♥ PARIS, FRANCE ♥
Spring Break 2009 has been quite a roller coaster. For the first week, I was very ill and had to make up a chem test: definitely not my idea of fun. However, for the second week, I had an amazing time in Paris. As much as I wanted to do live updating via LiveJournal and of course Twitter, I couldn't because my Blackberry. There wasn't a special card I could buy to get my phone to work and plus, it would have been expensive. Although I feel like my phone is a good connection to my friends, news, dictionary, maps, etc., I did fine without it. I just used it to take notes and write comments about my trip when I was bored in my hotel.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you my travel notes and breakdown of my trip!
MARCH 21
8:48am: just landed! Air France is classy. That was the nicest airplane dinner I've ever had. They actually had real utensils! No plastic spork needed. The movie selection is also nice. I watched Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Also, I have been speaking french with the flight attendant, so that is proof to my family that indeed, I can speak the language enough to get around. Yay for French class! Now we're waiting to be cleared so we can head out of this plane!
9:51am: on our way into the city. CDG airport is pretty cool. We also met up with my uncle at his terminal. So I guess we're going to our hotel now? Although apparently check-in is not until 2pm.
10:01am: riding through the city. It looks wonderful here, my kind of town. Cobblestone streets are kinda rough, though.
11:07am: this hotel is really cute! Small and cozy but just right. Our bathroom has a nice big window with a good view.
3:19pm: finally sitting down after walking for forever! We visited Le Tour Eiffel and took a gazillion pictures. Also hung out at a really nice park called le Champ de Mars. One of the best scenes from Stolen Kisses was filmed there. Now we're eating a very late lunch at a south asian cuisine place!
4:48pm: back at the hotel lying in my bed. Soooo exhausted. My family went downstairs to my grandmother's room to snack but honestly, I am so full and so tired that I can barely move!
7:32pm: just woke up from a nap. No one is in the hotel room and I kinda don't know where everyone is. Hahah. Great. On the other hand, it is dark outside and the view from the window is very pretty. I will just relax more and watch french TV!
MARCH 22
12:48am: just woke up from another nap. My sleeping is so messed up. I'm going to my grandma's room now to have a midnight snack since we bought some food from the market. There's a lot of noise outside because there is a pub right across the street and a few more clubs down further. After all, it's a Saturday night / Sunday morning!
1:47am: watching all the pretty French boys (and girls) walking the streets late at night. I love this window from my room. You can actually hear conversations and the clicking of heels because the street right in front of the hotel is not busy.
2:39am: still awake! I'm doing some planning as to where I want to go. So far, (beside the tourist landmarks) I want to hit the surrealism exhibit, Le Petit Nicolas exhibit at l'Hotel de Ville, a few modern art museums, antique shops, and flea markets. Might be all cheesey tourist stuff, but hey!
8:23am: having breakfast. It's a continental breakfast buffet that's in the basement of the hotel. It is actually quite nice! However, the proportions are small. Definitely not a cruise buffet. Gotta take it easy.
4:05pm: been so busy, I haven't been able to note in a while! We went to L'Arc de Triomphe and took in the view from the top. We also walked around in Montmartre (which was painful on the feet), and went inside Sacre Coeur and lit a candle for my grandpa. I practiced my french whenever possible and actually, one lady working in a store rolled her eyes at me when I asked for directions and asked if I spoke English. Pshh whatever. She should be satisfied enough that I'm trying. We also bought some chocolates and bread because we were hungry. To add, we did some window shopping down Avenue de Champs Elysees, which included going into Louis Vuiton wishing we could buy something hahah. My aunt was gravitated towards this one bag. Now, I'm hungry again. Gotta look for someplace around the block because my stomach is begging for food!
7:03pm: just finished eating at a place called Hippopotamus, which was kinda okay, not great. Now, we're just in the hotel making a pee stop before taking another walk around the city.
