Welcome to Paris

My first week in the city has been all about sight-seeing. I have walked the Luxembourg Gardens, climbed the towers of Notre Dame, visited Versailles Palace, and explored Monet's water lily gardens in Giverny. I have visited the medieval Cluny museum, eaten gelato in the Tuileries Gardens, and seen the Eiffel Tower light up at night.

I am getting acquainted with my neighborhood and know where to find the good boulangeries (bakeries) and epiceries (something like a small grocery store). The woman I live with has been very kind and helpful in pointing out useful places in the neighborhood. We have a small balcony outside our window, just big enough to sit and read a book overlooking the rue. The first few days in Paris were hectic, but now my roommate and I are falling into more of a pattern, with sight-seeing during the day, dinner at the apartment (always with the amazing French bread and cheese) and some downtime in our room before bed.

Saturday night we mixed things up a little by going to Paris' "Nuit Blanche". Nuit Blanche means "White Night" and for this festival, shops and museums stayed open late, light displays could be found all over the city, and the metro ran all night long. My favorite moments? Impromptu live music on the very crowded metro, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle like a Christmas tree every hour on the hour, and finding a bar that played Amercian music so we could dance all night long.