Mes cours

 

Now that the semester at Université Paris Dauphine is over I thought I would write a little description about the five classes that I took this semester.

 

Every Monday from 10h15-13h30 I took an Economics elective called Collective Decision Making. The class was taught in English and it was mostly international students from all over the world. The material covered focused on the public sector and the impact in a competitive market via club goods, public goods, voting processes, etc.

The first few classes were very difficult so I was nervous about continuing and I almost thought about taking it as a Pass/Fail. However, I worked hard during the semester, did the problem sets, participated often, and did well on the midterm! I kept my notebook so if anyone needs to know more about the public sector impact on the economy feel free to reach out to me!

 

On Tuesday from 13h45-17h I was in a class called Cinéma et Société. The course was about French cinema and it’s history. I decided to enroll in the course because I thought that watching French movies would improve my French and I was right! For the course we had to individually watch movies and then complete resumés. I chose to use a software called Audacity which I would use to record myself speaking about the film for 10-15 minutes in French. All of the other students in the class wrote 2-3 page papers about each film but I wanted to work on my conversation skills and the professor really enjoyed that!

 

Wednesdays were long days at Dauphine. From 10h15-13h30 I had a class called Paris: cité des arts which was a class about the art and history of Paris. The class was taught in French and I learned a lot about the Haussmannien architecture, La Belle Epoque, Monet, Rodin, and other topics. For our main project, I did a 10-minute group presentation on the Van Gogh/Artaud exhibit at Musée d’Orsay.

After a 15 minute break, I had a class called Europe: Today’s Challenges from 13h45-17h. This class was taught in English by two female French professors. The course was basically a European government course. We discussed the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European Council (yes there is a difference), the Europe 2020 plan, the role of national governments, etc. It was a difficult course because there was a lot of information to learn and it was especially tough after our April break because we had a final and a 15-page group paper due that Wednesday.

 

On Thursday afternoons from 14h-17h I had a class at Institut Catholique de Paris which is actually closer to my apartment than Dauphine. This class was an art history class taught in French by Ophélie, the Boston College host. All of the students in the class were fellow Boston College students also studying abroad in Paris. I really enjoyed this course because every week we were required to individually visit a different museum in Paris, answer a few questions, and discuss them in class. I went to Le Petit Palais, Le Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée Marmatton Monet, Palais Tokyo, Musée de l’art modern de la ville de Paris, Musée Rodin, Musée Quai Branly, and others. A lot of these museums were close to where I lived because I was in an ideal location. We also traveled to several museums as a class and did a street art tour. Overall, the course was very well done, I learned a lot, and I was encouraged to visit the beautiful museums in Paris. One of the things that I will miss the most about studying in the city will be my solo trips to museums.

 

The French grading system is a little strange because grades are out of 20 points and do not have letter assignments. I am confident that I did well this semester but unfortunately I will not know anytime soon because the French professors are known for taking the whole summer to grade finals!

Le dernier voyage

I just spent 3 fabulous days in Barcelona, Spain! I am so glad that I planned a trip to Barcelona because it was definitely my favorite city that I visited while abroad. I think one of the reasons why I liked it so much is because I found it very similar to Paris- plus it is warm and close to the beach!

I went to Barcelona with my friend Erin- a USC and Dauphine student who I also traveled to Greece with. We took the train from Paris to Perpignan, France early Monday morning in order to benefit from a 2 for 1 train deal in France. Then we hopped on a quick train to Barcelona! We stayed at an airbnb which is a website where you can reserve a room in someone’s home or apartment for a few nights. Our host Miguel was very nice and we were staying in a perfect location in the city!

On our first night in Spain we ate at a Pinchos bar and it was delicious! The food is basically all large sized hors d’oeuvres and you pay by how many you eat. On Tuesday we did a walking tour around the Gothic Area. We visited several churches I learned a lot about the history of Barcelona. For example- the palm trees and sand were actually imported from Florida and Egypt in an attempt to make the city more attractive.

 

For lunch we met up with Erin’s sorority sister who is studying abroad in Barcelona. We went to a food market and I ate the most delicious paella that I know I will ever eat in my entire life. Then we walked along the beach together and the weather was beautiful!