9:06pm: sitting at a creperie. We ordered come crepes with strawberry jam and some with nutella and bananas. They're really good and I am so full. I think after this, we're calling it a night. I have had my fill of second-hand smoke and I need a bubble bath, but maybe just a shower will suffice.
MARCH 23
6:40am: hah, I fell asleep in my grandma's room after coming back from walking around at night. I slept all the way through until now. I just came back to my room and now I'm looking out of my window writing this and eating a piece of baguette. The sun hasn't even risen yet. I need to seriously take a shower after this though because I feel like I still reak of cigarette smoke and other city scents from the night before and I really just need a daily shower in general. I feel so gross without one. Breakfast is served downstairs in about 15 minutes but I'm sure there will still be food left if I hurry it up.
5:50pm: back at the hotel. Again, a lot of walking so I wasn't able to note. We went to Notre Dame which was gorgeous even though it was painful climbing up the towers. We also visited Le Pantheon and walked around Saint Germain de Pres and Le Quartier Latin. For lunch, I had some really good chicken and finished the whole dish, which is saying a lot because I almost never finish whatever I'm eating completely at restaurants. Now, we're just re-booting because we are definitely drained.
7:23pm: I'm now in my hotel room again. I went for a walk, just Alex and I, and we went to a french bakery. I bought us some chocolate merengues and they're quite delicious! So, we're just eating them now, putting crumbs all over my bed. We're also watching a french game show where contestants sing for money and have to fill in missing lyrics. It's pretty entertaining :)
9:17pm: just came back from dinner. We just had street food at the same place we got crepes last night. They have very good paninis! The manager/owner also told me that my french was good and to keep studying, so hey, I guess I can communicate okay! Now, we're calling it an early night because we're planning to go to Chateau Versailles tomorrow and need sleep. Well, I'm not getting ready for bed right now but I'm in my aunt's room helping Alexandra with her bubble bath because the tub is kind of deep. Maybe I will prepare myself a bubble bath and watch some BBC world news later.
10:20pm: ah, the young french men :) I like 'em with pointy shoes and tight jeans while riding vespas or bikes carrying baguette. Heheh.
11:20pm: just got done blow-drying my hair and now it's poofy! I'm now watching Hairspray with French subtitles while munching on my chocolate merengue. I'll probably sleep soon because I have to wake up early, but not just yet!
11:51pm: I like Zac Efron as Link. I hope he does other more mature roles (perhaps non-musicals even) in the future. You know how Daniel Radcliffe seems stuck in that Harry Potter role? Well, not gonna lie, I want Zac Efron to be able to break out of Troy.
MARCH 24
9:43am: sitting on the train to Chateau de Versaille. It's different from the regular metro. I heard that the ride is about an hour so maybe I'll take a nap.
6:07pm: sorry I haven't been able to update! Lots of stuff to do here. The Chateau was very nice! The ride was actually not that long either. Afterwards we had lunch that was close to the river and I had a very delicious rabbit. I don't know if the food is extremely good here or if the proportions are perfect for me (or both!) because I have been finishing everything. After eating, I went to the Le Petit Nicolas showcase/exhibit at city hall for free and I really enjoyed it. It was a small event but I loved it. In front of the city hall were also some young people protesting outside with signs. They were pretty peaceful and just walking in a circle. We also went to a mall sort of thing for perhaps half an hour or so. There were these paper mache figures that were being sold so after you buy it, you take it home and decoupage it. I was going to buy a few but they probably would get ruined in my luggage. Plus, they were kind of pricey. Afterwards, we headed back towards the metro back to the hotel and we passed by the city hall again except this time, there were a lot more people protesting and they were running around in a circle this time. It looked like a giant mosh pit. The police riot squad came and a bunch of men came out with shields and guns. The police cars came sounding their sirens, we were so confused as to what happened. It didn't look like anything bad went down but rather, they were just there for security reasons...but I mean, the police made it seem like a big deal, so much that my grandma and great-aunt were getting freaked out and wanted to go as far away as possible. On the other hand, me, my aunt, uncle, and mom wanted to watch for a bit from a safe distance but we didn't get to. Soooo, now I'm back at the hotel. I might use the computer in the lobby because each room gets two hours for free!
