So many visitors!

I haven't written in awhile because I have been really busy with a ton of visitors from home!! It was like a mini-vacation back to the U.S.!
I visited Amboise on March 15 with a group from school. It is just a short bus ride to the West of Paris. Leonarda da Vinci spent the last years in a cute cottage there. We visited this gorgeous chateau and cathedral there that Leonardo is buried in. It was a charming little village and was so cool because they had duplicates of Leonardo's inventions all through his house and garden. We played on his bridges and frolicked around the yards. It started to rain in the afternoon and we stopped in a cute little café where the waitress could not understand my French no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps it is my Parisian accent?
I picked up Callie (from Tulane who is studying in Grenada, Spain) from the Metro stop that night when the airport shuttle dropped her off. I took her to her hostel in the 15th arrondissement so she could get all settled in. It was also technically St. Patrick's Day according to the Pope so we had a Guinness at the bar before I headed home.
Sunday morning I went for a run in Jardin du Luxembourg then met Callie at her hostel. We walked to the Marais to meet friends for lunch. The Marais is the gay slash Jewish area of town. On Sundays when the rest of the city shuts down the Marais comes alive! There are adorable little vintage boutiques, Jewish bakeries, gay bars, synagogues, falafel restaurants, and a funky ambiance. Six girls including Caila (from Tulane who is studying at AUP) met us at this fabulous little falafel place. It was of course packed and buzzing with activity. We had vegetarian falafel sandwiches and Callie, Caila and I got to catch up on each other's lives and the little Tulane gossip we are aware of;)
The three of us walked to the Bastille and had cafés under a heated terrace while it sprinkled on us. That evening, Callie and I went to my favorite little wine bar and were able to just sit and talk. It was nice to be just with her and tell stories and hear all about her Spanish boyfriend, crazy landlady and fun times at the beach in Grenada.
On Monday I met her at Musée de l'Orangerie and walked through the Tuilerie gardens to the Champs Elysees. Around 2 we picked up Scott and Kristen (on Spring Break all the way from Tulane!!) at the train station. They had spent the weekend in London and I was sooo happy to see them! We dropped off their bags at my apartment, grabbed a couple croque monsieurs (toasted ham and cheese sandwiches) then met up with Brendan (from Tulane studying at Sciences Po in Paris). It was fun having to order in French for them and navigating around my city. We went to the rum bar by my house and shared a tray of rum shots including fun flavors like melon, coconut and lemon. We went out that night at an Anglophone bar for the real St Patrick's Day, partied and caught up Tulane style and Kristen and Scott stayed at Brendan's apartment.
I had class on Tuesday but was able to meet Kristen and Scott at the Notre Dame for lunch. That evening Eren and Lauren (my roommate in NOLA who is at Tulane this semester) finally got to Paris!! We went to the Duplex (an underground club on the Champs-Élysées) and danced the night away. There are two big rooms--one plays house slash techno music and the other is more mainstream American hip-hop. There were 7 of us close friends and we had such a blast. Lauren turned 21 at midnight and it was really cool to all be together in Paris.
The next day Di, Tom, KC and Brooke all got into Paris in the morning! They stayed at the Hotel les Jardin du Luxembourg--just a 35 minute walk or a 15 minute bus ride from my house! I met them at the hotel and we went to breakfast a café across the street. The girls and Tom had omelettes, Di a croissant and I had a crepe with nutella and bananas. We were all pretty beat but I was soo happy to see them! Our waitor was a character! He told us he was going to America in a month to meet a wife and Tom noticed he changed from wearing a bow-tie to a regular tie half way through the meal. We made dinner plans and while those guys took a nap, I met the Tulane crew under the Tour Eiffel to have a birthday picnic. My present to Lauren was a big bag filled with four different cheeses (roquefort, chevre, brie, camembert), two bottles of wine and two baguettes. Although it was cloudy and we were sprinkled on I thought it was a perfect day. I was so lucky to be with my best friend on her birthday under one of the prettiest things in the world. We talked and laughed like I hadn't missed a day at Tulane:) I was sad to see them leave but so lucky to have spent a few days with Callie, Eren and Lauren.

