snow!

It's snowing in Paris!! 

Due to final exams, I was up at an ungodly hour this morning, when the streets of Paris were still dark and no coffee shop was open. So guiltily, I set up shop in a Starbucks right by campus to cram in some last-minute studying and defrost my fingers. Just as I was getting ready to walk to my final, it began to snow! By the time I got out of my exam 2 hours later, the streets were blanketed in a sheet of white, and snow was falling through the air like rain. I walked over to the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero, then the Champs Elysees and the Louvre to say my last goodbyes, and got my shoes soaking wet. It was worth it though. Snow! In Paris! 

What a way to end my stay. 

blue skies

the sunset from tour montparnasse. photo credits

I'm going to miss the blue winter sunsets of Paris. All my favorite colors, in every single shade.

Around 5pm, right when I get out of class, it begins to get dark. The sky will gradually turn all shades of blue, sometimes with streaks of pink, but most often its just blue. The one tonight was especially pretty- no pink and no clouds in the sky, just a gradient of blue going from a glimpse of sunny sky blue in the horizon to a true periwinkle to the steady blue of the night above.  I wish I could contain it in a bottle and take it home with me. I'd let it out every once in a while so everyone could enjoy it.

The sunsets in San Diego are streaked with purples, pinks, and oranges- just as pretty,  and I like them just as much (except blue is my favorite color). I've taken plenty of photos on my own camera, but they just don't do it justice, so I managed to find one that does to show you all. 

p.s. the Eiffel Tower really does light up and sparkle like that every night. When it gets dark, at the top every hour, it sparkles for 5 minutes. quite breathtaking. gets me every time.

espaces verts

Paris, being like any other metropolitan city, has lots of cars, too many people, weird smells, and too much noise. Get over your romantic image of 'la belle Paris,' people... 

However, Paris does have an appreciation for small green spaces. In a city where not many people have backyards, archways and balconies hang with vines, flower stands are popular at the metro stop as well as the market, and flower shops boast new arrangements every other day. French etiquette calls for bringing flowers as a polite gesture when visiting someone's home for dinner, and I've seen numerous people carrying home bouquets, along with their baguettes, on their way home from work. Here are some pretty snapshots I thought I'd share. Most of them were taken when I was walking around the Marais. 

without the vines, this archway would probably not be so eye-catching.

a cafe-restaurant I saw at the end of the street. It looks so cozy!

I was so curious I turned the corner to go check it out. Story of my wanderings- I follow whatever catches my eye, usually getting me lost. 

A bucket of flowers

roses!

more roses- I love this arrangement, despite my usual taste for the red/pink mix. 

tiny buckets

sunflowers- I was browsing some racks out in the front of a clothing shop, and i turn around  and BAM! these huge sunflowers were looking right at me. 

the street market at Corvisart metro stop- every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday morning.

gladiolas at the flower stand at the Versailles market

pretty flowers don't come cheap...

These pretty splashes of color are a sight for sore eyes- a nice break from the grimy sidewalks and gloomy days that autumn brings. Luckily, I get to walk through the Luxembourg gardens on my way to class, my window looks out onto the center green of the Cite U, and the Parc Montsouris is right across the street from my building. If I lived in the center of the city, squeezed in to the row upon row of tiny apartments, I think I'd really miss the big green spaces I take for granted at home. 

There are huge parks here- the Luxembourg, the Tuileries, the Jardin des Plantes- but unless you're lucky enough to live near them, a nice big park with lots of green lawn (that does not say 'pelouse interdit' - do not walk on the grass) is a rare find. Even at the Jardin Tuileries, it is much more likely that your shoes get coated with dust from the gravel of the meticulously landscaped Parisian garden than mud from the grass. Oh Parisians- what use is gravel and trimmed topiaries?  It makes me feel so confined and restricted, like I'm still in the city and still need to abide by the rules of civilization. I thought the idea of the park was the bring us all back to nature...

je suis parisienne!

Map of the Paris Metro. 

My stop is the Cite U, 4th stop off the Blue line heading directly south from the Ile de Cite (the island). For class, I get off at Luxembourg.

I have a countdown going on my mac dashboard. Currently, I have 66 days left until I fly home. I remember when the ticker still said 96! Anyhow, my numbered days remind me how quickly i've adapted. Examples of my progress:

