Thursday, December 2, 2010

Les Vacances de Noël are Almost Here

I can't believe the semester is already almost over! Only have two more weeks of classes and I will be off for Christmas break (though final exams await after the break, unfortunately).

During the past few weeks, I have had a chance to visit several new places in Paris. As I have been rather stressed with my end-of-semester work load, I have made the time once or twice to simply take a stroll around Paris. First, I made a visit to the Latin Quarter, where I saw several buildings of the Sorbonne and the Parthenon. The next week, I (along with a couple friends from Sciences Po/Tech) was able to welcome a friend of mine from Georgia Tech who was studying abroad in London and who decided to come over to Paris for the weekend. We went to several places that I simply have not had the time to visit since arriving. In addition to seeing the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro (beautiful with the blue sky and bright sun), we went to see Montmartre and Sacré Cœur that evening. It was such a beautiful church, especially lit up at night at the summit of the hill where it is located. The interior was even more awe-inspiring--the wide open arms of Christ in the mosaic on the ceiling was simply breathtaking.

Of course, I cannot forget Thanksgiving, which was celebrated only one week ago. I did not really do any celebrating the day of Thanksgiving, but I was fortunate enough to be invited to celebrate Thanksgiving a couple weeks early with an American couple and several of their friends and colleagues. In fact, the company may have been my favorite part of the evening, as there was a mix of French, American, German, and Italian guests, all of whom were extremely friendly and welcoming. Of course, the food certainly was not bad, either; we had everything from turkey and cranberry to pumpkin pie! I was not only impressed by the excellent cooking, but I was also amazed to see how many typically American ingredients and dishes they were able to find in France (which is not always easy).

It is hard to believe I have already been in France for a little over three months now. It is simply going by too quickly! Maybe if I spend a little more time exploring Paris it will somehow make the time go by more slowly... : )

2 comments:

  1. It was really nice to visit some places of Paris with you, Sophie and Tareq! (You know as people living in Paris never visit their city!)
    See you around :)

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  2. I am thrilled that you finally got to Sacre Coeur! One of my favorite places in the city. Especially the gorgeous dome of Christ's open-arms!

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