Les Jardins

I love the jardins in Paris. The whole can't-walk-on-this-grass-but-you-can-walk-on-this-section thing is kind of funny, but regardless, they are really pretty. If you are ever visit the Eiffel Tower, take pictures on the left side of the Champs de Mars. It is so much prettier and there are trees and a pond, it makes for a much more interesting picture à mon avis. We went there yesterday and took the typical touristy pictures-but it was so much fun. (Plus it was so nice!! It's been nice every day except for the first one, I think I got a little sunburnt today!)

Also, in our culture class yesterday we spent the entire time (are you ready?) tasting chocolates. It was so cool! I didn't know this, but you can buy plantation chocolates, and depending on the soil where the cacao beans are grown, the chocolate takes on some of the flavors. So one of them was grown where there used to be a strand of mango trees, so the chocolate has a hint of mango, all naturally-they didn't add anything. I thought it was so cool.

This morning we went on the Montparnasse/Jardin de Luxembourg walk before classes, it was so pretty. I would love to go there and jog, it's nice to have a break from the city. However, I hope that I never look like this when running! It was actually kind of hilarious but sad at the same time to watch people run by. Some of them were perfectly fine, but then you had guys in leggings waving their arms from side to side too.






BUT I got some really pretty pictures, and found the original Statue of Liberty (it is not on the water like in National Treasure 2, I hate it when movies lie!). Also the statue of Alfred Dreyfus, of the Dreyfus Affair, some adorable kids doing sack races, a guy smoking a pipe-it was a good day for interesting pictures.

Statue of Alfred Dreyfus

A beekeeping place (not sure if there is a technical name for that)

The middle of a pétanque field (I love the hangers for coats!)

Statue of Liberty!

Sack races

Fontaine Médicis

This guy was smoking a pipe! you can't really see it, but it was crazy!

 So after all of that....we still had class. So we walked over to the Institute, stopping at a book sale on the way. Before class started I went and grabbed lunch with a couple people. I had this delicious tarte italienne and tried my first macaron. SO GOOD. It was amazing. I should have taken a picture of it, but I was too hungry. Next time.  After class, we went by the Opéra; sadly the cheap ballet tickets were sold out, so we can't see the inside :( But the outside is still quite beautiful. 

 

Tomorrow we are going on an excursion to Chartres. I will take lots of pictures, should be really fun. Too bad we have to leave by 7 am.... à demain!