On the walk back to our apartment, Erin and I stopped at a café and got authentic churros y chocolate. The churros were warm and the hot chocolate we dipped them in was even thicker than Angelina’s (my favorite hot chocolate place in Paris). As Mom would say, it was to live for!

That night, we went to a fun bar called Dow Jones. Buying drinks was like buying stocks on Wall Street. Less popular drink prices would fall where as more popular drinks were higher priced and every hour there was a “stock market crash” and drinks would become insanely cheap. It was a very fun atmosphere and we met a lot of nice people who are also studying abroad!

The next day (Wednesday), we walked to the Sagrada Familia in the morning. The outside of the church was very impressive but unfortunately it was under quite a bit of construction. There was an enormously long line to enter the building so we decided to skip it and headed to Camp Nou instead!

Camp Nou is FC Barcelona’s stadium. I don’t know much about European football but the stadium was on my list of things to see because I work in sports. Also, Fenway Sports Management, the company that I am interning for this summer, works with the Liverpool team. The ticket for the Camp Nou Experience was expensive but worth it because I learned a lot! We read about the history of the team, saw all of the impressive trophies, watched videos of famous plays, and got a behind the scenes look of the stadium. My favorite part was when Erin and I got to stand on the field! We also took a dorky photo pretending that we had just scored a goal. The photographer thought we were funny but he still charged us 15 euros for the photo! The price was expensive but I bought it because I know that I will look at it more than 15 times if I hang it on my wall with all of my postcards next year.

After our visit to Camp Nou we took the Metro to Parc Güell, which they also charge you for! Unfortunately the park was “too full” when we got there so we took a short nap in the sun until they let us enter an hour later. We took some nice pictures overlooking the city, saw the mosaic iguana, and then walked home. We were both pretty hungry so we stopped at a Mexican place for burritos and then we went back to our place to sleep because we were tired after a long day.

On Thursday we went on a shopping excursion at Zara in the morning. Zara is an international clothing brand that began in Spain so it is much less expensive. I bought a nice white blouse for 10 euros less than the cost in France and a lot less than how much it would have cost in America even with the conversion rate! I also bought a nice blue dress, a black blazer, a navy skirt, and other internship essentials for the summer!

The weather was perfect on Thursday so we spent the afternoon on the beach. It was absurd how many people were selling things on the beach. I could barely take a relaxing nap or read my new book (We’ll always have Paris by John Baxter) because there was always someone approaching us selling mojitos, towels, hats, massages, beer, water, and other random things. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the time I spent on the beach in Barcelona while my BC friends are home in Boston spending their days in the library during finals.

On Thursday night we ate chicken and seafood paella at a restaurant on the beach and then went home to shower. Afterwards, we went out again to a place called Bobo Café where we drank sangria and ate famous chocolate cake that was voted “Best Chocolate Cake in 2005.” It deserved that title because it was delicious!

I was sad to leave Barcelona because I do not want time to keep passing. I am now back in Paris and I have less than two weeks left to spend in the city that I love. Although I am excited to work in Boston this summer, it is killing me that I have a limited amount of time left abroad. Barcelona was my last trip so for the next two weeks I will be spending my days exploring the city of Paris (for example I still haven’t been to Opera)! I will also be spending as much time as possible with my beloved host family and all of the friends I have made here before I leave on May 25^th.

More updates to come!

 Besos,

Hannah

 

 

 

La Grèce

On Sunday April 20^th I said goodbye to my parents and then took a train from Venice to Rome to meet my friends: Petey (BC), Erin, Kirstin, Chris and Miller who are all students at the University of South Carolina but are currently studying at Dauphine in Paris with me. Then we flew to Athens, Greece! The next day, we took an early ferry to Mykonos and checked in at Paradise Beach Resort! It has been my life long dream to see Greece and the trip was even more fantastic than I imagined.

 

The first day (Tuesday), we spent the day on the beach! The water was cold but I loved it! The beach we stayed at was attached to our hotel- it was perfect. There were bars, food stands, and wifi on the beach!

