Au Revoir!!

Well despite being a bit sick earlier this week and he big internship report and presentation being due, I still managed  fit a few fun things in! The final exams for the french classes were on Tuesday and the internship reports and presentation were on Thursday, but we had the BU farewell party Thursday night. Most people on the program could make it, which was nice! There were tables set up with an assortment of snacks, wine, and little Paris keychains for each of us! Three comedians performed and then we watched a slideshow of photos that the BU staff took of us at the group activities (the boat ride, Versailles, the wine museum, etc)

All in all, it was a very nice evening, not to mention I won a picture frame for submitting the best photo taken during the trip! After dinner, I went back to the room and started packing a bit. 

The next day, Friday, I went to my last day of internship! I bought my supervisor a couple flowers as a little thank-you. I was also sent on  little delivery run to drop off the company's book to the boss's daughter!! I got out early and met up with a friend for lunch at Cafe de Flore, which is one of the oldest and most well known cafes in Paris! it is known to attract many famous clientele within the intellectual community; it's very similar to Les Deux Magots and the Brasserie Lipp cafe, which are located right next to and across the street from this cafe. 

The adorable dog next to us kept giving us this face...

Then we stopped by some places to pick up sweets!!! I got some interestingly flavored macarons from Pierre Hermé, a competing patisserie to Ladurée, and a beautifully put together gelato! 

Raspberry, pistachio, and hazelnut gelato

Rose/ Velouté Ispahen: (Rose, raspberry and yogurt)/ and Les Jardins- Ha Long Bay (coconut, ginger, lime and coriander)

After the sweets and a bit of shopping, We went up to the top of Montparnasse Tower, a skyscraper located in the 6th Arr., for one of the highly acclaimed views o the city. Although no longer the tallest skyscraper in Paris, as of 2011, Montparnasse tower is the 14th tallest building in the EU. 

That night, almost everyone from the BU group got together for some snacks and wine on the champs de mars, right by the eiffel tower. It was a bit sad saying good-bye to everyone, but since most of the group goes to BU or a school fairly close by, I have a feeling we'll all be seeing each other again some day

Happy 4th of July!

Just thought I'd say a little be-lated Happy Fourth of July and show you how the Fondation has shown some American spirit:

A Home Cooked Meal and A Taste of a Foodie's World

Well the big boss lady finally left for New York on Monday, so it was a bit hectic at the office in the morning, but things slowed down in the afternoon. After work, I headed over to where a couple girls on the trip live with their host family, in the 16th Arr. Their host mother was kind enough to have had invited me and another girl from the dorms to dine with them! I wish i had gotten a picture of the whole meal! We have these little tartines with melted goat cheese and honey on top with salad for our appetizer. For our main course we had this potato dish with cheese and tofu. It was delicious. And for dessert she prepared single serving cups of yogurt with fresh berries and peaches layered in between.  That home cooked meal hit the spot! 

Chevre Chaud- Our Appetizer

The view from the Metro on the way back to the dorms

The next night, after the internship workshop and literature class, I went to dinner with a few girls. We went to Neva Cuisine, located in the 8th Arr, which turned out to be a highly rated/reviewed/ raved about restaurant. The prices certainly showed for it, but the presentation and the taste did as well. Before we got or appetizers, we were given these little glass of creme fraiche, sliced beats, crouton and seasoning. It was so light but rich in flavor: the perfect thing to tease one's appetite! For appetizers, I ordered white asparagus, which was serving in a steaming hot stone bowl with spring onions, shavings of lettuce, cured ham, cherries, and flower petals! 

And for the main course, I ordered Ris de Veau. Now, I must have been very tired, in fact, I know I was very tired, because little did I know that after placing my order, I was going to be served a calf's brain... I'll let you think about that for a minute. I certainly did. I received it and just thought it was some sort of chicken or beef. It was delicious, but the texture was a bit different. 

Paris in the Rain with the Blog's #1 Fan.

This past weekend, Roman, a big fan of this blog, came to visit me! It rained all weekend, but that didn't stop us from having a good time going around Paris. It was quite pretty walking through the city and gardens in the rain. 

Le jardin des Tuileries

Before going to the Musee de l'Orangerie, we walked through the Tuileries and picked up some gelato to eat while waiting in line for the museum.

After the museum we ventured along the street toward Notre Dame and made a quick stop at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. 

We ventured further into the Latin quarter and found a cute restaurant for dinner. And afterwards, we grabbed a nutella and strawberry crepe and caught the end of the Brazil v. Chile football match along the street. 

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The following day, we visited the Musée d'Orsay, which is one of my favorite museums!! You may be able to tell why... For starters, just look at the building it's in! It was an old train station, Gare d'Orsay, built between 1898 and 1900. But by WWII in1939, the station started being used as a mailing service centre. A few decades later in 1970, The Minister of Cultural Affairs, proposed to have the building demolished and replaced with a hotel. It was declared a historic monument in 1978, in an act to stop its planned demolition. Then, in 1986, it was transformed and re-opened as a museum!

Roman and I in front of the musée, by the Seine

An evening back in Conord and La Belle et La Bete

Last wednesday, I got the chance to meet up with my friend, Leigh Ann, from Concord!! She was in Paris for a few days with her family staying around Opera Garnier. We had dinner at Au Petit Riche, then we went out to a nearby bar with her brother and parents to catch the first half of the France v. Ecuador World Cup match. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and get a little break of home!

Last thursday night, some friends and I went out to see La Belle et La Bete (Beauty and the Beast) at Theatre Mogador in the 9th Arr. It was such a fun show!! A bit raunchier than I remembered it being when I saw it in NYC 11 years ago, but the costumes and acting were great! 

Fête de la Musique

Last Saturday, the first day of summer, was fête de la musique in France! Each year,  live music fills the city streets and restaurants and transportation stay open all night to kick off the start of the summer. Some freinds and i decided to get a little picnic together (winc, cheese, bread, chips, and fruit) and hang out in the Tuileries for the afternoon. 

The Latin Quarter

Got out of work early today and headed over to the Latin quarter. I stopped by a cute little store called, The Abbey Bookshop. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but that shop was jam packed with books. There were so many piles of book all densely packed next to each other; it felt as if the walls of the shop were built with books! I only stayed in for about 10 minutes, since it was tough to maneuver through the narrow aisles and the selection of books was a bit overwhelming, but planning to go back sometime! 

An old edition of one of my favorites! 

Then afterwards, I headed to the closest crepe stand to pick up a savory crepe, also known as a galette. I started talking to some other people from Boston while I was in line! They were from Lasell College and they were fashion design students here on a program to help out with Mercedes-Benz fashion week, next week in Paris (I almost died when they told me that...haha). One I had my crepe I just strolled around the area, past the restaurants and bars, until I was finished and then headed back to my dorm to work on my paper and watch the France v. Switzerland football (soccer) match..... which ended with a French 5-2 victory!!