Three Days In

Welcome to Paris: Come take a scenic boat tour with other awkward tourists and indulge in traditional French cuisine that can only be found at Subway.

I really should have posted a lot sooner, but I've been kind of all over the place, trying to get settled. But I'm here! And the plane didn't crash. And my apartment has an awesome little balcony. This probably makes me the epitome of the uptight American girl in Paris.

My apartment is on the sixth floor of a building constructed sometime in the early 1900's, meaning no elevator. Needless to say, lugging two 40+ pound suitcase up sixth spiral flights of stairs was quite a grueling undertaking. Upon my return, I will have the sexiest calves ever.

But the view is worth the climb. My apartment overlooks residential Montparnasse from the East and West. The above picture is the view from my bedroom/main living room. As cliched as it sounds, I can actually see the Eiffel Tower from the window in my bathroom.

I've spent the past two and a half days unpacking and getting settled. I am extremely fortunate that my mother was able to come over with me for the weekend. I've dragged her all over, securing essentials like paper towels. I'm absolutely blown away by French grocery stores. I have never seen so many bottles of wine for so little money. The French also seem to regard their dairy products as precious and luxurious commodities. My small local market has a wide selection of yogurts, mousses, pot de cremes, and puddings, all packaged in adorable glass jars. The thought of returning to Giant Eagle where such a selection is unheard of is already profoundly depressing.

There are a bunch of local markets and sales held weekly all over Paris; there are several in my area alone. Yesterday we visited the organic market by my house, which was a little disappointing. Today, however, we went to a large antique sale a few stops down from my Metro station. The tables full of glass bottles, old doorknobs, ancient plates, and strange lighting fixtures were definitely enough to leave me wanting to return at least a few more times. I actually managed to converse with the proprietors without looking like a total idiot. The image below is a market held daily near Notre Dame that specializes in small animals and plants. Should I wish to invest in a parrot or canary, this would be the place to find it.
And because I promised Eugene I would post some picture, here are some awful touristy shots of Notre Dame.

The blue copper people are supposed to be the Apostles ascending to Heaven. Apparently Heaven is located on the roof of Notre Dame.
We also saw a bunch of funny people on rollerblades. They even had a police escort, also on rollerblades.

Tomorrow I start orientation at Parsons Paris, which basically translates to a welcome session and dinner at the Bastille. More to come...