To the Top and don't forget to walk Aggressively!

So even though I have only been here a few days it feels like weeks! I have concluded that there are several reasons for this; one - jet lag, two - no more than six hours a sleep a night since I've arrived, three - everyday is completely filled and busy! However, these days have been, for the most part, wonderful.

Since my last post there have been a few crazy things that have happened and I have done a lot more...

1) Flasher Story....

So Me, my rommie Paige, and our friend Kristen our taking the metro back to our hotel just before 1:00 am...that night we went out for drinks after dinner. On our way home there were three guys standing at the opposite end of the metro car, occasionally staring at us (which is of no surprise as our American beauty is hard to resist) and one of the Parisian garcons pulls down the pants of another, fatter boy, and starts laughing. This was mildly amusing but in order not to draw attention to ourselves we just ignored them. However as the metro car slowed for the next stop, the same boy who had had his pants pulled down (and has since returned them to upright and locked position) started walking towards us undoing his little Parisan pants button...mon dieux...and then his pants drop again. At this point I'm really confused as to why this boy would be humiliating himself in this manner by revealing his pin-stripped boxers, but little did I know that this was only the beginning. So he is coming ever closer and just as he is in full sight he drops his boxers revealing well...everything...I immediately turn my head away from this indecency in disgust but the image will be forever burned into my mind. Poor Paige caught a glimpse of his backside and apparently that was equally unpleasant. As he ran off the train, he creepily patted Paige on the head and sped through the doors. We saw him sitting bare-assed on the ground as the train pulled away...in the words of my roommate... Ahh Paris!

2) Es-cargo
Well this proclaimed "delicacy" is anything but, or at least with my experience. On the same night of the flashing, Paige, Kristen, and I decided to be adventurous and try Es-cargo, what could be more French? We ordered with confidence, Douze si'vous plait! (12 please), and awaited our appetizer anxiously. Some British ladies sitting next to us expressed their disgust when the shelled creatures arrived but I wasn't phased! I thought, how bad could it be? I mean other people eat it right? Julia Roberts beasted those "slippery suckers" in pretty woman so why couldn't I? I picked up the shell like a professional and went to dig in...literally...you have to take a mini fork, go in the shell, and stab the snail that has been cooked in this pea green liquid that was full of butter and garlic. No wonder it's a delicacy, you can't even taste the actual snail because your face is blasted with the smell of garlic. However this was not the only problem. Getting these things out of there shells is quite the challenge, at least for me, and while stabbing the thing I swear to God it moved. I freaked out as the other girls ate their first snail. "Not Bad" and "Chewy" were their responses. Aggressively working to get mine out, the other girls went on to their second. Finally, in an act of mercy, Paige stabbed my snail like pro and pulled that sucker out. Oh man did it look nasty...have you seen Man vs. Wild or Survivor Man on the discovery channel and you see them eat these nasty bugs or little critters and think to yourself...Oh my god I would never, ever, eat that? Similar experience here. However I knew I had come this far, so I went for it. It was chewy and rather disgusting. After chocking the first one down I knew I was done. I could not stop picturing in my mind what was now swimming in my stomach. I let the other girls finish the rest but at least I can say I did it!

3) Bike Tour Number 2
So the first bike tour was so fun the girls (Paige, Kelsey, Katie, Morgan, Kristen) and I decided to do it again but at night. At the end of this tour we got an hour long boat ride with wine. It was beautiful and we saw tons of sights. I def. recommend it for any traveling abroad...they are in a couple of cities..their name is Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris, London, Barcelona, and Berlin. They were Americans and I could understand them perfectly, they also offered information, gave out free postcards, and were very nice and helpful.

4) La Tour Eiffel
The ladies and I went to the top of the Eiffel Tour and it was beautiful! This is my second time up but it was just as beautiful as the first time. The waiting line wasn't too bad, only about one hour, and it was only 13 Euro. This isn't bad at all. (Food is def. the most expensive thing here, aside from clothing). After we went to the top and took some beautiful pictures, we went back downstairs and had a picnic in la champs de marre which is the grassy area in front of the Eiffel Tour and it was beautiful! We ate our sandwiches that we bought at the local supermarche for around 3 Euros! Going to the market and buying crepes is def. the way to survive in Paris cheaply! After the Eiffel Tour we went to Napoleon's Tomb which was also beautiful.

While in Paris one thing you have to do is walk aggressively, this means that do not hesitate crossing the street or else the car will go. So whenever you cross the street here...make sure to be aggressive!! This also applies to the metros or else you will be left behind!!!

Loving Paris more and more!!!

Paris - Des Jours Un et Deux!