1. Bringing an umbrella EVERYWHERE. Especially lately when the weather is so whack. Also in my purse: metro map, compact grocery bag (they charge for plastic bags at a lot of the grocery stores- very smart.), scarf, and camera. 
2. Knowing the metro system like the back of my hand. Okay, I'm not THAT great (yet), but I can pretty much get where I want to go via the shortest route without reference to the metro map anymore (except once in a while). I have all my routes memorized- including all the stops in between, and a good idea of where all the other ones will take me. Off the top of my head, I can list you all the stops on the RER B in Zone 1 and names of the stops off Tram 3. Not that that would mean anything to you. 
3. Knowing where to get on and off the metro- literally. As in calculating the distance of how far down the platform to walk so that when I get off, I can do less walking to my exit (especially useful when rushing to class/carrying groceries). 
4. Finding my way through the underground metro system automatically- I hardly look at the signs because its become so familiar. And some of the stations are like little underground mazes. I need to be careful with this, though, because sometimes I'll get on the metro, and then remember 2 stops down that I need to get off in one stop. 
5. "Pardon," "Oui," "Merci," and "d'accord" are reflexes similar to how we say "excuse me," and "thank you" in the states- I didn't even really realize this until last week, when I accidentally bumped into a guy with my umbrella and blurted "pardon" without even thinking about it. I hope switching back will be smooth when I get home. 
6. Speaking in French. Although its still hard to understand native speakers (they talk SO fast), I'm getting better, and I can usually understand most of what they're saying and request for help. 
7. I've also become better with numbers-- those used to give me such a hard time!! I mean, why say "quatre vingt dix sept" when you can say ninety seven? That pretty much translates to "four (x) twenty (+) ten (+) seven" = 97 (omit the math signs, but in my head thats how it breaks down). Why not "neuf sept" or something LESS of a mouthful? 
8. People ask me for directions- in French! Like at the metro stop and to the bathrooms at the Sorbonne. And I know how to respond (with the correct directions)!
9. Mastering the art of walking on cobblestone. Did you know, that the most comfortable way to do it is to make sure that the front pad of your foot hugs the cobblestone so it fits the contours of the front part of the arch in your foot? But I still don't like walking on cobblestone- you need to constantly watch your step so you don't trip. I don't know how the ladies in heels do it-- I marvel at their skill. I don't think I'll never be THAT good!

I am on my way to becoming a well-seasoned Parisian (or maybe i'm just adapting in my own weird way). How sad that all this knowledge will become useless once I get home. 

On a completely other, nonrelated note, I saw the CUTEST golden retriever puppy walking to class today!! She was a little bigger than Bartholomew, maybe, and she was the fluffiest little otter walking along on her leash! I wanted to take a picture but she was on the other side of the street :(

autumn in paris

The Luxembourg Gardens. I walk this path to class every day. 

This is my first time actually experiencing fall- sad, isn't it? And in Paris, of all places... it's so lovely! Minus the freak rainstorms and sudden drops in temperature. But really, I don't know how i'll go back to the monotonous California landscape after this.

 Just look at those trees! 

The concept of autumn is so new to me- I mean, of course i've heard of it and seen numerous pictures, but I'd never actually experienced it. Fall in San Diego means going to the beach as much as you can before winter comes and the weather gets slightly cooler. The eucalyptus smells and looks the same year round (ugly), as does campus and the city in general. Nothing really changes. Here, you can tell the season has changed in the way the air smells of rotting leaves, the way the people dress on the streets, how the metro is more crowded, and the extra bite to the cold at night. Its just... different. I also find it very strange that the French seem to have an aversion to colored clothing. I feel like a sore thumb sticking out in my bright red coat. But I can't resign myself to blacks, beiges, and grays- even to blend in. With such gloomy weather, how can you not throw a splash of cheerfulness into the mix? 

I took the picture two weeks ago, and even now the trees look even more bare and more red/brown. 

Luxembourg Gardens last weekend (same exact spot)- see the difference??

We also haven't had bright sunshine like in the first picture for a while- its been mostly overcast, and the light just comes in differently-- you can definitely tell its fall. I walked to to the market this afternoon to get some groceries, and it was raining (note to self: go to the market when its raining- the lines are shorter). The moody weather we've been having lately just struck me as so dark, gloomy, and depressing weather. How depressing to think that soon it will be like this every day.... *sigh.* How does one be cheerful with such weather? It presses down on your mood...I'm a California girl, I need my sunshine!!

The cocktails we ordered at a bar we went to earlier tonight..."taste the rainbow!" 

I now understand why people drink in colder climates- it seriously keeps you a little warmer and lessens the harshness of the cold once you get outside. At least it did for me walking back to the metro stop in the rain. 

heading home

puppies in paris

a guard dog? Lots of shops have dogs that just sit on the stoop...
I always stop and admire!

One thing I've noticed while I've been in the city is how tolerant the city is towards animals- well, dogs, mostly. You see cute dogs everywhere- in the parks, at the market, on the metro, in restaurants...and so on.

three puppies on a leash right outside the building at AUP

The one thing that surprises me is that they are so well behaved. Most of the dogs are small or mid-sized, but i've also seen many large ones. It puzzles me to think how you even raise a large dog in the city. Half of them are not on leashes, yet they obediently follow their masters through all the traffic in the streets and all the tempting lightposts that I'm sure all the dogs in Paris have marked on. Amazing.

LOST: SPIKE.