The next day (Wednesday), we rented ATVs for the day and explored the island of Mykonos. Everyone knows that I am not the world’s best driver so I was usually on the back of the bike but I didn’t mind because it was more scenic! For lunch we stopped at a quaint and amazing seafood place near the water. Then for dinner we rode the ATVs into town and watched the sunset from a cliff above the town.

The following day (Thursday) we took a morning ferry from Mykonos to Santorini and then spent the afternoon on the black beach in Perissa!

 

Friday was my favorite day of the trip. In the morning I relaxed on the beach and finished my book: The Paris Wife, which is about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley and their life in Paris. During the afternoon we took the bus from our hotel near the beach to one of the towns called Thira. Then we embarked on a four hour-long hike from Thira to Oia, which is on the end of the island and ideal for watching the sunset. The hike took us a long time because we often took detours and stopped for photo opportunities (one of them being the top of a Greek church)! When we arrived in Oia we were tired but made it with plenty of time to see the sunset! There are no words that I could use to describe its beauty.

After a good night of sleep, we spent the morning on Saturday in the town. I have never had a pedicure in my life but I treated myself to a fish pedicure! The feeling was bizarre but my feet were silky smooth after! Then we ate gyros for lunch and boarded an eight hour-long ferry ride from Santorini to Athens.

On Sunday we spent the day in Athens, saw the Acropolis, and ate a lot of meat! After a long spring break of traveling, everyone was happy to get back home to Paris on Monday.

Although I love Paris and I wish that I could stay in the city forever, I am so fortunate to be able to travel and explore while living here. After arriving home on Monday, I traveled to Amsterdam for the weekend on Thursday and then spent the week in Barcelona! My time in Europe is almost up and I am trying to fit in as much as I can. As my host mom says: Il faut bien profiter d’habiter en Europe.

Bisous à tous,

Hannah 

Avec mes parents

My spring break was amazing! I don’t think it will ever be topped. It started on April 12^th when my parents arrived in Paris. I am so lucky that my parents were able to visit and see the city that I have been living in for almost five months (I am leaving very soon which is not something that I like to think about).

One of the first things that we did in the city was visit the top of the Eiffel Tower. There was a long line but it was very cool to be able to see the whole city from such a high point!

Aunt Maria and my cousin Tara, who is studying in London, joined us in Paris and I really enjoyed being the tour guide! One of my favorite things that we did was the Paris 1900 exhibit at Le Petit Palais. I learned a lot about the décor, fashion, bourgeoisie, theater, and life in Paris during the time. It is without a doubt that Dad’s favorite activity was when we rented bikes and rode around the gardens of Versailles!

I also loved introducing my real family to my host family. On Tuesday night my mom and I taught the De Rochequairie family how to make sushi and everyone had a lot of fun. Gaëlle, like most French people, was amazed by the size of Dad. She was also ecstatic that Mom came with a huge jar of peanut butter, several things of Pez candy, and a bag full of old Abercrombie clothes.

 

While visiting me, it was nice that my parents were able to reconnect with our family that lives in Europe. We spent a lot of time with my Dad’s cousin Francesca who lives in Paris with her husband and two children: Louise and Pierre.

On Thursday, I flew from Paris to Venice with my parents. After losing a suitcase and taking a dreadfully long boat from the airport, we finally made it to my Dad’s Aunt’s house in Venice. The house is exquisite and the charming garden is beautifully decorated. While in Venice we ate a lot of gelato, spent time with family, visited the Bauer Hotel where Pietro currently works and saw the Cipriani Hotel where Zio Natale worked. The weather was beautiful and I couldn’t have asked for a better visit in Venice!

 

Deux weekends

Bonjour mes amis! I am so sorry that I have not ben keeping up with the blog- I knew that would happen eventually. You should not be worried though because that only means that I am constantly taking advantage of all that Paris has to offer!

Two weeks ago I took the train to visit my friend Lila in Rennes, which is north of Paris. I met Lila when I came to France with my high school French class in 2011. I spent a week with her family during the summer vacation and we have kept in touch via Facebook and Skype. It was such a treat to be able to reconnect this year!