Patine sur la Glace à l'Hôtel de Ville

Saturday I went on a run around Jardin des Plantes, then met Hayley and Amy à l'Hôtel de Ville to go ice skating! We rented ice skates, even though Amy is like a pro or something. She has been ice skating all her life and has won all sorts of competitions and tried out for big shows and things. She was all upset she didn't have her ice skates because she couldn't skate as well and pull as many tricks. Hayley and I spent most of our time on the wall or holding Amy's hand to stay up. It was a bright warm day and they were playing Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and other American pop singers over loud speakers. The ice was melting really bad so there was a layer of water on top of the ice that was a little scary but still fun. We definitely made a spectacle clutching each other and scooting around the edge of the rink.
We then went inside l'Hôtel de Ville to see a photograph exposition, "Paris la Métisse." It was all photos of Paris and each one had the arrondissement distinguished on the placard. Everything from little kids painting in a park to a couple kissing on a bridge to a homeless man sleeping on the streets. They were all in black and white and very pretty.
Saturday night, I went to Amy's house because she made dinner. Her host family was supposed to be out of town but they surprised her by coming home early. Liliann, the wife, is friends with my Madame, but they are on the outs right now. Liliann asked me all these questions about Madame (like "what do you think the problem is in her family?") and of course I didn't know what to say. Finally, the couple went to a movie and Amy and I had a nice dinner of pasta and vegetables, salad, cheese, bread and wine. We met my friend Lauren Kelley from Tulane that night and went out dancing around Chatelet.
Sunday I went to Hayley's house for lunch. The lady she lives with, Laura, is a sweetheart and invited me over. She made couscous (she used to live in Algeria) and invited her Muslim son over. It was really good but she insisted we eat so much! She is a classic grandma figure so sweeeet and constantly giving us food. After lunch, she insisted I stay and take a nap there so I wouldn't be home alone in my apt. Hayley and I watched "Juno" and then went out just the two of us. We ended up meeting 4 American boys who are MBA students at WIlliam and Mary College and hung out with them all evening.

Happy Leap Year!

It only took me about a day to recover from London and this week I did a lot. Madame and I had dinner on Monday night and she made falafel balls, rice, and veggies. She was surprised I knew what falafel was. It was nice though and she was very interested in my trip to London.
On Wednesday I went to the Cluny Museum. It is right next to the Sorboone in the Latin Quarter and is a middle ages museum. Mom and had told be there was a chastity belt there, but I don't think it's there anymore. What the museum is really known for is its tapestries. There is this one huge one called The lady and the Unicorn that is in a dark room to preserve the colors. It was really pretty. I also saw Middle Age jewelry, tombstones, Roman baths, intricate and elaborate altars, statues, shoes, swords, stained glass, and armor. Very cool place if you are into the Middle Ages.
That evening I went with Henry to an American jazz club. We heard a girl named Felicia from the US who has lived and studied in South Africa and is now in Paris. Henry met her while he was doing volunteer work in South Africa. She sang some really great soulful stuff and had this deep sultry voice. The pianist and bass player were American, but the bass guitarist (Michel) was French. My favorite song of hers was "Summertime" but she also did renditions of "A Few of My Favorite Things" and "God Bless the Child." It was gorgeous and we were sitting right next to her.
Madame went out of town this week and left the apartment all to me! So on Friday after class, I rushed home to make dinner for Hayley and Amy. I had know idea how to work Madame's oven. I needed to set it at 200 degrees celsius and the two knobs were only numbered 1-6 and 1-10. I also didn't know if I needed to light it with a match because she has a gas stove. I was making a chicken and potato casserole and was worried i would overcook it on the stove. It turned out ok though! I found the recipe on an easy-French cooking website. it is made with white wine and was really good. Hayley and Amy came over and brought wine, cheese, bread, and salad. We lit a candle and used Madame's prettydishes while listening to Edith Piaf, the French singer.
Afterwards we went to a bar near my house. It is a rum bar so they had about 20 different kinds of rum in these big jars. From chocolate to mango to raspberry. All the French kids in there were singing along with the music, these French songs we had never heard. It was so rowdy and fun. We really need to learn those songs though. Amy spent the night because she is home alone too.