, so it would be "I Louvre Paris" ;)

Anyway, after my Luxembourg Sunday Parisian adventure, I stopped off at the Mabillon metro exit to try what Teo calls the best cupcakes in Paris. It's the definition of a hole in the wall - it's a one-person room with a tiny oning. You walk inside and there's no one there - the one-person room is empty except me. Then a woman opened a peep hole like how I imagine 1920s clubs, and saw me and opened a door to bring out a tiny tray with baby cupcakes on it. It felt mysterious.

I chose a little nutella cupcake and it was delicious indeed. Very moist and flavorful with thick whipped frosting and a hazelnut on top. I ate it quickly because it was so small, but while I was riding the metro back, I kept thinking about how good it was in retrospect. It was almost better to think about than actually experience.

Then I was a horribly unhealthy person and went to Berthillon ice cream too. Because what's cake without ice cream? Ugh so unhealthy, but I guess I'll tell myself this is like vacation? It started to rain near Saint Michel and Notre Dame when I was there, but once again I felt like a Parisian because all the tourists fled for cover, but I just walked over and got chocolate ice cream.

It's the best chocolate ice cream ever. Period. So rich and creamy and soft and melty. I just stood along the river eating my heart out; I loved this ice cream and this view. I can't get over either one.

On my way back, there was a guy and girl singing songs from the band Train with guitars in the metro. And they were really good so it made me smile. In the evening, I was going to meet up with Andrea, a girl I know at UCLA who is studying in London but visiting for the weekend. However, she ended up not getting wifi so we weren't able to meet. Instead, I made dinner in the hotel and went to get hot chocolate with two fellow students (one of whom went to Paris Disneyland today) at Le Piquet cafe down the street from us. I relish in sitting in cafes at night, with lights all around and people passing by. Again, very Parisian.

 (On the way back we passed by this giant recycling bin with tons of wine bottles and such outside. WOAH.)

We gathered up a few more students and went to sit by the Inception bridge as we call it (AKA Bir Hakeim bridge), to watch the tower lit up by the river. It's so beautiful, I could watch it forever and daydream.

Today I felt very Parisian, or at least I tried to be. Between my baguette, the garden, the rain, the café and the tower, it was a very casual and authentic day in Paris. I hope this is what it means to be Parisian because I enjoy the baguette life.

The Time We Were Hemingway

I had to miss the class walk on the day I went to London, so yesterday (Saturday) Teo repeated the walk for those of us who missed it. It was nice to be in a smaller group of about 12 students, so we all kept together.
The walk was sort of near Odeon, first to a church that was turned into a meeting club during the French Revolution.

 We walked by the University of Paris, Sorbonne, which Teo said is like the second tier after the doctor and engineering schools. He said the universities are super affordable, less than $400, but everyone has to take a huge merit exam that determines which school you go to. It's funny that in the US, our universities have some of the nicest architecture of the city; here, they just blend in.

 The pantheon is around the corner.

The next stop was the church where Clovis and Pascal are buried. It's called Saint-Étienne-du-Mont; we stopped inside but a mass was going on, so we couldn't venture to the back area. However, this church was actually unique from other churches, as it had gorgeous white spiral staircases in the center that reminded me of bone or shell skeletons.

Since we were near Hemingway's house by now, Teo told us that he used to walk down this street and drink and write in the cafés nearby. All 12 of us sat down in one of the cafés (Le Contrescarpe) and a third-party unaffiliated with UCLA (definitely not Teo) bought us all small beers so we could be like Hemingway. 

(Too bad I don't care for beer, so another student finished mine. It was a cool experience so now I can say I drank where Hemingway did.) 

We continued down Rue de Mouffe as the locals say, where all the stores were open for the market for lunch. This is where our walk ended, but several of us stayed around to look at the bakeries and jarred goods and cheese shops and seafood. I got a sandwich jambon from a popular bakery, which was amazing on very chewy and tough bread (but not stale, of course) with a good helping of mayo. 

The desserts looked so perfect and glazed, but I wasn't hungry enough for one. I was experimental, though, and tried some bits of fried dough with powdered sugar, which I thought would be like funnel cake but were more dense and crispy than chewy and soft. I didn't finish them - I didn't like the bland taste nor thick texture.

 In the afternoon, after a little resting time, I went to Pierre Herme to try their macarons - two of them, Jasmine and Chocolate/Passion Fruit, to be exact. Laduree and Pierre Herme are the best macarons in Paris, so you have to have a taste-off to see which you like better. 

The verdict: Pierre Herme! Though I liked Laduree's tea flavored macaron, the textures were better at Pierre Herme. They were slightly chewy with more quantity of creamy filling. The chocolate/passion fruit was my favorite of all (read: about five places) I tried in Paris - a little sour but rich and sweet too, like other fruit/chocolate combos you can get in the US.

