February Song

So February in Paris is a lot like January in Paris-overcast and some rain-yet the sun makes an appearance every once in a while and makes for a nice day. Take today for example...I woke up and it was raining...yet the sun was shining! That wouldn't have happened 2 weeks ago! Granted, last wednesday it looked like this in the morning: but by the afternoon, it was quite pleasant.

So it's been a week of group hanging out:
Wednesday was Samantha's birthday so we had a fantastic dinner at Nanda's.


Friday, we went to a cafe/bar in Rick's neighborhood to enjoy happy hour.


Saturday was such a beautiful day in Paris! It was somewhat cloudy but you could see blue sky. I had an enjoyable walk along the Seine and then played around in the Latin quarter with Rick and Samantha. We all got together for dinner in the Latin quarter at this fantastic Italian restaurant! After dinner, we headed to Nanda's for a little wine and gave Samantha her birthday present.


Sunday was pretty so I opted to be outside again. I hung out with big brother Rick and we had a nice but very windy walk from Bastille to Place de la Concorde. Then we headed up to Montmartre. We walked through Sacre Coeur during mass (oops :-/) but it was so beautiful. There were singing nuns! I wish I knew how to describe it without being cheesy but it really was like being in heaven and hearing angels sing.

So, Paris is a town like no other. Dogs are more cherished than children. I love walking down the street to my metro and seeing all the cute little dogs (in cute little sweaters) AND even men have those cute little girly dogs. They (the dogs not the men) are just so adorable. There was one guy on the metro that was holding his cute pug over his shoulder like a baby. The dog just sat there looking so sad (I love pug faces). I wanted to steal that puppy.

One thing I don't like about Paris is that motorcycles have free reign-road, sidewalk, wherever! Yes, a motorcycle can drive on the sidewalk...it's annoying. They park there too! >:O Plus, they squeeze in and out of traffic lanes. I guess my daddy would love it!

So, being a perfect sports-lover's girlfriend, I've tried to start following European sports. There's a tournament going on now called Six Nations. It's a rugby tournament for Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, France, and Italy. Saturday, Rick, Samantha and I saw the Scotland/Wales game in a Scottish pub....thank god Scotland won. Today, Rick and I caught the France/Ireland game in an Irish pub. We were uncertain of who to cheer for being in an Irish pub in France so we waited and followed the crowd. France won in the last minute and it was an exciting game. I think the pub was a mixed crowed because there were cheers going on all the time. So the term touchdown in American football comes from rugby. To score in rugby, you actually have to touch the ball down in the endzone. Then the additional point kick is from where you touched it down, not the center of the field like in football. Cool huh!?

So I've been here over a month now and it's still hard to believe that I'm living in Paris. Being in class 9-5 sucks because we miss things being open and by the end of class we're exhausted and just want to go home. On the weekends, I try to take things in-visit museums, walk around and enjoy the town. I really want to make Paris my home and not feel like an outsider wherever I am. One thing is for sure...I love this city!

february photos:
http://scarolina.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2106031&l=3837c&id=12600427

and

http://scarolina.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2106048&l=1b326&id=12600427