La Première Semaine

I can't believe I let more than a week in Paris go by without a post!  Although my arrival at Charles de Gaulle was approximately 30 hours later than expected (a long, painful story), the time since that eventual touchdown has flown by!  A few days ago, I even started jotting down quick notes on my days just so that I could keep them straight, but finally I have the time to record them all.  Today marks the end of a week and a half of intensive language sessions and orientation, and I can't wait to get started on what will become my everyday life here in Paris.  To recap, a few of the biggest and best things I've seen so far:

While this is a terrible picture of the breathtaking sight that is the Musée d'Orsay, it is indeed the only shot I have of the day (disclaimer: a photog I am not, and my cell phone camera of choice does nothing to enhance that fact).  But as unexciting as this photo is, this is actually my favorite part of the museum, because it's the part most telling of the museum's past life as a train station, and provides a wide view of the Paris skyline.  Of course, the paintings and sculptures within are just as awe-inspiring, the smooth lines of Degas and and the brain twister that is pointillism being among the most exciting to me.  After a quick lunch, we took the metro to the infamous Champs Elysées for some window shopping (better described in French as le lèche-vitrines, or "licking the windows").  However, a Saturday afternoon among throngs of tourists proved too much for my exhausted housemate and I, so our visit was short-lived.

After sleeping off the last of our jet lag on Sunday morning, we ventured out to what quickly became my favorite area of Paris so far, le Marais. A very old district of Paris that was once inhabited by the rich before the French Revolution, the Marais is now an area full of winding cobblestone roads, often closed to motorists, chock-full of vintage shops, boutiques, and tiny French cafés like one might see in a storybook. Then, every few streets, there is a huge building or square rich with history and culture, like the Place des Vosges, pictured above. Built by Henri IV and completed in 1612, it is the oldest planned square in Paris and has since been home to countless individuals and stories. To stand amid the fountains, manicured grass, and playing children is a magical experience even in the dead of winter.  Somewhere between the fifth basement full of vintage disco dresses and the second pain au chocolat, we decided to make a visit to the Marais an official Sunday tradition.

After capping off our weekend with an inaugural crêpe, the week of language intensives was upon us. However, I lucked out with a fantastic French professor who makes class more than bearable.  Also, being able to leave class and stroll along the Seine or explore the Panthéon tends to make the days a little more exciting! Already I feel like I've lived here for months, and I can't wait to discover what else Paris, and my experience here, has to offer.