I had a lot of fun with her during the weekend- we went to a delicious crêperie, we got a drink with her friends, and we went to the cinema. We also spent one night at her father’s house in Vannes. It was absolutely beautiful there. The weather was gorgeous and he lives in a tropically decorated house near the water! Her dad is a character and on Saturday night he treated us to a night of dancing at a salsa club. He lives with his girlfriend Martine and she is an extremely kind and generous woman. They will marry each other in May and then they are moving to Tahiti together this summer! Hopefully Lila and I can visit them in Tahiti together!

I really enjoyed the weekend that I spent with Lila but when I got back boy was I tired after speaking only French for three days.

The next weekend, I ran the Paris Marathon! It was challenging to train for a marathon while studying abroad but I did it! My time was almost half an hour more than the PR I set during the Philadelphia Marathon in November but I am not worried because I know that I did not stick to my training schedule while in Paris. C’est la vie!

The race started at 8:45 am on Sunday April 6^th on the Champs Élysées. Then we ran down Rue de Rivoli, past Bastille and around Chateau de Vincennes. As I was running along the Seine close to Musée d’Orsay, I saw my host family! I was very excited to see them on the course and they showered me with affection (even though I was very sweaty). I also saw my Boston College friends who were watching the race near the Eiffel Tower!

My BC friends studying in Paris were very excited to come support me during the race because to us, Marathon Monday is an extremely important day of the year during which we rally together, drink, and cheer on all of the people who have worked so hard to run the marathon.

When I got to the finish line, I received my medal, heat sheet, and shirt and then called my friends immediately. They were all waiting for me and surprised me with a champagne shower!

Although I was hesitant to commit to running a marathon while studying abroad, I am glad that I did so because I can check “Run a marathon in Europe” off my bucket list! Even though my time was slow (I need a 3:35 to qualify for Boston yikes!) I am still proud that I trained for and finished my third marathon this year!

I was also lucky to have my host family out on the course to support me since my real family could not be there but don’t worry because Mom and Dad are here now! They arrived this morning and will stay until April 17^th when we leave for Venice together. I am very excited to show them the city that I have come to love and know so well.

Mon voyage à Bruxelles

I had quite the day of travel on the way to Brussels. I took a bus from Crans to Sion, a train from Sion to Lausanne, then I switched to another train from Lausanne to Geneva Airport, and then finally I took a plane from Geneva to Brussels. In Brussels we stayed at an adorable cozy apartment in the center of the city. On our first night, we tried the Belgian beer and treated ourselves to Nutella waffles of course! 

The next day, Olivia and I went to Musée Magritte and Musée fin de siècle. My favorite was the second museum because there were lots of beautiful impressionist paintings and the works came from the time period that we are learning about in art history. 

Afterwards, we stopped for hot chocolate, went inside a beautifully lit church, met up with Petey, and walked around the markets during the afternoon. While in the market we bought a baguette and some goat cheese to share. It was very European and it made for a delicious snack. Between the snack and our dinner we stopped at a bar and had a drink together. It will be very different when I go back to the United States as a 20 year old and I will not able to drink because I am so much younger than all of my peers! 

 

For dinner we went to a restaurant in le grand place and had mussels, beer, and frites. The combo was amazing. After dinner we saw the Manneken-Pis statue that everyone makes such a big deal about. I thought it was funny so I bought a miniature Manneken-Pis to put in my dollhouse collection. 

 

The next day (Thursday), we went to Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts. The museum was huge because it is actually multiple museums compiled together. Surprisingly, we learned a lot about Native American and Asian history. My favorite section was Musée du Coeur (heart). There were a lot of beautiful heart shaped antiques and old valentines cards. 

 

After having Thai food for dinner, we stopped at a waffle stand for a much-deserved Belgian waffle for dessert. My waffle was topped with chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream therefore it was not very easy to eat but I enjoyed every bite! 

