A perfect reading day...

There's been a sense of calm about me today that I can't explain. I woke up well rested, wandered around my quarter a bit in the cool, misty weather, had my own teatime with a strawberry tartlette, and read a good chunk of Pat Conroy's latest book, My Reading Life.

It's not a novel, but rather a collection of short stories describing the influence of literature during his formative years, and how that love stayed with him, inspiring his writing everyday. I haven't actually done a lot of reading while I've been here in Paris, but today was the perfect day for it, so I indulged. I bought this book when he was doing a book signing on Fripp Island over the Christmas break, and had the pleasure of meeting him in person. He signed the book for me on the starting page of the chapter, aptly titled, "A Southerner in Paris."

Maybe I'm romanticizing books, or maybe it's just been so long I can't really remember when I read a book for pleasure, but it was nice to turn off the laptop, cozy up on my bed, and hold an actual book in my hands, reading solely for the purpose of reading. That this topic itself is the focus of the entire book might have something to do with why I'm writing this now. A quote:

There is no passion more rewarding than reading itself...it remains the best way to dream and to feel the sheer carnal joy of being fully and openly alive.

I've always been a bookworm, and I thank my parents for instilling in me a love of ink on bound paper. Another chapter, another quote:

Books are living things and their task lies in their vows of silence. You touch them as they quiver with a divine pleasure. You read them and they fall asleep to happy dreams for the next ten years. If you do them the favor of understanding them, of taking in their portions of grief and wisdom, then they settle down in contented residence in your heart.

On that note, I bid you adieu. May you always have a good book in hand.

Planes, Trains, and "à pied"

Happy New Year to you all! And greetings, my extremely patient readers. Forgive my radio silence...I've been alive and well, but these things called "life" & "school" got in the way of my writing schedule.

But, since the last update:

• My father came to visit me (end of October)
• After daddy left, my camera stopped working
  
• My mother came to visit me (Thanksgiving!)
• After mamma left, my camera started working again
  
• I did some Christmas shopping for my family
  
• My French courses wrapped up for the term
• I got on a plane in Paris, was delayed for two hours b/c of snow, and was stuck in Frankfurt for two days because of flight cancellations (more snow)
• Finally arrive in Atlanta, wonderful reunion with mamma & brother
• Somewhere between Frankfurt & Atlanta, my camera stopped working again.
  
• I went to Alabama to see my mom's side of the family on Christmas day, and drove back home through snow that night
  
• Was home for a day, then headed the other direction to visit my dad's side of the family in South Carolina
• Back home, I saw in the new year with my mom, dad, brother & his girlfriend, and a bottle of good Champagne, too!
• Packed
• Got on a plane in Atlanta last night at 8:30 pm (EST)
• Got off a plane in Paris this morning at 11:15 am (Paris time)
• Got my luggage, got onto an RER train into the city, then walked across Luxembourg Gardens with my luggage trailing behind me
• Hauled my suitcase & carry-on up to my room, though I'm yet to unpack.

So, that's an up-to-the-minute report of what's happened while it's been so quiet over here. Currently, I'm fighting some pretty severe jet lag, but if I take a nap, I'll never wake up again, it feels like. If I can make it until 8 tonight, I'll be doing really, really well.

One resolution I've made to myself is that I'll post more consistently on this blog. I knew I was setting myself up for a difficult task, posting every day, and even though I did well for a while, my goal this time around is to post something, at least once a week.

Days 27-32

Wooow...I'm slipping on this daily blogging thing, but as I'm settling in, there's not as much to notice that's new & different.

Another list of things that have happened since my last post:

• I've met with fellow knitters at a tiny little tea house (quite a wonderful morning)
• I went to Pizza Night Bible Study at the American Church in Paris
• I went to see my first movie in a French cinema (Despicable Me), even if it was in English
• I had raclette for the first time, and it was delicious
• I was invited to a wonderful dinner at the home of someone I met at the American Church in Paris
• I survived another week of French classes
• I met the 3 university students staying in the apartment across the hallway from the one I'm in
• I had a bagel sandwich for lunch with a friend (it totally hit the spot!)
• I found a recipe I want to try, especially since the weather's getting cooler...
• I finally made it to the Eiffel Tower
• I finally had my first crepe in Paris
• Eldest told me that he loved me, which just about melted my heart...he's adorable when he's in a good mood :] (it did catch me a little off guard, but I think that's a good sign, don't you?)
  

Things I'm excited about:

• My dad arrives for a visit this coming Friday!
• The kids go on break, which means I get time off
• The host parents are going on vacation, which means a calm, quiet apartment :]
  
• After my dad leaves, it's only another 2 weeks until my mom comes to visit!
• Thanksgiving!
• Christmas break
  

Things I'm not excited about:

• The cold
• The wind
• The rain
• The lack of sunshine that apparently comes with wintertime in Paris
• Missing Halloween
• Missing fall football
  

Day 26

What a wonderful day! Everything came together beautifully, and I had an unforgettable adventure, courtesy of gift tickets from the Canadian to Disneyland Paris!

It's so beautiful...pictures don't to this justice!