11:08pm: the Eiffel Tower at night with the sparkling light show was gorgeous! The show only lasted maybe five to ten minutes but it was cool. We also went back to the same street food place for dinner that we've been to twice before and the manager there recognized me and my family. He's really nice. Now, I'm watching figure skating on TV in the hotel room. I haven't used up any of my internet minutes yet and I'm tempted to, but I'm too lazy. I also want to go to the cafe down the street but again, too lazy and tired. Someone wake me up with an espresso!
MARCH 25
8:24pm: busy busy busy! Today was long but great all the same. First, we went to Musee d'Orsay and saw the paintings of Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Lutrec, Degas, Cezanne, and other artists. Afterwards, we went to have lunch and Alexandra found a boyfriend! His name was Milo and he was so cute. He was also the same age as Alexandra. They shared my ice cream dessert and Milo's grandfather translated Puss In Boots (they had a picture book) from french to english. We had a really pleasant conversation while the kids were talking and playing. At one point, Alexandra sang Jingle Bells and when she was done, Milo sang it in French. So cute. When it was time to leave, we exchanged e-mail addresses with Milo's grandfather and Milo kissed Alexandra on her cheek/side of her lips. It was the cutest thing ever! After lunch, we checked out a church and window shopped. Next, we headed to the Louvre. The crowds were crazy but we got to see the Mona Lisa and some famous sculptures like Venus de Milo. We also walked through rooms and room of other paintings. We stayed until it got dark and our feet hurt so badly. Actually, they still hurt. Now, we're back at the hotel room. I want to go out again and get crepes but we're not going back to the same place we've been going to because we're almost sure that the manager ripped us off. Ugh, and we thought he was nice. Anyway, we're resting now and then it's out again in the streets!
11:20pm: just came back from a fantastic dinner at a small creperie. It was so small without tourists that there was one cook and two servers and neither spoke english. We had a salad and they put a heap of bacon and a sunny-side-up egg on top. I also had a delicious crepe with warm apple filling, honey, and vanilla ice cream. The price was not bad and it was very filling. Now, my feet are in so much pain. I need a soak and a massage!
MARCH 26
5:52pm: Today, we just had a day of shopping. We went to Printemps which had high end fashion. We didn't buy anything, but we looked around. Inside, they had a bakery that is a luxury chain called Laduree. Their specialty is making macaroons. It was kind of pricey (3.80 euros per piece...and it wasn't even that big. Ouch) but I bought three. They were really good so maybe, just maybe I can semi-understand the pricing. I only got 2 chocolates and 1 vanilla, but I really just wanted to go crazy and buy one of each flavor. I also bought a small lunch bag from the bakery because it was cute and my old on is falling apart. After that, we went to some other stores and shopping complexes and ate at McDonalds which was way more expensive than in the states. Almost seven euros for a meal so that like, a little over nine dollars. Their 1€ menu was also quite pathetic. My favorite shopping complex after lunch was a place called Citadium. It was very urban. So, we walked around until we hit the Louis Vuiton store. My aunt had been contemplating buying a certain bag so we finally decided to get it today. The store was different from the ones in America seeing that they offered us coffee, tea, and water. We just took three sparkling waters. Speaking to the sales lady at the store was probably the best practice I've had speaking French, to be honest. That's because it was conversational French, not from-the-book vocab about airports or hospitals (stuff we learn directly from class and get quizes on). Anyway, she didn't speak a word of english to me and she was really nice and patient with my bad grammar. Finally, my aunt bought her bag and we walked around the streets and looked at other shops. Now, we're back at the hotel munching on the macaroons. My uncle went to another Laduree somewhere else today and bought mini ones and my favorite is the mango flavored ones: not too sweet yet not too sour. I'm also going to head down to the lobby and use the internet, finally! I'll probably have over 100 e-mails, most of them being either google alerts or facebook alerts. Oh what a trip this has been! I think I'll walk around more tonight and take in every last bit of it.
