I have survived my first week of classes! We began phonetics class on Wednesday and that one is particularly interesting to me, as it breaks down the sounds and constructions of spoken French, and already after three days I feel like I have a better grasp on how to actually speak French. That is a very welcome change, since it is terribly frustrating not being able to be understood all the time. I manage all right, but it can be rough sometimes.
Anyway, it is nice to have a couple days off for the weekend. On Friday morning, Natalia and I went to the market on Boulevard the Ménilmonant, which also continues on to Boulevard de Belleville. I picked up some veggies, etc. to put in the fridge we bought. The grapes were especially delicious and also super cheap, making them even better!
On Friday night, Natalia and I went with one of my neighbors to a night club called Duplex on the Champs Elysées. I had some reservations, since that is not really my scene, but I actually had a great time. We didn't get back to the foyer until about 6:30AM. After that, I took it kind of easy on Saturday. I did homework in the morning/afternoon and then later went with a friend to Parc Buttes-Chaumont, which I think might be my favorite in Paris. It's not neatly designed like Luxembourg or Tuileries, but rather has a kind of savage quality to it. I didn't have my camera yesterday, but I took some pictures the first time I was there with Michelle, Sam, and Natalia. Enjoy!
That park looks really cool! Maybe we Americans like a bit of the wild in our parks. I remember in Paris the parks looked very tended and designed to the human aesthetic. That is fine and great, but the wilder parks are nice, too!
ReplyDeleteYes, I am wondering how much my American-ness influences my love of this park, because it does remind me a bit of Rockwood or something, with the woods and ivy and untended lawns. The pictures don't do it too much justice, so we'll have to visit when you guys come to Paris :)
ReplyDeletethat picture just made me so hungry.
ReplyDeletei love reading your blog, bb. glad you're having fun!