today was an "up" day

ok, so...last night i took my first shower in Paris. (i know, that's gross that i waited 2 days...but i was too busy to) let me just say that...it was WEIRD! i'm starting to realize that French architecture is meant to be functional & aesthetically pleasing while using the least amount of space humanly possible. and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

the showers are across the hall from my dorm, and they are shared by the entire floor. so, there are just a bunch of shower stalls. you walk in, and there's a little hook and small shelf to put your towels and things (but not nearly enough space) and then the shower area is right behind it. but there's no curtain! it's almost like showering at a gym. but i had trouble not getting my towel or clothes wet. i hope i get used to it soon. OH, and the water didn't stay on...it kept turning off after 30 seconds or so. i kept having to push the water knob in to stay on. i might need to ask about this soon.

also...at 2:00 am, i heard a lot of loud banter coming from the Irish pub at the end of my street. it's pretty close by. i could see them from my window. they were loud and speaking English. and Irish music was playing. just thought i'd mention that i AM experiencing the annoyances of city life.

goat cheese, egg, tomato, lettuce = HEAVEN

mmm, eclaires

0.40€ espresso from vending machine at CEA is delicious

i finally got to sleep around 3:00 am last night, and woke up with my alarm at 8:30...but i must've fallen asleep again. i woke up at 10:33, and i need to be at CEA by 10:00. i rushed out, but still only got there by 11:06. no big deal...but i felt horrible. we had a meeting about class schedules, etc. then they gave us an amazing lunch! (see photos above) and then had some free-time until we went to take a bus-tour of Paris at 2:30. that was pretty awesome. i got to hear (and understand about half of) the histories of famous Parisian monuments in French, through headphones, while seeing it. very neat.

waiting for the bus tour

i was put in charge of our ticket :)

                                     

fiona, on the bus

                                    

beautifying Paris

                                              

                                              

agreed...

                                              

the view through l'arc de triomphe

                                   

                                             

                                              

can't believe i took this photo!

                                              

japanese couple getting married.

apparently, this is a common sight by le tour eiffel.

                                               

de la fierté française

                                    

                                    

then i came home, had a skype date...and then went to meet a few new friends on the front steps of the Notre Dame at 7:00. we walked around a lot, found a few bars, a restaurant to have dinner, etc. it was just a fun, chill night.
we walked along the Seine on the way home too, attempted some mischief...stuff like that. i would write more...but my roommate, alex, has to be up in 3 hours to take the metro to catch a train to Amsterdam. and he just fell asleep. so i must stop typing soon. but i'll put up some photos and let you imagine what was happening. haha. we went to a bar called Le Caveau Des Oubliettes = The Cave of the Forgotten. then to dinner at Le Soleil d'Or = The Golden Sun. and then to another bar called Le 10 Bar. (and NO...nobody got drunk. for anyone who was/is concerned. it's too expensive to get drunk here, thank God.)

yes, this is inside my métro station. gross.

                                               

where we met to go out, haha

yum

this sangria was SO DELICIOUS

tom and fiona

krystina and i

our attempted all-of-us photo using the mirror

myspace-photo on the Seine = success?

walking down the edge of the Seine

12:30 am, together (after dropping off fiona)

12:45, alone

- adapting to city life