 Tonight was our class's formal dinner, so we all went to a restaurant near the Seine by Notre Dame at 7:30. Walking from the metro to the restaurant was a gorgeous scene - the light an hour before sunset was golden. The beams that reflected off the river were blinding as we all walked in our semi-formal attire to fit into a 40-person room.

 After the entree of salad, we got our pre-ordered plat between vegetarian, fish and duck. The duck comes in a huge pot of four servings, bathed in a tasty prune sauce. There were chunks of plum skins and duck skins in the broth, oozing flavor. It was so tender and went well with the great, soft (almost soggy) French fries.

 It was hot in the room with 40 people and no air conditioning, but I still enjoyed the meal. I talked with two girls about how there are so many different personas of Paris when we hear the name. You can think of the Paris that's stated under the designer labels, or the Hemingway idyllic Paris, or the more city-like cosmopolitan Paris that we live in. The connotations when someone says "Paris" are so varied, but I want to understand them all. But I digress.

The chocolate tart dessert came with like a melted vanilla ice cream - some people thought it was too much chocolate but there is no such thing. We ended dinner with the story of how Teo met his wife, to conclude a wonderful night in the city.

The Time of Ice Cream and Old Books

Bonjour! This morning, we began lecture in the courtyard outside our hotel to learn about the division of Germany and France among kings. At noon, we were on our own for lunch, so a few of us went to Le Commerce Café and shared penne carbonara (a cream sauce with ham and a raw egg yolk) and a tuna pizza. Though we'd brought notebooks and books to read at the café, we ended up just leaving to walk around the streets.

One of the girls is making a fashion blog with pictures of Paris street fashion, so we approached people and tried to introduce ourselves in French, compliment their outfit and then ask to take a picture for a project du UCLA. Their reactions were so funny, but they loved it! One girl was genuinely completely shocked and surprised to be asked, one older woman was very flattered, and one young woman was super friendly and talked to us (well, to one classmate who learned French in high school). This woman worked at a fashion boutique so she was very touched and told us that her fiancee lives in LA. She only spoke French because she said her English was too poor to speak to us.

At 3 p.m. we left for our daily walk - a long one. I've come to realize that the walks are like personal guided tours that Teo has created using his Parisian expertise. He points out amazing places, but since we have a huge group it's not feasible to actually go there, so we walk by and are encouraged to come back to explore further on our own. It's tempting not being able to go inside, but I'm very glad we are told which places are tourist traps and which are truly worthwhile. 

The metro left us at Odeon once again, and we walked for four hours. Many streets previously housed authors and poets, like Sylvia Beach, and we saw a route that Hemingway often took to Gertrude Stein's house. Our group, with some lagging behind, ventured into Luxembourg Gardens to see where the Parisians relax on Sunday afternoon. The back of the Senate building is across from a dark koi fountain. The rest of the park is lined with paths, statues, flowers, children and small metal café tables for resting. It was filled with jolly people.

We were allotted 15 minutes to spend inside a classic church called St. Sulpice, adorned on the outside with huge columns. Inside, we saw stained glass, high domed ceilings, candles at altars and wicker chairs littering the floor. 

Teo took us to his favorite courtyard in Paris, Place de Furstenberg, which isn't famous or grand or anything, but it's a cute, tiny nook that is quiet. Well, today there were boys playing soccer there, but normally it's a little courtyard the size of our hotel room with a lamppost and buildings all around. I love that the buildings are only ever six stories high, because it makes it feel homey rather than like a skyscraper city. 

Finally, we walked by Shakespeare and Co. and Notre Dame. The latter is insanely impressive, and I can't imagine it being built nowadays. We saw the arches and the gargoyles and the pointy peaks piece the sky. Teo said the gargoyles were built to serve the purpose of ejecting water away from the building through their mouths. 

Some classmates and I are planning to return to actually go inside. 

Teo left us at Berthillon across the river, where he said they sell the best ice cream in Paris. So we all got in line, filling the sidewalk and attracting other tourists who saw the line and joined too. I ordered a scoop of pistache and one of caramel beurre sale for 5,00 euros. While it was a little expensive, it was very worth it. Instead of icy like American ice cream, it was so soft and smooth and creamy. Although I don't usually like pistachio, I ordered it because the employee said it was the best - and it was! YUM.

After sitting on a ledge to eat our cones, a group of us went back to Shakespeare and Co. to browse around. It's quite small and crowded, and many of the downstairs books can be bought in America. There are many classics and a whole Shakespeare section of course. Upstairs, there are old books with dusty spines and crammed couches to read. 

Once we arrived back in our neighborhood, we wanted to get dinner. After looking online, we saw an Indian restaurant that looked good to a lot of the students who loved Indian food, so we went out to try to find it. We ended up not being able to find it, but we found another Indian place that was good. I had butter chicken with rice because I don't have Indian food often and it's pretty simple. 

Humorously, the employees thought we were British because they heard us speaking English. I guess, similar to how we can't tell French accents apart, they can't tell English accents apart but it just sounds like the language. 