 

The next day, Friday, Olivia and I went to Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle (a fashion and lace museum) during the morning. The main exhibit was about fashion during the ‘70s. Fun fact: the sale of blue jeans in Europe rose by 300% during the ‘70s. After walking through the museum, we met Petey for lunch at Les Filles- Plaisirs Culinaires. The restaurant is very interesting and I highly recommend it. The place is not easy to find and there is no advertisement outside- I heard about it from a friend who had traveled to Brussels before me. When you enter the seating is family style and the waitress brings you 3 appetizers that are pre-selected. Then, you take your plate and go into the kitchen area to serve yourself the main dish, which was delicious chicken, vegetables, and potatoes. The dessert was a delectable pear and almond cake. I was very satisfied and very full after the meal.

 

During lunch, Olivia mentioned that we were in Brussels but she felt that we had learned a lot about other parts of the world and not very much about the city of Brussels itself. So, after lunch we went to Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles and learned about the history, the layout, and the people of Brussels. We also saw all of the Manneken-Pis costumes that are on display- he has hundreds! It was interesting to learn about the legends regarding the importance of the Manneken-Pis. 

 

Later that afternoon we gathered our things and jumped on the train from Brussels to Paris. I am very happy to be back home in Paris after a week of traveling. I was excited to see my host sister Gaelle today! She was on holiday with her parents in the country and we had been exchanging emails/photos while apart. Today I ran errands and did some homework. Tomorrow I am running 20 miles since I am training for the Paris Marathon and did not have much time to run while traveling. The marathon is almost a month away- April 6^th! Mark your calendars! I better get to bed now!

 

Bonne nuit,

Hannah 

Mon voyage en Suisse

  Hello family and friends! I am sorry that I have not posted in quite some time but I have been away from Paris! I had the week off from classes at Dauphine so I traveled to Switzerland and Belgium. It was a busy week that was also very fun! On Thursday afternoon after my art history class was over, Aunt Elisa and Uncle Philippe drove me from their flat in Paris to their home in Lausanne. The following day Elisa and I walked around the city of Lausanne. She showed be the beautiful lake and the quaint old streets. We stopped at a delicious fondue place for lunch. It was very filling and tasty! My favorite part about Lausanne was that I saw numerous joggers while walking by the lake. Elisa told me that a lot of the people who live in Lausanne are fit and enjoy running. They are lucky because they have such a beautiful lake to run next to in Switzerland! 

Later that afternoon I took the train from Lausanne to Sion and then a bus from Sion to Crans where I met up with Aunt Connie, Uncle Natale, Aunt Francesca, and my cousins Pierre and Louise.  I really enjoyed Crans. Even though the village is very small, it was my favorite destination because there was a lot of snow and I got to go skiing! The weather was also amazing. It was not too cold and I was able to soak up the sun on the Swiss Alps. I skied on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. In the mornings I would tag along with my cousin Pierre as he snowboarded. The slopes were amazing and it was such a treat to be able to ski in Europe. Boy do I miss ski racing!!

 

I know my helmet looks a little funny but don’t judge me- it was a rental! 

As always, I had to try the hot chocolate in Crans. I got this hot chocolate at NH- the bar that we would go to everyday after skiing to use the Wi-Fi. 

On the last night that I was in Crans, Francesca made Swiss Fondue and it was magnificent! Growing up I was always a picky eater but now I can’t get enough of the cheese here! 

It was absolutely amazing being on skis again and I wish that I could have stayed longer with my family in Crans. However, I left on Tuesday morning to meet up with my BC friends Olivia and Petey in Brussels. (see next post!) 

 

 

La famille

Cheers from London! I am visiting my cousin Tara for the Valentines Day weekend! Tara is studying at Westminster and she lives in a residence hall in a very good location. Tara and several of her friends came to visit me in Paris two weeks ago and I had a blast showing them around the city that I am so lucky to call home for 5 months.

I took a train from Paris to London at 7:43 this morning, which was very early for a college student like me. It is raining here per usual but we will still spend the day walking around and visiting some of Tara’s favorite spots in London so far. I don’t mind the rain but it might be a little difficult when I have to do my long run on Monday. (Training for the Paris marathon has been going very slowly because I do not have a lot of time in Paris.)

