Thanks design*sponge!

This is totally unrelated to Paris but I'm so excited about this I couldn't resist! If you're interested, design*sponge ran a holiday diy project that I submitted this week. Thanks, Grace!

And the sky is gray

Well mes amis my lovely month of traveling has come to an end, just in time for the mad sprint leading up to winter break. It's definitely crunch time now with exams and projects looming, but I promise I won't leave you hanging! Stay tuned for more stories and photos to come.  In the meantime, I don't know what it's like where you are but it was a cold, gray first day of December in Paris. I spent a few minutes looking through my pictures from September and October, dreaming of blue skies and sun, and came up with this photo (bonus points if you can guess where it was taken! a hint: it was one of my favorite places on earth even before I went there).

My textbooks are giving me threatening looks from across the room, so I've got to run - see you back here soon.

On the road again

I'm heading to Amsterdam this afternoon, so no new posts for a couple days. I'll be back here with new stuff on Tuesday, but until then have a great weekend!

Metro Love

I just discovered the site Croisé dans le Métro via Prêt à Voyager and am sort of addicted. It's basically the same idea as "Missed Connections" on Craigslist, only all the posts sound even more lovely and romantic because they're in French. Here's one of my favorites (with a very imperfect translation by me).

Ce matin, 18 novembre à 08h00 environ. Vous vous êtes assise en face de moi… Vous m’avez souri… Un vrai poème. J’ai arrêté de lire et vous ai observée… Manteau noir, écharpe bleu-marine, bottes marrons… Vous êtes blonde, cheveux longs. Et vous avez un sourire à cueillir la lune, à gravir des montagnes, à affronter la mer sur un radeau de fortune.
Vous m’avez souri deux fois. Vous êtes descendue à Nanterre. Je vous ai suivi puis perdu de vue… J’étais triste.
J’espère du fond du cœur vous revoir.

This morning, November 18th, around 8:00. You were sitting across from me... You smiled at me... A true poem. I stopped reading and looked at you... Black coat, teal blue scarf, brown boots... You are blonde, with long hair. And you have a smile to catch the moon, to climb mountains, to brave the sea on a raft of fate.
You smiled at me twice. You got off at Nanterre. I followed but lost sight of you...
I was sad.
I hope from the bottom of my heart to see you again.


(cool photo of the metro by Sebastien Fantini)

L'Opera Garnier

A couple weeks ago I went to see the ballet Joyaux at the Opera Garnier. I had never heard of the ballet before, I honestly went just to have the chance to see a show at this incredibly beautiful opera house. I would have gone to see just about anything!

The ballet ended up being entirely wonderful and enchanting, with gorgeous costumes and set design by Christian Lacroix (this is Paris, after all). And the Opera was even more breathtaking than I could have imagined - pictures in art history textbooks do not do this place justice. And neither do mine, for that matter, so you'll just have to bear with me and imagine.

The ceilings! Sigh. It's hard to tell in this picture, but there are painted vignettes by Chagall
of different ballets and operas all across the ceiling.

I felt like this girl, completely captivated, leaning over the railing to soak it all in.

Renoir's At the Theatre (La Premiere Sortie)

Cute kid at the Tuileries garden

'Tis the season

It's officially the hoilday season in Paris as all the stores have begun putting out their decorations in full force.  I've heard that this time of year is one of the most magical times to be in the city. Here's some of what I'm looking forward to this Christmas:

Going ice-skating outside the Hôtel de Ville.

Eating a traditional bûche de Noël.

Seeing the holiday department store window displays here.

Going to one of the many Christmas markets around the city.

Finally going to chez Angelina for the legendary hot chocolate.