highlights

This weekend...

Thursday
night:

The Pont des Arts is where Parisians, young and old (but mostly young), go on warm spring and summer nights. This bridge, for pedestrians only, turns into one big party. Everyone is picnicking, with lots and lots of wine, bien sûr, and there is music and dancing! Joie de vivre, f'sho.

Friday:

I went on a photo date by myself, and got some decent pictures for my Paris Je T'aime (60 Things I'll Miss About Paris) album. At one point I was waiting to cross the street when I was surrounded by a group of high school boys from a tour group, and was serenaded with a very lively rendition of "Manamana." I almost peed my pants laughing. I then waited in line for about an hour behind a PDA-heavy couple to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Grand Palais. I thought I was going to die. Friday night: Casablanca reunion, complete with couscous, thé à la menthe, and watching the movie! Here's lookin' at you, kid.

Saturday:

Although we picked a terrible day for our excursion (train maintenance resulting in ridiculous detours), Giverny was beautiful. If I was talented artistically I would definitely never want to leave Monet's home and just paintpaintpaint the days away. So many flowers! So many smells! So many colors!

Sunday:

Got up bright and early and ventured slightly outside the borders of Paris to the marché aux puces, or the flea market. Lots of antiques and knick-knacks and kooky things, like doll heads and broken clocks and crazy hats. After that I walked around Montmartre for a little bit, en profitant du soleil, and found the mur d'amour, or the love wall: a mosaic-type thing in which "I Love You" is written in every single language imaginable. I was standing there for a while, trying to find the Polish equivalent (epic fail), and had to take the picture of about five sickeningly in-love couples. And then I came home and got a hothothot baguette from the boulangerie and all was right with the world again.

I can't believe I'm leaving in four days!!