Mama Wang Comes to Paris!

What a whirlwind of a week to finish our Parisienne adventures! We had classes up until Wednesday, and then we prepared for our exam on Friday: Literature, where we memorized 800 years of French authors and works, and stylistique, where we wrote the intro and conclusion of a French dissertation. Overall, ça va. Should be okay.

But yes - my mom and Auntie Alice are here! They arrived on Thursday, and it has been so nice getting to spend time with them, and showing them around Paris. We were quite ambitious though - trying to fit in all of Paris in under 4 days. But we did pretty well! We managed to go to Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, La Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, Pont d'Archevêché, Shakespeare and Company, L'Opéra, Le Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Versailles....
My mom even brought with her a pack of photos of me when I was in Paris at 7 years old. I have no recollection whatsoever, so she brought me proof. It was indeed fun to see myself standing at the same places that I have just been to these past three weeks! Photos to be posted soon.

Pont d'Archevêché with Mom and Auntie Alice

View from the top of Notre Dame!

Saturday night we also attended the cocktail reception with Wellesley Club of France. What a lovely celebration! We were able to mingle and chat with other Wellesley Alums, and it was just such a wonderful event. Some Wellesley women even sang for us! We all dressed up, and had free champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and delicious dessert. It felt so surreal to be at such a majestic venue, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. We even stayed late enough to see the tower sparkle!

Ma chérie - Becky et moi! 

Today was our last day in Paris because tomorrow we will be headed down to Aix! I'm excited, but also nervous. Nervous for real school to start, and to be living with a host family, and to be really settled down in France! As much fun as these past three weeks have been, it has almost felt like vacation, especially with all the sightseeing we did. But I'm sure things will change as we settle down in Aix for the next five months.

So for now, au revoir Paris! À bientôt! Next post will be coming from Aix-en-Provence!

Our Neighbors - Picasso, Champs-Élysées, et Le Louvre!

These past two days we've really gotten to know our neighbors and the quartier that we live in! After dinner last night with Madame Masson and Monsieur Beauclair at the fancy Vagenende, we took a stroll around St. Germain de Pres, and Madame showed us when Picasso lived when he painted the Guernica! C'est très bizarre! His apartment is located just behind our hotel! It is also where Balzac stayed for a while to write his book "Le Chef D'Oeuvre Inconnu".

Today we also walked across the bridge and visited another one of our neighbors - Le Louvre! It was an incredible museum, and while there, Lucille took us to see the three famous women of the Louvre. L'Aphrodite - Venus de Milo, La Victoire de Samothrace, and of course, Mona Lisa - La Jaconde. There were a gabillion people at the Louvre, so taking pictures was hard since people kept walking into them. It was also just very cool to be so close to such important pieces of art in history! Lucille did a wonderful job telling us the history of it all.

Le Louvre 

L'Aphrodite - Venu de Milo

La Victoire de Samothrace

Blurry, but there she is! Mona Lisa! There were just too many people 

Outside the Louvre with Kara!

After a morning spent in the Louvre, we left and took a stroll down Champs-Elysees! We passed by Les Jardins de Tuilleries on the way, and also Place de la Concorde.

Les Jardins de Tuilleries - Le Louvre in the background!

Avenue de Champs Élysées! L'Arc de Triomphe in the background

Even after almost a week in France, it's hard to believe we're in Paris. We are surrounded by all these historical monuments and beautiful sights - it is all so surreal! We only have two weeks left in Paris, and there is still so much to see! Stay posted!