I thought that I would dedicate this blog post to my famille d’acceuil (host family). I am very fortunate to live with such a nice family. The mother, Margot, is an excellent cook and I always enjoy our conversations around the dinner table. She works at a retail store on Rue de Rennes 2 days a week and is part of an association called Bienvenue à Paris in which she gives cooking lessons to the wives of ambassadors who visit Paris. The father, Pierre, was a member of the French military and I love to hear about his travels to Germany, Africa, and other places around the world. Gaelle, age 12, is my little host sister whom I adore. She loves to listen to American music and we play Just Dance on her Wii very often. I also help her with her English homework sometimes. Gaelle loves American Apparel, Instagram, and hot chocolate. Last night she left me a note on my pillow and this morning she woke up early to give me a good-bye kiss. 

Last weekend, Gaelle’s niece Agathe stayed with us because her Mom, Anne-Laure went to visit their sister Christel in Ireland. Agathe is two years old and unbelievably cute. We spent most of the weekend playing cache-cache which means hide and seek. It was very fun to have the baby in the house! 

Last week I also spent time with my real family- my cousin Pietro lives in Italy and he is staying in Paris for two weeks to take a course at the Alliance Française. We went to the Cartier exhibit at le grand palais on Monday afternoon and it was packed! There were hundreds of expensive yet uniquely beautiful items on display. 

I am looking forward to spending more time with the Rusconi family next week as we are heading to Sion, Switzerland to ski! I was very lucky to be invited and I can’t wait to hit the slopes in Europe. After I spend a few days in Switzerland with my family I will fly to Brussels to meet up with my BC friends for three days before we come back to Paris together. I have a lot planned and I promise to update you on my travels!

XO,

Hannah 

P.S. Don’t worry Dad- School is going well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le chocolat

 

Well it’s a good thing that I will be running the Paris Marathon in April because three of the things that I consume the most of in France are Nutella crêpes, hot chocolate, and fresh bread. I have never been a coffee person. Back at BC I usually eat a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and then head to class without the coffee cup which can be seen in the typical American college student’s hand. Here in Paris, coffee is enjoyed. I rarely see people drinking their coffee in a disposable cup while on the go. Paris is known for the corner cafés where people sit, sip slowly on warm beverages, and people watch. When you are a customer in a French café, the server never rushes you. In fact, they usually don’t bring the bill until you ask for it. Often, my friends and I will grab a table at one of the many cafés along the streets and sit for over an hour while we use the free Wi-Fi, discuss travel plans, and share stories of our experiences so far. Since I have never liked coffee (I drank it once when I accidentally took night-time cough medicine and I almost went to the infirmary because I thought I had a caffeine overdose) I prefer to drink chocolat chaud. Often I splurge for the chocolat viennois, which is hot chocolate with whip cream. 

 

 

So far my favorite hot chocolate spot is Angelina’s. However, the price of the hot chocolate at this luxurious tearoom is over 8 euros! Therefore I must settle for the less expensive yet still delicious cafés and patisseries throughout Paris.

Not only do I love liquid hot chocolate, but I also think that the chocolate pastries in Paris are to live for. My absolute favorite treat is a big chocolate macaroon. My host mother is an excellent baker and often makes chocolate macaroons with ganache filling and raspberry macaroons with homemade raspberry jam. They are tricky to make but I hope to learn how to bake these before I return home! 

 

The other day, I walked past the local bakery on my way home from class and I treated my self to a chocolate meringue. (Mom- you would have loved every bite!)

 

I am also a HUGE fan of the Nutella crepes. There are many stands on the streets where I can buy a Nutella crepe on the go. The Nutella is so warm and I am always sad when I get to the last bite. Here is a picture of me and my friend Sabrina with our crepes after we ate a delicious lunch of escargots and ham sandwiches. 

 

 

 

The cheapest snack to have in Paris is a baguette! I often go to la boulangerie and pick up half of a baguette for .50 centimes. Thank you Coco for the beautiful sac that I use to carry my bread! 

 

Tonight I am going to dinner in Le Marais with an old friend named Johanna. It is a trendy district with lots of bars, good restaurants and fashionable stores. Get ready for some more food pictures next week! 

P.S. Peanut butter is very expensive here- 9.50 for one jar! This is unfortunate for a pb&j lover like me. 

