A new way of seeing things

Has my second week already come to an end?  Time is flying by!  I started classes at l'Institut Catholique de Paris on Wednesday and am lucky enough to have Mondays AND Tuesdays off.  Can you say 4 day travel weekend?!  I'm currently taking 2 courses in French (phonetics and translation) and then 2 political science courses taught in English.  "Le Catho," as we call it, is located in the Saint Germain-des-Prés area and is right near le Jardin du Luxembourg.  I can't wait until spring when I can hang out in the gardens during the breaks between classes!  Le Catho also has a highly accredited French as a foreign language program, with students from all over the world.  There are people of many different nationalities in my classes, from Korean to Costa Rican, and in many cases our only common language is French.  It has been a great way to practice speaking the language!

Since my last post, we have visited le Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, AND le Château de Versailles- some of my favorites!  Our adorable French guide, Fréderique, shared some incredibly interesting information with us about the various works/locations.  For instance,  le Sacre (coronation) de Napoléon by Jacques-Louis David is the largest painted canvas on display in the entire country of France.  David was asked to paint 2 copies for the emperor, one is on display in le Louvre and the other in Versailles.  They are nearly identical, expect for the color of one particular woman's dress.  The artist was supposedly in love with one of Napoléon's sisters, and in the piece that is now on display in Versailles, he painted her dress pink (while leaving the other women in grey).

Today some of the dorm-mates and I visited le Salon International de l'Agriculture, which is an agricultural convention that was running through the month of February.  As strange as it might sound, it was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced!  There were 7 different pavilions of food, wine, and livestock vendors from various regions in France and several countries from throughout the world!  We spent hours sampling cheeses, beers, meats, and candies from all over the place.  I got to try some delicious escargots and even bought a Belgian waffle avec Nutella... I think this addiction is becoming dangerous :)

Cultural fact: Gum is more expensive than some wine here.  Clearly the French have their priorities in order.

 My friend Emily and I enjoying panne au chocolat at Poilâne, a world famous boulangerie (bakery) near our school!

 Click for a closer view! David's Le Sacre de Napoléon in le Louvre.

 Les escargots sont délicieux!

 API friends at le Château de Versailles, my favorite place to visit in (well, technically right outside of) Paris.

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." Henry Miller