parisian inspirations

hi, lovely 607 fans. i am a bit nostalgic for the study abroad life but as the unofficial 4th resident of 607, i have been excited to share some highlights from my semester abroad on the very blog i kept up with while across the pond. here's what i miss most of all -

the neighborhood marché

the neighborhood: i lived with a host family in a cozy, residential neighborhood outside the toursity center of paris, which really pushed me to speak french all the time. right outside our apartment was a huge farmers' market that popped up twice a week and i loved interacting with my favorite vendors and counting out exact change. maybe most importantly of all, my roommate and i quickly became experts on where to get the best baguette in the neighborhood.

museum-hopping

student deals: students get a lot of perks in france, one of which is free access to nearly every museum and cultural hot-spot in the city. i came to paris with a huge to-do list and i am so happy i spent four months constantly crossing items off it. we loved acting like natives and rolling our eyes at tourists lined up by the pyramids as we took the lesser-known louvre entrance by the porte des lions so we could flash our student id cards and scurry in. museum hopping on a sunday afternoon was such a stark contrast to a lazy sunday spent studying at school, and it's hard not to miss it.

wine tasting during week 1

field trips: not having been on a field trip since high school, it was great to constantly venture out in to paris - and receive course credit for it. i went on walking historic tours of the latin quarter, montmartre, and palais royal neighborhoods with my lit class, and my art history class took trips to musée d'orsay, centre pompidou, and contemporary art galleries. the program also organized fun cultural activities like a cooking class, food and wine tastings, conversation clubs with french students, a boat ride on the seine, and trips to versailles and the comédie française. my favorite was a comedy show we attended in montmartre.

fun fact - we stood in line for fours hours to visit the palais de l'elysée to hang out in françois hollande's office

political life: every day on the metro, i grabbed a copy of 20 minutes, a free daily newsmagazine which includes top political and cultural headlines (natives are supposed to be able to skim it during their 20 minute commute and it was a great way to gauge how my french improved). during the morning commute, everyone has a copy in hand. in the office where i interned and with my host mom, current events were always a major conversation topic. it's really cool to see many people so engaged and aware of both us and global politics, in addition to french current events.

ice skating in front of the hotel de ville - crossed off the paris to-do list!

picturesque backdrop: paris, like any city, is far from perfect, but it certainly is beautiful, and i don't think i ever really got over the shock factor of the scenery. i saw the eiffel tour every day from my street. i tried to take the bus home often so i could stare out at the beautiful architecture, and i feel like i got to see so much of the city this way. i'm definitely nostalgic but in the meantime, i'm staying connected with some paris-focused blogs that focus on exciting upcoming events, life abroad, and beautiful photos and i'm excited to give lauren tips as she heads there next year!

-miliana