MARCH 27
12:48am: finally packed. I felt really down having to gather everything and stuff it back in my suitcase. Earlier, I went to the same bakery down the street and bought more marengues: one in strawberry and one in almond (or "original"). They're so delicious. It started to rain so we couldn't really walk far, but I mean it actually started to pour. It was drizzling a bit during the day but nothing like how it was around sunset. Alexandra actually wanted to go to the park but it was closed because of the rain. Later when it got dark, we had dinner and then headed back to the hotel to just pack and spend time together. Alexandra and I actually goofed around with my uncle from New York for a while. All we did was give each other massages and have pillow fights but it was fun. After everyone took their showers, we all gathered in my grandmother's room for a "snack party" which is when all of us just pile in one room and bring snacks that we have, regardless of size. There was Orangina, Milano cookies, my marengues, chocolate, chips, all kinds of snacks. After we ate a good amount of it, I went back up to my room to pack. Now that I'm done, I'm watching the world figure skating championships. There's this skater, Scott Moir of Canada, that reminds me oddly of a cross between Evan Lysacek and Daniel Vosovic. I really have to go to sleep now because it's almost 1am and the taxi is picking us up at 10am, so breakfast will be early. I also need to give away our extra metro tickets because we have extras. Long flight tomorrow, long day today. Good night!
12:48pm: on the plane right now. I will update about my morning and my flight later. I will finally be able to use my use the internet on my phone again! So long Paris. Je t'aime <3
So, those are the outlines of my trip. I will hopefully have photos up on Facebook soon! Pardon my incorrect French, I don't know how to make accent marks on my phone.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break, whether you traveled the world or stayed at home. We all know that after today, it's full steam ahead. This is the last quarter to make our hard work count and pay off. Two more months. That's it. It may sound long and stressful (and it probably will be the latter) but start the countdown until summer! I strongly encourage everyone to work hard because after finals, there are three months to relax and enjoy.
Toodles for now
XOXO
So, ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you my travel notes and breakdown of my trip!
MARCH 21
8:48am: just landed! Air France is classy. That was the nicest airplane dinner I've ever had. They actually had real utensils! No plastic spork needed. The movie selection is also nice. I watched Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Also, I have been speaking french with the flight attendant, so that is proof to my family that indeed, I can speak the language enough to get around. Yay for French class! Now we're waiting to be cleared so we can head out of this plane!
9:51am: on our way into the city. CDG airport is pretty cool. We also met up with my uncle at his terminal. So I guess we're going to our hotel now? Although apparently check-in is not until 2pm.
10:01am: riding through the city. It looks wonderful here, my kind of town. Cobblestone streets are kinda rough, though.
11:07am: this hotel is really cute! Small and cozy but just right. Our bathroom has a nice big window with a good view.
3:19pm: finally sitting down after walking for forever! We visited Le Tour Eiffel and took a gazillion pictures. Also hung out at a really nice park called le Champ de Mars. One of the best scenes from Stolen Kisses was filmed there. Now we're eating a very late lunch at a south asian cuisine place!
4:48pm: back at the hotel lying in my bed. Soooo exhausted. My family went downstairs to my grandmother's room to snack but honestly, I am so full and so tired that I can barely move!
7:32pm: just woke up from a nap. No one is in the hotel room and I kinda don't know where everyone is. Hahah. Great. On the other hand, it is dark outside and the view from the window is very pretty. I will just relax more and watch french TV!
MARCH 22
12:48am: just woke up from another nap. My sleeping is so messed up. I'm going to my grandma's room now to have a midnight snack since we bought some food from the market. There's a lot of noise outside because there is a pub right across the street and a few more clubs down further. After all, it's a Saturday night / Sunday morning!
