PARIS!

BONJOUR (well now it should be "bonsoir") de PARIS!!!

For everybody who is unaware, I officially arrived in Paris yesterday for my Thanksgiving vacation!  My friend from high school who goes to NYU is studying abroad in Paris for the semester, and visiting her over Thanksgiving sounded like an adventure in the making, to say the least.

After a red-eye flight across the Atlantic, I arrived in Paris around 11 AM.  I proceeded through customs and onto the train which took me into Paris proper.  After some slight wandering at the Saint Michel-Notre Dame metro stop, I found the train I was looking for and headed toward Layla's apartment.

When I arrived, Layla was frantically preparing for class, so I bid her adieu (do you guys like my French?!) and took some time to relax, get cleaned up, and even take a cat nap.  Later that evening, the family of one of Layla's roommates hosted a bread, wine, and cheese party at the girls' apartment, a great and fitting introduction to Parisian cuisine.

Before I talk about the event, I should discuss the fabulous living situation Layla and her roommates have right now.  Each girl in the four-bedroom apartment has her own room.  There is also a large living and very usable kitchen.  Layla even has an extra bed that I get to use for the duration of my stay!

Back to my stomach.  There were cheeses of all kinds: your typical goat cheese, a smelly one, and others that I had never heard of before.  There were baguettes everywhere.  And most importantly, Hillary's parents brought some of the best wine France has to offer.  Such a win.  After a healthy amount of eating, drinking, and overall merriness, we all crashed.

I woke up early this morning to take City Segway's Paris Tour (typical, right?).  It was a lot of fun and a great way for me to get around and see many different parts of Paris.  I had time yesterday to wander around the neighborhood the apartment is in, but I definitely feel like I have a much better sense of the city now that I've been on tour.

After Segway-ing for three hours, I got my legs moving again and headed over toward Napoleon's tomb and the adjacent military museums.  The Arms and Armor museum is absolutely incredible.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I then headed out for a 40-minute walk to NYU's Paris campus to meet Layla after her class.

From there, we went to a famous bakery (don't ask me the name) on Rue de Passy where I got a butter croissant (imagine snobby French pronunciation) and a chocolate croissant (same thing), my first croissants in France.  They were TO DIE FOR.  I would go back in a heartbeat.  Following my stomach's blissful experience, we went grocery shopping (read: we went to a formagerie, a fruit stand, a boulangerie, and supermarket).  How could I have walked into another boulangerie and not gotten a croissant?  Easy.  I didn't!  Yep, I had three croissants within an hour.  I think I deserved them, though.  Also at the boulangerie, I got a baguette, because you HAVE TO!

Finally, when we got home, I had a dinner that consisted, for the second night in a row, of bread, cheese, and wine.  It was divine.  That combined with the viewing of Glee made for an epic night.

Plans for the rest of the week: more sleep, museums, and maybe even Versailles!  I will certainly keep you updated.

Alright, guys.  It's past 1 AM here.  That means bed time.

Au revior,

Sam

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