CT À PARIS

Today was awesome. I didn't have class until 2, so I slept in until 11:30. The best part about that is the fact that I was the first person to get up at the apartment. I went to wine class, which is awesome. We had a lecture about champagne: how it's made and how it's marketed. Then after class my friend Melanie and I went to the Louvre.

Because we're students we get wonderful magical passes that let us into the museum for FREE! I was so excited about mine, I made Melanie take my picture with it.

My Louvre ID is more official looking than my CEA ID.

Melanie had to sketch the Venus di Milo for her drawing class, and by the time we got to the sculpture itself, it was already 4:50. The museum closes at 6, so I went over to the Ruben's room. I took a few quick pictures out the window on my way.



You know how in the states when a museum closes at 6, that's when they start kicking people out? Yeah, the Louvre isn't like that. They started roping off little rooms around 5:30. As we were trying to find an exit at 5:45 there was already a man mopping and they were roping off the hall with the Venus di Milo.

At that point, Melanie and I were both starving. We walked out away from the museum a bit, but were still in a touristy area. We ended up picking an Italian restaurant. Yep, after visiting probably the most famous museum in France, we went out for Italian. It wasn't too over-priced, either, which is what I expected from this area. I got a HUGE portion of tortelloni with cheese and spinach in a cream sauce and they gave us free bread, which is practically unheard of in Paris. Melanie got something called a "pasta cocktail" (rough translation) which was FOUR different kinds of pasta and sauces, and about a fist-sized portion of each! So she basically got 4 dinners for €13!

On the way home it started to pour, and my cheapy H&M umbrella didn't feel like helping me out. One of the... arm... things? It broke, and kept flipping up and just in general seems to need replacing. The rain (and my incredibly full stomach) didn't stop me from getting dessert though. I got off at the Lamarck stop (which is the one closer to my apartment but with stairs) and so I stopped at a different bakery than usual and picked up an eclair cafe. I prefer the one from my usual baker at the end of my street, but I still ate it all.

If it's still pouring and disgusting tomorrow, though, that may affect my papal visit. Pope events don't really even start until like 4ish, and that's just when the area starts to open. The Popemobile isn't bringing the Pope to Notre Dame until 6:45-7ish, so hopefully the weather will be a bit clearer by then.

Also on the list for this weekend:

• I want to go to the catacombs!!! I have wanted to go every time I was in Paris but have yet to actually visit them. Lia said she would go with me, so that should hopefully happen

• We need to go back to Gibert Joseph, because Lia and Vicky's books were sold out last weekend, and I just found out that I need a workbook I didn't know about. Oops.

• Lia and I really want to find Macarons et Chocolat a shop that from the looks of it, appears to be right down the street from us

I'm hoping that by making this list I'll actually do most (hopefully all!) of these things. I know for sure the last two will happen, if I'm luckily I'll also get in Pope and catacombs. Hope everyone else has weekend as good as mine looks to be!