1:47am: watching all the pretty French boys (and girls) walking the streets late at night. I love this window from my room. You can actually hear conversations and the clicking of heels because the street right in front of the hotel is not busy.
2:39am: still awake! I'm doing some planning as to where I want to go. So far, (beside the tourist landmarks) I want to hit the surrealism exhibit, Le Petit Nicolas exhibit at l'Hotel de Ville, a few modern art museums, antique shops, and flea markets. Might be all cheesey tourist stuff, but hey!
8:23am: having breakfast. It's a continental breakfast buffet that's in the basement of the hotel. It is actually quite nice! However, the proportions are small. Definitely not a cruise buffet. Gotta take it easy.
4:05pm: been so busy, I haven't been able to note in a while! We went to L'Arc de Triomphe and took in the view from the top. We also walked around in Montmartre (which was painful on the feet), and went inside Sacre Coeur and lit a candle for my grandpa. I practiced my french whenever possible and actually, one lady working in a store rolled her eyes at me when I asked for directions and asked if I spoke English. Pshh whatever. She should be satisfied enough that I'm trying. We also bought some chocolates and bread because we were hungry. To add, we did some window shopping down Avenue de Champs Elysees, which included going into Louis Vuiton wishing we could buy something hahah. My aunt was gravitated towards this one bag. Now, I'm hungry again. Gotta look for someplace around the block because my stomach is begging for food!
7:03pm: just finished eating at a place called Hippopotamus, which was kinda okay, not great. Now, we're just in the hotel making a pee stop before taking another walk around the city.
9:06pm: sitting at a creperie. We ordered come crepes with strawberry jam and some with nutella and bananas. They're really good and I am so full. I think after this, we're calling it a night. I have had my fill of second-hand smoke and I need a bubble bath, but maybe just a shower will suffice.
MARCH 23
6:40am: hah, I fell asleep in my grandma's room after coming back from walking around at night. I slept all the way through until now. I just came back to my room and now I'm looking out of my window writing this and eating a piece of baguette. The sun hasn't even risen yet. I need to seriously take a shower after this though because I feel like I still reak of cigarette smoke and other city scents from the night before and I really just need a daily shower in general. I feel so gross without one. Breakfast is served downstairs in about 15 minutes but I'm sure there will still be food left if I hurry it up.
5:50pm: back at the hotel. Again, a lot of walking so I wasn't able to note. We went to Notre Dame which was gorgeous even though it was painful climbing up the towers. We also visited Le Pantheon and walked around Saint Germain de Pres and Le Quartier Latin. For lunch, I had some really good chicken and finished the whole dish, which is saying a lot because I almost never finish whatever I'm eating completely at restaurants. Now, we're just re-booting because we are definitely drained.
7:23pm: I'm now in my hotel room again. I went for a walk, just Alex and I, and we went to a french bakery. I bought us some chocolate merengues and they're quite delicious! So, we're just eating them now, putting crumbs all over my bed. We're also watching a french game show where contestants sing for money and have to fill in missing lyrics. It's pretty entertaining :)
9:17pm: just came back from dinner. We just had street food at the same place we got crepes last night. They have very good paninis! The manager/owner also told me that my french was good and to keep studying, so hey, I guess I can communicate okay! Now, we're calling it an early night because we're planning to go to Chateau Versailles tomorrow and need sleep. Well, I'm not getting ready for bed right now but I'm in my aunt's room helping Alexandra with her bubble bath because the tub is kind of deep. Maybe I will prepare myself a bubble bath and watch some BBC world news later.
10:20pm: ah, the young french men :) I like 'em with pointy shoes and tight jeans while riding vespas or bikes carrying baguette. Heheh.
11:20pm: just got done blow-drying my hair and now it's poofy! I'm now watching Hairspray with French subtitles while munching on my chocolate merengue. I'll probably sleep soon because I have to wake up early, but not just yet!
