Vie de Reilly: Seine

Wow! After a rather depressing mood swing this weekend, I am back to feeling great about Paris! What can I say? Rainy days and Mondays always get my down. I think everyone living abroad at some point realizes that their time there is limited, and the experience is completely in their control. No one else can make Paris more or less fun for me, and this realization has brought me back to appreciating how freaking lucky I am to be here! Saturday night, I enjoyed a beer and sandwich all by my lonesome in le Marais, a chic neighborhood in Paris. Though I tried to talk to a few girls, it's hard to communicate when you don't speak a common language well enough to carry conversation. Sunday I had a delicious lunch with my host family. The matriarch of my family is a seriously phenomenal chef- we had a roasted chicken, green beans, almond purée and tiramisu for dessert. I spent the rest of the day with my friend, Taylor, walking along the Seine and watching the Eiffle Tower light up at twilight. After dark, we headed to le Bastille, another fun neighborhood. We got lost in some alley and wound up having a few beers in a strange Egyptian restaurant that looked like a cave. The place was perfect for conversation because it was really quiet and the beer was cheap! Though no Parisian would ever go there, and no American tourist would ever find it, we enjoyed being in a strange, new place just chatting. Tonight is the night of Colin's big show- opening for Deacon of Animal Collective! I have to say, I am so proud of him and happy to be by his side. Colin is one of the most dedicated people I know and I'm glad to see that good things happen to good, hard-working people! I'm sure I'll post a rant on how great he was over the next few days!

My friend, Taylor, who goes to UT was my companion for this wonderful day! You know you've found a good friend when you can meet for the second time and not have a moment of silence the entire day! Looking forward to many more Parisian adventures together!

This man was playing Moon River on the accordion, trumpet, and drums at the same time. It reminded me of a cute Czech girl in Chicago that I know..

This bridge is over the Seine. Lovers visit it and attach a lock with their initials or name to it, and throw the key into the river. The romance of Paris can only be understood when you're here, otherwise it just seems cliché..

Hotel des Invalides

The museum of (basically) the Southern Hemisphere is covered in different moss and grasses. AMAZING!

Not going to waste your time writing about how this made me feel, but to an outsider visiting Paris it is quintessential to visit. If Parisians think this is "tourist-y," then don't even bother coming abroad. America would seem like a heap of trash to you!

Look familiar? It's the flame from the statue of Liberty.

WOW. I LOVE unexpectedly finding stores I can only dream of back home! Givenchy, next to YSL, across the street from Balenciaga. I couldn't get a good enough picture of Balenciaga, but it is BY FAR the coolest looking store I've seen in Paris. Made Colette look like Urban Outfitters, in my opinion..

It was hard to get a picture that did these beauties justice. I had to upload this so Cayla, my sister, could see what she has to look forward to here! Givenchy!

I need to quickly appologize for the uneven format of my blog- I know it's totally inconsistent, but using blogspot has been really frustrating. I am just now getting the hang of it, and it still looks like crap! Oh well. Patience is a virtue..

So, after two rather drawn-out days of orientations I have finally started exploring Paris. I am starting to think more and more in French and am excited to see how confident I get by the time I leave. Jet lag has been a bit of a bummer- I'm exhausted all day and cannot sleep at night. I cannot wait to be adjusted to the time. The train system has taken a bit of getting used to because it's way more complicated than the simple color coded lines of Chicago. Today, I began feeling a bit more confident and am about to leave for my first night out. The weather has been grey and cold, but it's enjoyable. Paris is really beautiful under any weather. It's true what they say about Parisian women- you really can't beat them. Never in my life have I felt so attracted to so many women in such a short amount of time. The architecture isn't bad either! Even the more industrial buildings are still attractive to me- I love the juxtaposition between the old and new. As you will see, I visited the Louvre today and it was completely a religious experience. Before I even entered the building I couldn't believe what I was walking by. The building is SO huge and SO detailed and generally overwhelming. I'm looking forward to a boat tour up the Seine tomorrow afternoon and plan to do some window shopping in le Marais tomorrow! I am missing everyone at home very much, but am having a total blast here. I find myself smiling from ear to ear when no one's looking to ensure that I remain an anonymous Parisian (until I open my mouth)..