Parisian Adventures: Episode 1

I attended a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Trocadero,
which is the arena/plaza/courtyard right across the seine
from the tour eiffel. I had a difficult time coming to grips with
the idea that ten years had passed since that day.
there was a period of silence during the
exact moment that the first plane hit.
I felt very proud to be an american citizen.
That night, I watched 9/11 footage on the news,
a recap of sorts. Since it was in French, the words of the
new yorkers were not edited. I cannot convey to you how unsettling
it was to view those images. to hear my fellow citizens crying out
and swearing and screaming is something that I cannot get out of my mind,
nor should I try to. As someone from a military family
who was on the east coast on that haunting morning,
I feel pride for my country in our ability to fuse together.
Now on to some lighter stuff...

gelato in the shape of a rose!!
noisette (hazelnut), coconut, pamplemousse (grapefruit) and passion fruit.
There is no limit on the flavors (parfums en francais)
 that you can try

I took this in the lobby right after I had said goodbye to my mom.
it is all of my luggage. I really didn't think that it was that much!!
But judging by the looks on people's faces
(including my host dad and my program advisors),
I have more than usual.
much more.
figures.

one really great thing about Paris is that you never fail to be entertained.
as you may know, I need to have constant stimulation. Need further proof
that Paris is my city?
Puppet shows in the metro. Although technically illegal,
I definitely appreciate these impromptu shows
 and concerts. Just the other day I was serenaded
by that (german??) song noma-noma.

By the way, the puppets were dancing along to an american song.

So I was just walking around an area in Paris when I found this. I had decided to get off the metro for no reason in particular. These trees caught my eye. Know what they are?
FIGS.
I was awestruck. There were no signs saying picking them was interdite, so I had a little snack.

oops! did I not mention that the eiffel tower was
the backdrop to all of this?
minor detail.

exercise machines
in the middle of Paris. there was a bicycle, an erg (for rowing),
a stair-master thingy-ma-jig and a really cool spinny
machine for your abs and obliques.
it was all human powered, so I had no qualms about
trying all of these in the rain.

that little top-thing sticking out of the building is the eiffel tower

a few minutes after I arrived in the garden, it started to rain in earnest. It was absolutely magical.
I know that that sounds ridiculous and silly, but I was the only one there and that only heightened
the experience. To think that in such a huge city, a true center of the world,
there is a secret garden that I had all to myself for a portion of an afternoon.

after the garden, I headed to the tour eiffel. pics ahoy!

artsy reflection shot in the puddle.
skillz tha killz

under the bridge that leads to trocardero. that there's the seine!
There were a few individuals fishing there. Don't ask me why, because that
water is dirrrrty. I am sure that the fish are equally tasty.

also stumbled upon the torch from the statue of liberty?
Not quite sure, but I also have a feeling that this is where
Lady Di crashed. There were lots of flowers
and pictures to honor her memory.

that's all for now! I know that the pictures were a little unordered, but I have so much to share and I can't get (any farther) behind!!

More posts to come...

love from paris,

 alexandra