Une semaine de bien manger

Coucou! I will start this post off with a picture of the pastries at the local boulangerie/patisserie where the family buys their daily baguettes. La boulangerie is called Gosselin and I am also a daily customer. Usually I stop by for a .50 cent warm baguette after a run, or a sandwich with chicken, cheese, salad and walnuts around lunchtime, or a delicious chocolate macaroon after a long day in the city. It is one of my favorite places in Paris! 

 

Little India is also an amazing food destination. Peter (the other BC student studying at Dauphine) and I stopped for lunch at one of the many Indian restaurants lining the streets. I couldn’t tell you the name of anything on the plate (except for the naan bread and rice) but it was absolutely delicious and very filling! 

 

On Friday, the BC students in Paris assembled for a brief tour of the Louvre. The tour was given to us in French and I learned a lot about the history of the building itself and the painting style of Léonard de Vinci. 

 

After our Louvre visit, my I treated myself to a tasty hot chocolate with my BC friend named Jess. We drank famous (and expensive- one serving costs 8.20 euros!) hot chocolate at Angelina’s on Rue de Rivoli. There is always a line to get in the tearoom but it is worth it! The hot chocolate is extremely rich and delicious. The whipped cream is natural with no added sugars like in America. Jess and I each got a pastry to share and they were to live for. I took pictures of the pastry menu because I am a baking maniac and I hope to take a class while I am here so that I can make authentic French cuisine when I am home! 

 

Later that night I treated myself to another delicious meal and I ate with my friend Maddie! We went to the same high school in Wisconsin and were in the same French class every year. She studies at Boston University and now we are both so fortunate to be in Paris! 

The next day (Saturday), I went to La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre with Peter. On our walk up the hill towards the big white church we passed a dollhouse store and I was ecstatic to go in! Peter was making fun of me but I didn’t care because I enjoyed looking at the beautifully decorated (and expensive) French dollhouse items. I bought a miniature white mannequin for the sewing corner in the nursery of my dollhouse and had Peter take this nice picture of me outside of the store. 

 

 

Peter and I then went inside to see the church and walked around the art area for a bit before meeting up with BC friends at Notre-Dame. Together, us BC students then walked along the Seine, admired all of the book vendors, took lots of pictures, and entered a magnificently smelling flower shop. 

The next day was Sunday and most places are closed in Paris. So, during my run, I ran by the Eiffel tower since it is usually a populated area and I found a boulangerie that was open so that I could buy a baguette for lunch. I ate the baguette back in my room and alternated spreading jelly or nutella on the pieces of bread. Then, I walked along Champs-Elysées with the German student named Lena who is also living with my family! She is very nice and she will be here for 3 months while working for an international telecommunications company. We met up with my BC crew under the Arc de Triomphe and then we all climbed the winding stairs to the top together! Here is a picture of Lena and me with the city of Paris as a backdrop! 

On Monday I finally started classes! (I bet you’re happy to read that Dad!) I had a class on Monday called Collective Decision Making. It is a class taught in English that counts as an elective for my Economics major at BC. The first day was very interesting- we talked about indifference curves, Pareto efficiency among consumers and competitive market equilibrium requirements. 

After class on Monday I went to Aunt Connie and Uncle Natale’s flat in Paris. We drank tea with cousin Elisa and then headed to the Bonnimond’s place for dinner! The dinner was absolutely amazing and it was wonderful to be able to catch up with family in Paris. We ate foie gras with bread and I really enjoyed it! Then we ate broccoli, mashed potatoes, and pork! For dessert we ate 2 galettes du roi. It is a tradition in France to eat les galettes during the month of January. Whoever finds the little prize baked into their piece is the king and gets to choose their queen! Aunt Connie and Louise were both happy to be the queens! 

It is getting late here and I must head to bed but I will update everyone later about my first week of classes! Currently I am enrolled in two economic classes in English (Collective Decision Making and Europe: Today’s Challenges) and three French classes (Cinéma et société, histoire de l’art francais, and cours general). Classes here are held once a week so they are all three hours long which is very tiring for me! (Usually because I get hungry if I have to sit for three hours without eating.) 

 

Bonne nuit tout le monde!

Hannah