While strolling back to the hotel, we spontaneously decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower to watch the lights. It's very pretty at night, and there are tons of picnickers on the lawn. You can see some strange people there, like stupid tourists with selfie sticks in the middle of the street, or this one nice French woman with her husband who said it was her birthday and offered us her leftover champagne because she couldn't finish it and was leaving. Though we didn't drink it, she was very nice to us.

The Time of the Rain Misadventure

Today we began with a lecture in an outdoor gazebo again, but we only had about an hour before lunch. Each day Monday through Wednesday, Teo is taking 13 students to a formal lunch and I went today. Since Teo knew the employees, I deduced that he must frequent the restaurant, which had a long wooden table set in a darkened room with red curtains. The way we ordered was by each choosing one entree (which I learned is an appetizer because it means "enter"), one main plate and one dessert. Teo was very insistent in teaching us to say, "Bonjour madame. Sil vous plait je voudrais..." when we order, to always be polite.

Out of entrees that included a poached egg, escargot, and melon and ham, I chose the plat du jour - ravioli.  The mini raviolis came baked in a little ceramic dish and supposedly were filled with cheese, but it was green and thus perhaps spinach too. The entree ended up being my favorite portion, because the delicious pastas were bathed in a cream sauce, as in pure cream, with almost burnt cheese on top. They were cute pillows of goodness.

The main plat was a choice between items like duck, steak, poisson du jour (fish of the day), etc. I chose the steak because the day before, Teo told us that we have to try it the Parisian way, which means less cooked. He said there are three ways to cook French steak: bleu, rare and mal cuit (badly cooked aka well done). I ordered it cooked medium, knowing it would be mostly pink because I wanted to try it less cooked than normal. Some people ordered medium-well or well done, but Teo translated it jokingly as "mal cuit" to the waitress, who knew what that meant and laughed. 

I never understood when people say meat can melt in your mouth, but this steak did because it was soft. The sauce was really good as well, maybe like worcestershire sauce or gravy. Even the potato slices were soft with a smokey taste.   

 A few dessert options were a cheese plate, fruit crumble, and mine: moelleaux au chocolat. I didn't even know what it was when I ordered, but I wanted chocolate. It ended up being like a lava cake, with a soft center like bread pudding. The drizzles were berry and vanilla.

Since I've gotten used to only eating bread for meals, this made me extremely full. I had a café creme afterwards, but this was the most food I've eaten in a meal in a while, maybe because it was rich or because of my recent habit of simpler foods.
It was nice to eat this meal in courses and talk to the other students, but there were definitely several times when I noticed how loud some of the girls were laughing or talking. It's sometimes embarrassing when we just go with our habits instead of being mindful of the customs here.

At 3 p.m. we began our walking tour of the day, taking the metro to Odeon near the 6th arrondissement I believe. He said the center is part of the older, original part of France. We walked down narrow cobblestone streets where revolutionaries met. The Café Procope, as he pointed out, is the oldest restaurant in Paris, where Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson would eat. It's still in business too! The street reminded me of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

I really enjoyed thinking about the historical meaning of the buildings that are older than the entire United States and which people walked where I was. Also on the tour was the house in which Picasso painted Guernica, covered by a huge iron gate.

At one point, we peered across to where the Lock Bridge had been recently taken down, as some sort of red and white material covered the side of the bridge. I'd always thought that the Lock Bridge was just a single, packed bridge, but instead there are locks on almost every single bridge in Paris. Every time we cross a bridge, there are locks attached.

Some locks are cutely heart-shaped or have French flags painted on, but others are truly ugly with purple gym lockers with number codes. Teo commented that this trend developed a few years ago and called it truly heinous and ugly because it obstructs views through the rails and he hates it.

While we were looking at Place Dolphine, it began to pour rain so we stopped under some trees but it didn't stop. It had been very drizzly but now we were soaking even with umbrellas, so we kind of shortened the tour and will continue tomorrow. We stopped just past the Saint Chapelle gates and the oldest clock in Paris.

From there, a few girls and I walked around the same neighborhood on our own, so we could enjoy it at our pace and without a loud group of students. The oldest and most beautiful buildings merely housed little boutiques, like coffee bean shops, jewelry stores, and a book store where we bought some vintage postcards. It felt like a genuine experience speaking basic polite French to the employees and walking around, hair and shoes soaking wet, on this misadventure.

We went into two chocolate shops as well, with beautiful desserts and macarons and pralines and fudge and chocolate shaped like the Eiffel Tower or Sardines or Turtles. We discovered that many of these local French employees are extremely friendly when you try to speak in French, except it can get awkward if they reply in French and I don't understand.

 Eventually we wandered through the maze of side streets and cobblestone and settled at a café on a street corner. Poking out from behind the red awning, we watched the rain fall on the pavement as we sipped café, tea or chocolat chaud.