11:51pm: I like Zac Efron as Link. I hope he does other more mature roles (perhaps non-musicals even) in the future. You know how Daniel Radcliffe seems stuck in that Harry Potter role? Well, not gonna lie, I want Zac Efron to be able to break out of Troy.
MARCH 24
9:43am: sitting on the train to Chateau de Versaille. It's different from the regular metro. I heard that the ride is about an hour so maybe I'll take a nap.
6:07pm: sorry I haven't been able to update! Lots of stuff to do here. The Chateau was very nice! The ride was actually not that long either. Afterwards we had lunch that was close to the river and I had a very delicious rabbit. I don't know if the food is extremely good here or if the proportions are perfect for me (or both!) because I have been finishing everything. After eating, I went to the Le Petit Nicolas showcase/exhibit at city hall for free and I really enjoyed it. It was a small event but I loved it. In front of the city hall were also some young people protesting outside with signs. They were pretty peaceful and just walking in a circle. We also went to a mall sort of thing for perhaps half an hour or so. There were these paper mache figures that were being sold so after you buy it, you take it home and decoupage it. I was going to buy a few but they probably would get ruined in my luggage. Plus, they were kind of pricey. Afterwards, we headed back towards the metro back to the hotel and we passed by the city hall again except this time, there were a lot more people protesting and they were running around in a circle this time. It looked like a giant mosh pit. The police riot squad came and a bunch of men came out with shields and guns. The police cars came sounding their sirens, we were so confused as to what happened. It didn't look like anything bad went down but rather, they were just there for security reasons...but I mean, the police made it seem like a big deal, so much that my grandma and great-aunt were getting freaked out and wanted to go as far away as possible. On the other hand, me, my aunt, uncle, and mom wanted to watch for a bit from a safe distance but we didn't get to. Soooo, now I'm back at the hotel. I might use the computer in the lobby because each room gets two hours for free!
11:08pm: the Eiffel Tower at night with the sparkling light show was gorgeous! The show only lasted maybe five to ten minutes but it was cool. We also went back to the same street food place for dinner that we've been to twice before and the manager there recognized me and my family. He's really nice. Now, I'm watching figure skating on TV in the hotel room. I haven't used up any of my internet minutes yet and I'm tempted to, but I'm too lazy. I also want to go to the cafe down the street but again, too lazy and tired. Someone wake me up with an espresso!
MARCH 25
8:24pm: busy busy busy! Today was long but great all the same. First, we went to Musee d'Orsay and saw the paintings of Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Lutrec, Degas, Cezanne, and other artists. Afterwards, we went to have lunch and Alexandra found a boyfriend! His name was Milo and he was so cute. He was also the same age as Alexandra. They shared my ice cream dessert and Milo's grandfather translated Puss In Boots (they had a picture book) from french to english. We had a really pleasant conversation while the kids were talking and playing. At one point, Alexandra sang Jingle Bells and when she was done, Milo sang it in French. So cute. When it was time to leave, we exchanged e-mail addresses with Milo's grandfather and Milo kissed Alexandra on her cheek/side of her lips. It was the cutest thing ever! After lunch, we checked out a church and window shopped. Next, we headed to the Louvre. The crowds were crazy but we got to see the Mona Lisa and some famous sculptures like Venus de Milo. We also walked through rooms and room of other paintings. We stayed until it got dark and our feet hurt so badly. Actually, they still hurt. Now, we're back at the hotel room. I want to go out again and get crepes but we're not going back to the same place we've been going to because we're almost sure that the manager ripped us off. Ugh, and we thought he was nice. Anyway, we're resting now and then it's out again in the streets!
11:20pm: just came back from a fantastic dinner at a small creperie. It was so small without tourists that there was one cook and two servers and neither spoke english. We had a salad and they put a heap of bacon and a sunny-side-up egg on top. I also had a delicious crepe with warm apple filling, honey, and vanilla ice cream. The price was not bad and it was very filling. Now, my feet are in so much pain. I need a soak and a massage!
