FRANCE: PARIS round two

Friday, I had a little pain in my stomach so I decided to get it checked out at the doctors. It was very localized so the physician thought it was either a muscle tear or an infection. I’m getting an ultrasound on Monday to check it out. After my appointment, I had an oral exam at two. I got there a bit early and hung out with a bunch of students from my classes beforehand. I am really going to miss them. They are so dynamic and fun and so interesting to learn from. After the exam, I chatted with a girl from Taiwain who was sitting behind me about global warming. Apparently, one of the mountains by her house got snow for the first time ever. Craziness! After my test, I headed to the train station and went to Paris to meet up with Aunt Ann and Nora at the nicest hotel I’ve ever been to – the Westin right by the Tuileries Garden. That night I had a good old fashioned cheeseburger at the hotel (my first one since being here!) and then met up with my friend Olga for a couple drinks before heading to bed relatively early.

The next day, we slept in and had coffee brought to us in bed – quite the life! We took the double decker bus to the Eiffel Tower, where we got off and wandered to Chloe’s grandmother’s flat (a friend from Cape Cod). Luckily, her son and grandson were there. She could only speak French so with the 3 of us translating it ended up being super successful. The grandson, Hubert, and I really hit it off. He ended up inviting me out to a friend’s birthday party with him that evening. So exciting! Also, fun fact, he worked at the French Open and got to hit a few balls with Nadal (aka my tennis crush/love). So cool!

After lunch, Aunt Ann, Nora and I wandered along the Champs-Elysees and then headed to the Place de la Concorde to meet Olga. We took the metro to Notre-Dame and checked out Shakespeare and Co. We stopped at a café with a great view of Notre-Dame and got some drinks and a few snacks. We wandered along the Seine and headed back to the hotel. I got ready for the evening and then went to meet Hubert at his flat (right above his grandmother’s). He drove me to the place where the party was, pointing out all the historic spots and explaining all the history along the way. It was super interesting to go to a French house party. There was wine and cheese everywhere. So classic. We ended up having a great night in Paris!

The next morning, I Aunt Ann and Nora headed out. They were exhausted and although sad to leave also very ready. I can’t believe I’ll be following them in a week! I met up with Olga one last time for lunch. I can’t wait to see her when I get back to Maine; it’s been so fun to meet up and chat with her in Paris!