Most important news as of late: my parents were here last week! They arrived on my birthday (March 10th- I’m 21 woohoo!!) and stayed until the 20th so we had lots of time to see the sights and eat the wonderful food of Paris and hang out in their apartment. Went to Versailles, which was AMAZING… especially Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet and Farm at the Petit Trianon. We visited on the most gorgeous day and wandered around in her gardens and thought about how lovely it must be to play at country living in your own little village. I can see why she would have wanted to get away though; the palace itself, while spectacular, is really a bit much (heavy, overwhelming, too much gold, too many people – then and now).
Best dining experiences included spontaneous champagne at the champagne bar in Les Galleries Lafayette and dinner at Aux Bon Crus where we know the lovely owners Luke and Malika. It’s on Rue des Petits Champs and the food is TO DIE FOR. They have a great selection of wine and they’re so welcoming and charming. Be sure to make a reservation because it fills up quickly!
Also went for the first time to le Centre Pompidu, Paris’ modern art museum, and enjoyed the amazing views of the rest of the city from the hamster-like tubes on the outside. Also saw a cool exhibition of the artist who made the bubble metro stop at Palais Royal- will need to find his name later.
We spent a lot of time on the 16th in the apartment where my parents stayed, just having some quality family time and noshing on tasty cheese, saucisson, and wine.
Unfortunately, I had to spend some time while they were here writing a paper on a play called “Un fil la patte,” but Sunday night I went with my French lit class to the Comedie Francaise to see the show live! The show itself is a vaudeville, so it was super funny (lots of physical comedy and wordplay) and the Comedie itself is a gorgeous old theater that has been around since Moliere!
Other than that, I’ve been doing all the usual things – dinners with my French family, classes at Accent and Sorbonne, cafes, hanging out with Danny and SC friends, and patisseries. Can’t wait for it to get even warmer so we can enjoy springtime in Paris!