Ahh, a new day.

So, today was a little more calm than I thought. I ended up going to a ton of art galleries, but I forgot my camera on the charger! I was so angry. I went to this really interesting boutique called OUT- it was SUPER Homer. The man who owns it loves Thailand and so most of the pieces were Thai things that he had altered. Really cool. Then I went to a vintage upscale boutique, such beautiful things... I was drooling the entire time. I have now made it a goal to have a bunch of money so that I can afford the 200 Euro dresses there. Oh, and to lose 25 pounds first. Everyone here is so tiny and beautiful, it makes me a little timid. Give me another 2 months of being broke, maybe I'll learn how not to eat. :)
It's been really cold here, about -5 C, and its actually snowed!! A little taste of home. I really miss my family, but it's hard to talk because of the 10 hour time difference. When they wake up, I am sleeping, and vice versa. It's difficult, I am getting a little bit homesick. Other than that, I am planning on heading up to Lille sometime this week to see Mathilde, and I might make a stop in Roubaix to see my friend Melrose. It would be nice I think! I am off to go cook some dinner- I might post a little bit of the new story I am writing later! Here's some photos of where I have been walking.

 

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Winter in Paris

It's snowing! Well, not really, but for Paris, this is crazy. I just ran out and got freshly baked baguettes and some cheese, delicious. I spent the day walking around just looking at shops and galleries- it's super cold today, about -2 C, and really windy. Mmm. Tomorrow I am going to go to Pompidou and maybe some other galleries. Like I said earlier, Winston and I went to the Louvre, but we did not go in because it was really crowded, so I might do that as well. Since I'm going to Lille in a few days, I have to get all my touristy things out of the way. I need to go see the cathedrals and the catacombs still! Well, I am going to cook some dinner, but I'll post later! Love, love, love.

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Calmez-vous.

At the request of my mother, here is a post that describes my current living situation in excruciating detail. I've heard that some of you- mainly my family- are very worried about me, and I want to let you know that I am taking a journey for myself. I am going to have to take risks, CouchSurf, and yes, even drink the occasional glass of wine with my dinner.
Okay, so the family that I am staying with is almost an exact replica of the family that I love so in Homer. It's really two families that are very closely bound. The first family is Fabrice- the father,- Clare- the mother,- Winston- the son,- and Manon- the young daughter. Then, the other is Melrose- a friend, and his father Lorenzo. They are being super nice and letting me stay between their houses so I don't have to CouchSurf my entire trip. The two sons are exactly my age and have become my close friends. They show me around the town and take me out to eat, it's nice.
So again, maybe having this blog was a bad idea. I'd prefer to be honest about what I am doing, but if it's causing too much unrest, stop reading it. Anyway, I don't mean to have a tone of distaste, but I am traveling- more accurately BACKPACKING and I am going to have to live at stranger's houses. Sorry.
I'm planning on taking a trip up to Lille to stay with a friend of mine, Mathilde, but I can't stay there forever, it's too much of a burden. And i'd prefer to stay in Paris because there is so much to do and see, while many people are telling me that Lille is all buisness, less to see. I'll update you on my plans.
With love.

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Mom, you'd be proud!

So, Winston and I spent the day shopping- but I didn't buy anything! It was crazy.. This week in Paris is like Black Friday, because EVERYTHING is on sale. Everything. I got to go to H&M and a ton of other stores; it was really nice, but super busy. Winston had to buy some gifts for his family in California. We walked past the Louvre and saw some really amazing art galleries. But, the story for tonight is that I finally got to cook!! I decided that because the people that I am staying with aren't making me pay rent that I would buy some really good food and cook. On the way home, we stopped at a fish market, and being the Alaskan that I am, I bought a ton of salmon. I grilled it with some rosemary, basil, and seasoned olive oil and then I topped it with a sauteed salsa of fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, shallots, onions and fresh basil. So good. It was perfect, so Mom, thanks for teaching me how to cook. It's allowing me to stay in a really safe home. :) I should have taken some pictures, but I forgot.
We also drank some dellllllicious wine. So good. I don't know how I'm going to adjust back to life in Alaska, not being able to buy wine. Ugh.
But anyway, I'll post some new stories later tonight. My creative juices have been flowing! Lots of love.

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Breakfast, anyone?

Okay, so I just had to brag.

Mmmmm.

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a poem.

dedicated to the woman sitting on Place de Voltaire.

