Neuf Jours

We are down to single digits. I will be home in nine days! I am definitely very excited to be with my friends and family, especially at my favorite time of year. But I definitely will miss Paris! I had an experience different than most with my internship but am still so grateful for the many wonderful times I've had here. I did not travel every weekend but I definitely feel I got to really experience living and working as a parisian. In the risk of repeating my thoughts from my last post, I will make a list of my favorite things about Paris and things I will miss. I will also make another post of all my favorite photos.  In the midst of the last week of classes and finals next week, it is hard to reflect but I think I will appreciate looking back on the things I enjoyed!

Paris Je t'aime-les raisons et pourquoi je vais la manquer
1. The Seine!- One of my very favorite things to do while I was here was to take the metro to Saint Michel and walk from Notre Dame along the Seine to the Louvre. I know it's touristy, but I loved this walk. Any time I was stressed or homesick, I would take this walk to remind myself of the beauty of this city.
2. Pastries -As the Book of Mormon soundtrack says, Paris really is the land of pastries. I will miss the pain au chocolate amandes (chocolate pastry with almonds) I would have nearly every morning before class. I will also miss buying une baguette for ,90 centimes and eating the whole thing. I couldn't resist when it was still warm!
3. Le metro- For better or for worse, the metro was always there to get me anywhere and everywhere, usually in a timely manner. Though it is smelly and sometimes packed, I got the hang of it quickly.
4. The architecture- Other than the eyesore that is tour Montparnasse, Parisian buildings are beautiful  though they do all look very similar so it's hard to know which arrondissement you are in.
5. Sacre Coeur and Montmartre- My favorite area of the city! Once you are on the steps of Sacre Coeur and see the whole city, you realize just how big it is. Yet this area maintains a different feel, keeping to its bohemian artist roots well, minus all the tourists.
6. Opera Garnier- Though I never got the chance to see an opera at this opera house, it is truly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen! I wish I could live there! I hope the Phantom doesn't mind!
7. Galleries Lafayette- Though I could never afford anything here probably ever in my life, it is the most beautiful store in the world!
8. La Tour Eiffel- As cliche as it is, going to the top of the Eiffel tower at night was one of the coolest things I have ever done! The view was incredible and I felt like such a small piece to the puzzle of the city.
9. Jardin des Tuileries- Though the weather got cold very fast, one of my favorite memories was going here on the last warm day and doing my homework. It was so nice to be in this beautiful park in the heart of the city. It truly was an escape!
10. Centre Pompidou- This modern art museum with its crazy architecture has with it some crazy people when it's warm. This is one of the first places we went at the beginning of the semester, and that's when it really hit me that I lived in Paris.
11. Les Beaux Arts- I don't think theatre and opera qualify as les beaux arts, but I can't forget to mention them. My theatre class allowed me to go to so many great plays! My parents helped fund my "trips" to see La Noce de Figaro at Opera Bastille and West Side Story at Theatre Chatelet! These were such amazing performances that I will never forget!

I have done and seen so much more than the list above but those are some of my favorites! I know I will have to come back and see all these things again maybe with my family so I can show them around! Overall, I had a great experience and learned so much. I met some great people that I will definitely be keeping in touch with as well. I have only two more days of classes, then finals and then I will be home! Thanks for all of you who followed me and helped support me by reading this blog! I will post pictures and may have one last post on the flight home but if this is the last post, thanks for reading!

Au revoir!