MARCH 26
5:52pm: Today, we just had a day of shopping. We went to Printemps which had high end fashion. We didn't buy anything, but we looked around. Inside, they had a bakery that is a luxury chain called Laduree. Their specialty is making macaroons. It was kind of pricey (3.80 euros per piece...and it wasn't even that big. Ouch) but I bought three. They were really good so maybe, just maybe I can semi-understand the pricing. I only got 2 chocolates and 1 vanilla, but I really just wanted to go crazy and buy one of each flavor. I also bought a small lunch bag from the bakery because it was cute and my old on is falling apart. After that, we went to some other stores and shopping complexes and ate at McDonalds which was way more expensive than in the states. Almost seven euros for a meal so that like, a little over nine dollars. Their 1€ menu was also quite pathetic. My favorite shopping complex after lunch was a place called Citadium. It was very urban. So, we walked around until we hit the Louis Vuiton store. My aunt had been contemplating buying a certain bag so we finally decided to get it today. The store was different from the ones in America seeing that they offered us coffee, tea, and water. We just took three sparkling waters. Speaking to the sales lady at the store was probably the best practice I've had speaking French, to be honest. That's because it was conversational French, not from-the-book vocab about airports or hospitals (stuff we learn directly from class and get quizes on). Anyway, she didn't speak a word of english to me and she was really nice and patient with my bad grammar. Finally, my aunt bought her bag and we walked around the streets and looked at other shops. Now, we're back at the hotel munching on the macaroons. My uncle went to another Laduree somewhere else today and bought mini ones and my favorite is the mango flavored ones: not too sweet yet not too sour. I'm also going to head down to the lobby and use the internet, finally! I'll probably have over 100 e-mails, most of them being either google alerts or facebook alerts. Oh what a trip this has been! I think I'll walk around more tonight and take in every last bit of it.
MARCH 27
12:48am: finally packed. I felt really down having to gather everything and stuff it back in my suitcase. Earlier, I went to the same bakery down the street and bought more marengues: one in strawberry and one in almond (or "original"). They're so delicious. It started to rain so we couldn't really walk far, but I mean it actually started to pour. It was drizzling a bit during the day but nothing like how it was around sunset. Alexandra actually wanted to go to the park but it was closed because of the rain. Later when it got dark, we had dinner and then headed back to the hotel to just pack and spend time together. Alexandra and I actually goofed around with my uncle from New York for a while. All we did was give each other massages and have pillow fights but it was fun. After everyone took their showers, we all gathered in my grandmother's room for a "snack party" which is when all of us just pile in one room and bring snacks that we have, regardless of size. There was Orangina, Milano cookies, my marengues, chocolate, chips, all kinds of snacks. After we ate a good amount of it, I went back up to my room to pack. Now that I'm done, I'm watching the world figure skating championships. There's this skater, Scott Moir of Canada, that reminds me oddly of a cross between Evan Lysacek and Daniel Vosovic. I really have to go to sleep now because it's almost 1am and the taxi is picking us up at 10am, so breakfast will be early. I also need to give away our extra metro tickets because we have extras. Long flight tomorrow, long day today. Good night!
12:48pm: on the plane right now. I will update about my morning and my flight later. I will finally be able to use my use the internet on my phone again! So long Paris. Je t'aime <3
So, those are the outlines of my trip. I will hopefully have photos up on Facebook soon! Pardon my incorrect French, I don't know how to make accent marks on my phone.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break, whether you traveled the world or stayed at home. We all know that after today, it's full steam ahead. This is the last quarter to make our hard work count and pay off. Two more months. That's it. It may sound long and stressful (and it probably will be the latter) but start the countdown until summer! I strongly encourage everyone to work hard because after finals, there are three months to relax and enjoy.
Toodles for now
XOXO