So, the Canadian won tickets to Disneyland at her work (she works for a very well-known yogurt company), but she couldn't use the tickets, so she was kind enough to give them to me! I didn't want to go by myself, so I got in touch with Nadine, and we spent a perfect day in a perfect place.

We didn't miss each other at the train station like last time, so it was absolutely wonderful to be able to catch up with someone I haven't seen in two years! The reunion was kind of funny & kind of fitting, since the last time we saw each other was here in Paris two years ago. But, we met, got her RER ticket, and boarded the train to Disneyland!

We started our day of Disney adventure in Disneyland Park. I didn't know this before, but Nadine wasn't a huge roller coaster fan, which threw a wrench into my plan a little bit (French vocab moment: roller coaster --> montagnes russes). However, she was a very good sport & rode her very first roller coaster, Space Mountain: Mission 2! I don't know why she didn't like coasters before, but after that one, she was so excited that she called her mom back home to tell her! After Space Mountain, she wanted to recover a bit, so we moved on from Discoveryland to Fantasyland. In Fantasyland, we rode It's a Small World & the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. After the Tea Cups, we moved on to Adventureland, where we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, and then we decided to take a lunch break.

It's so...steampunk!

Welcome to Fantasyland :]

There's so much going on in this picture, I don't know where to start...

Yargh! Ahoy! Avast! ... That's all I've got.

We ate at the Hakuna Matata Cafe, both ordering a formula menu of a kebab sandwich (think gyro), Hakuna fries, a drink, and ice cream. After lunch, Nadine decided that she wanted to try the Indiana Jones & the Temple of Peril ride, so we got fast passes and wandered through the house from "The Swiss Family Robinson," letting our lunch settle. By the time we finished with the tree house, we used our fast passes & rode the Indiana Jones coaster, which was a really short ride, actually. Nadine asked me when it finished if that was all for that ride (which was funny, given that she didn't like roller coasters earlier that day!).

Oooh...the Temple of Peril!

After Indiana Jones, we switched parks, going to Walt Disney Studios Park, which is much smaller than the main park, but also less crowded, which was nice. The only two coasters that we wanted to ride in Walt Disney Studios were the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster & Crush's Coaster, which I think is a new ride based on the character (of the same name) from Finding Nemo. Hindsight being what it is, we should've gotten fast passes for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and gone to do Crush's Coaster, but hindsight is always 20-20.

Welcome to Walt Disney Studios!

It's the same statue as the one in Florida!

Easily one of the best coasters in the park.

So, without hindsight to aid us, we went with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster first, and it was really a great coaster. After we finished that one, we went to find Crush's Coaster, but the wait was 65 minutes! We didn't have enough time to wait for that ride, sadly, but we did find Mickey Mouse nearby and got our pictures with him, so it worked out well in the end, and it was an absolutely perfect day with a wonderful friend.

Who doesn't love Mickey Mouse?

Day 25

In one Saturday I saw some amazingly beautiful cars, & also celebrated my first Canadian Thanksgiving!

I woke up at a normal time (for me) of about 9:30, had breakfast & tea, then went back to my room to check my Faceboook/Twitter/Gmail & get ready to go to the Mondiale Auto, aka the Paris Motor Show!

I don't know what to expect, going on a weekend, to a car convention, in a HUGE European city, but it surely wasn't what looked, smelled, and felt like 5 million people. Somehow, though, I managed to wedge myself through the crowds, and got some decent shots, so without further ado, the autos! :]

Rolls Royce, anyone?

Smexy new Peugeot SR1

Jaguar's new electric concept...Want.

Yup...still want.

Still want. Love the green stripe on the tires!

Ferrari California, anyone?

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Maserati Gran Cabrio

Maserati Gran Turismo S

I can hear Joe Walsh now...

Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale. Translated: Want it. Now.

And again, from the other side. Still want it.

Too many people!

Everyone's favorite Honda robot, Asimo!

Bentley's "New Continental GT"

Audi R8 GT

One more shot for the road (I know it's cringe-worthy, but I had to say it sometime!)

After a long day of battling smelly, sweaty guys with cameras, I decided to head back towards the apartment. The Canadian needed some shortening she left here because she was making a pumpkin pie for Canadian Thanksgiving, which is evidently a month before American Thanksgiving. I grabbed the shortening & headed to her apartment. She had a friend from Canada who was visiting, so we chatted for a bit, and then I was invited to stay for dinner, which was a wonderful meal.

Canadian Thanksgiving isn't much different from American Thanksgiving as far as food is concerned. The big difference was that there wasn't a turkey, but that's because there were only 4 kids & 3 adults eating, and a turkey would've been overkill. Instead, we had two delicious roasted chickens, stuffing, gravy, a casserole of layered potatoes & sweet potatoes, roasted carrots, green beans in browned butter, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. The cooking was divided between the three adults (the Canadian, her friend, & me); the Canadian handled the chicken & stuffing, and the potatoes, her friend handled the pumpkin pie & the carrots, and I was in charge of the green beans and the apple pie. And surprise of all surprises, nothing went drastically wrong! Not one thing was burned or undercooked, the pies came out picture-perfect, and the company that evening was fantastic. And we also saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up & twinkly, which just topped the evening off wonderfully.

This was all that was left over...

I told you they were picture-perfect!

Twinkle, twinkle :]