Bonjour! So I have been in Paris for two days and it has been amazing!! The flights over here were interesting. The first one took me in the opposite direction of Paris, Chicago, where I had a two hour lay over which was just enough time to grab a snack, use the bathroom, and call loved ones :-) . The eight hour flight to Paris was a little uncomfortable, I do not recommend American Airlines in international flights. My first trip to Paris in 2004 was on Air France, it was spacious and each chair had its own screen for movies, radio, and games. American Airlines was cramped, had screens for movies but were small and hard to see. Furthermore, the food was not as tasty. Unfortunately my friend sitting next to me became sick in the beginning of the flight and it was rather nasty. Luckily I was able to get her a bag on time and clean up was not too bad. Sleeping was little to none as there was no space to stretch out and there were rowdy children who apparently do not sleep. Lets just say landing was blessing.

After getting out bags (thank god my arrived, no one lost there bags) we headed to our hotels. Most of the students stayed in the Hotel Virgina but due to lack of open rooms, others also stayed in a nearby Quality Hotel...both located in the 14th arrondissment. Since the rooms were not ready since it was only 11:30 Parisian Time (5:30 am in the States) we put our bags in a room and walked around the neighborhood to get better acquainted. Of course by this point I am deliriously tired but I was excited about seeing the neighborhood. We walked to a nice nearby park that was beautiful and will definitely be place for a picnic. After walking around for a bit, we headed back to Hotel Virgina and I was really happy to get moved in and take a much needed nap. My roommate, Paige, didn't fly with us so she hadn't arrived yet. I took about a two hour nap and prepared my self for the boat tour that night.



After my nap I took a shower and Paige arrived! We got acquainted and headed off together for the boat tour sur la Seine! The river boat cruise was beautiful! Unfortunately it was cloudy and a bit chilly and eventually rained but the sights were still gorgeous. It had a phone on every seat where you could select your language and listen to various commentary about the buildings and monuments we passed. I sat next to Morgan on the right hand side and was able to get some great pictures and learn a lot about the building history of Paris.

By the end of the boat ride, everyone was starving, and me having to pee since before the boat ride started, was anxious to get to a nearby restaurant. Luckily, we got on a metro that had a bathroom which was nasty but my bladder needed it. We headed to the Latin Quarter, an area filled with students and thousands of good, cheap restaurants. This place is truly amazing and the restaurant we ate at was beautiful and the food delicious. I had salade mixste (salad), poulet et frites (chicken and fries), et la tarte du jour (French apple pie, very different than the American version). Although not the healthiest dishes other than the salad, it was delicious and only 13 Euros. Oh, and a bit of white wine which was delicious but knocked up my bill 5 Euros.

After dinner, everyone was near exhaustion and turned in for the night. I thought I would fall asleep right away with the way I was feeling but once I got back to the hotel it wasn't the easiest. I think it was because of the excitement. However I did eventually fall asleep and slept till about 7:30 the next day.

I woke up after only 6 hours to go running in Paris and my I say it was definitely worth it. Although no one else was feeling as adventurous as I was, the morning run by myself was refreshing and I went back to the park we went the other day. It felt great outside and if you ever get the opportunity to run in the morning in Paris, DO IT.

After my run we went on about a four hour long bike ride that was an absolute blast. We got to ride the streets of Paris seeing the sights and getting some great information on where to visit. The tour guide was cutie from Texas and had only been in Paris since January so he was obviously easy to understand. I had a few close calls with the traffic but overall it was amazing. The tour was easy going and anyone could do it, practically zero hills and slow paced. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone, Fat Tire Bike Tour. I am thinking about taking the night bike ride soon and see Paris lite up. The night tour also concludes with a wine tasting on a boat on the Seine for about 27 Euros...Yes.

After the bike ride I came back to the hotel with Paige, my roomie, and just hung out for a bit relaxing. Around 5:00 we hit a local Chinese restaurant where I ate some calamari which was delicious. Of course anything fried is delicious. Now I am relaxing again until tonight.


Missing home but loving Paris!!

Trying to fit everything into one bag...

This is the first time I've done a blog and I'm not really sure how it works so this is kind of a practice post...

Soo it's four days until my trip and I am stressing out about what to bring and what to leave behind. I am going to try and fit everything into one suitcase and a carry on....this should be interesting. I'm going to try to follow the list provided by my director Mrs. Beckman and only pack a few, if any, additional items. The weather is supposed to be in the 60's and 70's and it fluctuates a lot so I am going to have to prepare for cool and warm weather and of course rainy days.

I'm pretty nervous about going over there but its a mix of feelings and I think I am more excited than anything as this is a once in a life time opportunity and I'm going to the country and I am obsessed with...also the shopping there should be good : )

I'll be meeting up with a few people I know from home while over there... my friend and neighbor Steven is going on the 27th of May with a UNC program so we will definitely be meeting up at some point during one of my free days in Paris. Also, my boyfriend Tim will be coming over the last week I am there and we are meeting in Paris for the weekend, then he will come with me to Lille to finish out the week. I am sure this will be one of the best parts of my trip : )


Well that's it for now but I will try and post on a regular basis once I am over there and post pictures as well ....