Bonjour, Paris!
(sigh) My first post from Paris. Already, I don't know where to begin.
I will say, up front, I am a little slow to get going here b/c I arrived with a lovely head and eye cold. So one of the first matters Jenna and I addressed here was to get me to a pharmacy for some medicine. But this turned into an interesting learning experience. Unlike the US, many people go to their pharmacist before going to the doctor. You describe your symptoms to the pharmacist, who is extremely knowledgeable and well-educated, and he or she can recommend which medication you should get OR if you should go on to see a doctor. So Jenna and I spent several minutes preparing at the apartment for this little visit. I looked up the technical terms for my symptoms and suspected ailments on WebMD, and Jenna, being the French speaker between us, looked up in a French-English dictionary how to say things like "decongestant" and "sinus" in French. All in all, it went well. We were well-prepared to describe my problem to the pharmacist, and she was very helpful and quickly handed me what I needed. So the sniffles and sickness afforded us a nice little adventure yesterday, but it's keeping me indoors today. I think it's wise if I give myself at least a morning to recover.
But no worries. I'm using the time to upload pictures, pay bills (can never escape those!), and write here. Good times all around! :)
Also, another random side note, I did purchase a little moleskin journal to carry with me, so I can jot down random thoughts while we're out and about. This will also be good if I have trouble finding the time to settle in front of the computer to write here. I'll hopefully be able to use that journal to share my thoughts later.
My first day in Paris, aside from our trip to the pharmacy, we pretty much stayed out and about throughout the entire afternoon into the evening. We had lunch at a nice cafe in our neighborhood, Montparnasse. Here's a shot of the pretty view:
And one note about pictures from this trip. I'm keeping them all in a special album in Flickr. And, because I'm already finding it difficult to find the time to write up blog posts here, putting the pictures in full context, I'm trying to include more details with the pictures themselves on Flickr. So be sure to look at the Flickr album to keep up with our trip, and I'll try to include any interesting details there. (You'll enjoy the pics of the cute apartment where we're staying in Paris -- it's got a wonderful view!)
We kind of floated around for the afternoon yesterday, but I ended up going with Jenna to one of her class engagements late in the afternoon. It was a lecture/discussion with Dominique Moisi, a noted scholar and writer with the French Institute of International Relations. He specializes in French-American relations, so I was quite intrigued to hear what he had to say. First off, he looked very interesting! Much like a "nutty professor" with the wiry hair (think Einstein) and dark green suit with mismatched shirt and tie. He spoke very slowly, with a distinguished, but clear, accent. And I was enthralled by WHAT he was saying. America's place in the world is something that greatly interests me, and I'm always curious to learn about other cultures, especially how they perceive America (and in a sense, me). He took a largely geopolitical perspective and focused on the evolving roles of America and France in the world, talking about the history of each, where they stand today, and where they could -- and in part of the discussion, should -- go in the future. He talked about how "globalization" is essentially the "Americanization" of the rest of the world, which is an interesting way to look at it -- very America-focused, if you ask me. I don't think America wholly owns the rights to the ideas and traits associated with globalization. But in any case, he also opined about how the U.S. elections are viewed by the rest of the world, and how the next president can shape the perception and role of America to the rest of the world. All in all, a very invigorated hour or so -- I'm thrilled that I was able to sneak in and listen.
After the lecture, we went for a walk along the Seine and ultimately wound our way back into the city to stand at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. (Yay!) That was right at dusk, just before they turned on the twinkle lights on the tower, but it was still lovely. Then, we grabbed dinner at ... hmm ... some place of which I can't remember the name. Hrm. At any rate, we each had a glass of wine, and I ordered the seared scallops. Oh goodness ... SO much flavor! They were a tad peppery (for my taste), but still amazing! Mm-MM! Oh, and creme brulee, which was perfectly done (not too warm). And then we called it night and metroed home, where we promptly passed out.
Speaking of sleeping ... I think a nap is in order for me before I meet Jenna at Notre Dame at 4:00. Stay tuned for more pictures, etc!
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