Woman, broken
Waging war in her rags

    Are you jingling your paper cup at me?
I haven nothing to give
Only my eyes
    They burn through

Beg, woman, forgiveness is not certain
And the moon laughs
at you

    An invocation? Bewitched
Pass me by
For I have nothing to give

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a day of rest

Ah, a day of writing. Like I said, I have been writing little short stories, and today it's so cold, i'm just going to stay in and write, write, write. I need to find some creative writing scholarships to participate in while I'm here. Lorenzo went to go eat le plat du jour, and I made some pasta and coffee. If I write anything good today, I'll post it later. Anyway, just thought i'd check in. I'm off to be creative!
Oh, and at the apartment, there are a ton of windows and i've been making it a habit to watch the people who live here. There is this one girl who is absolutely beautiful who is always hanging out at her window, looking into someone else's room, so I wrote a little story about it. Here's a taste.

"And the sun bled through the blinds, drowning her in truth. Like usual, she took her coffee at the window hoping to catch him as he woke, but this morning her heart broke. She watched as her stranger ran his fingers through his lover’s hair, onto her shoulder, and back up to caress her cheek. She couldn’t help but imagine herself in that woman’s place, with his crisp, white sheet wrapped around her shoulders- she couldn’t help but dream.
    It had become habitual, her watching him, each morning, each night. She perched herself on top of a mass of old leather bound books, cigarette in hand, her hair loosely pinned up at the nape of her neck. Some days he would meet her gaze and smile, some days he was absent, and other days he would wait for her. Sadly, she fell deeply into love with the man she only knew from behind her windowpane- and surely it would be a love that tortured."

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FUMER TUE!

So, some things that I find funny:
When I walked into the room that I am staying in, I found this-

Europeans LOVE Obama.. Even more than the youth in America. It's hilarious. You see his face EVERYWHERE. Haha, and the people that I am staying with absolutely hate Sarkozy, and are a part of the Socalist Party of Paris. I should upload some of the posters- it's so funny. Dad, don't worry, they aren't recruiting me...Yet. Oh, and also this-

Not only are these the cigarettes that the people in my favorite show smoke, but in France, they have very nice labels. The French, as you know, LOVE to smoke. They love to smoke everywhere, all the time. But unlike in the United States, the labels here are direct. For those of you who don't speak french, "Fumer Tue" means Smoking Kills. And it's so funny because this label takes up half the box, and people still go through them like water (this probably isn't the best analogy, because the French also believe that "water is for the flowers." Yeah, they don't drink water- only wine. And usually only red wine). It's fabulous.

So, i've been writing little short stories- vignettes, if you will- since i've been here. Maybe I'll start uploading them onto here or something. But until then, here's a picture of the room that I am staying in! The person who usually lives here is quite the artist, so the room is full of really cool art posters and materials and stuff. I wish I was that talented!

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Finalement, La Tour Eiffel.

     A good day! I walked until my feet were dead. I started my day with a long Metro ride to La Pont D'Alexandra and then I made my way to the Eiffel Tower. It was nice, but I have to admit, a little dissapointing. The tower itself is absolutely amazing, but it was so crowded at the base and there were about a million people trying to sell you things that you didn't want. Another good scam I saw was a bunch of women dressed in rags would come up and say, "You speak English??" and if you answered yes, they would give you a peice of paper that said, "I am from Bosnia, and I have ten children who haven't eaten in a week, etc. Can you spare ten euros?" It was awful. I told her that I had no money to give her because I am backpacking and broke as well, and she then went on to say, "But, you have a Marc Jacobs purse, and a North Face, I have NOTHING!!" She actually tried to shame me into giving her ten euros. Dear Lord. It was terrible. After that, I walked to the Champs Elysses, and drooled for a good hour. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Zadig & Voltaire, on and on and on!!! I wish I had money. Holy cow. They have guards at the doors of the nice stores, you can't go in unless you LOOK the part. It's crazy.
     You might not know this, but I had about a third of my clothes stolen from me at my first hostel, so I took that as a good excuse to shop- a little bit. It's impossible not to on the Champs Elysses! I ended up getting a sweater, a wool jacket (because all of a sudden it got so cold!!), and a wool dress.. Ahh. Finally, shopping. After that, I headed back to Place Voltaire, and now I am resting my feet. Like I said, a good day. Here's a couple pictures.

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Au Revoir

Sad day.. We are taking Melrose to Gare de Nord today so that he can go back to his town. I think we are also going to a big outdoor market today, so I will be sure to take some pictures. Last night was really fun, we went out to a really popular club downtown and there was a really good DJ playing. So many people!! It was an absolute blast. The sun is finally starting to come out- it's a real treat because winter in Paris means that there is only rain... Rain, everyday!! And so, I will be sure to fill everyone in on what I did today later- maybe I'll have have some pictures.

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