A series of unfortunate events

1) Bank closes between 11-2.30, I have classes 11-2.30 so unable to collect my bank card. Have now worked out why getting a French bank account takes months...

2) Professors and course co-ordinators find it amusing and completely logical to write the wrong number of credits in the hand-book to mess up your timetable, planning and classes.

3) French ballet lessons are painful....but excellent (this could be a fortunate event, i'm still in too much pain to think objectively).

4) Paris is cold, rainy and windy in October, which would be terribly artistic and romantic apart from the fact that I only own ballet pumps and summer tops.

5) Croissants for breakfast are making me fat and poor.

6) In order to have a Metro card, one must prove their identity, not with one, nor two pieces of identification but three as well as having proof that they live in Paris (seriously France....just to use your trains?)

7) Being handed a leaflet by the French society of students commanding you to fight back over the increase in French university fees from €150 to €200 per year makes you remember your building student loan and overdraft. At the same time, ripping the leaflet up and laughing at the sheer audacity of the rise in front of a group of outraged french students doesn't help you make any friends.

However, despite this series of unfortunate events, Paris remains marvellous and my freshly baked and still warm baguette today was enough to dispel any animosity I was feeling......until the fun all starts again tomorrow! 

Mood- So ready this time, bring it on France! 

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Home sweet home

One of the best things about this fantastic city is that the surroundings become your home and your back garden. Even though I have down-sized on my living space I feel like I have gained a whole city. The boulevards have become my corridors, the pretty squares my bedroom and the cafes my kitchen. The city defines the well known saying "the world is my oyster", Paris has become my home, physically and metaphorically. So here are a few pictures of my back garden and my new home. 

Mood - settled

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Une, deux, trois

 There is something about ballet that makes it almost synonymous with Paris, buying ones first pair of ballet shoes is a right of passage here and every little girl is this city skips to their ballet class after école. Although buying my first pair of shoes is now a distant memory, it seems that it will be an equally important step in my Parisian journey. So I stepped out to buy my (almost) first pair of shoes, to where else but Repetto. Repetto is a Parisian brand that was founded in the same shop that it still can be found today, on Rue de la Paix and is infamous for its elegant and elaborate window displays. Row upon row of rose pink point shoes and tutus hanging from the ceiling are enough to make anybody's heart flutter, but the theatre-style velvet curtains and golden ballet bar transform this ballet shop into a little piece of dancers heaven. A far cry from the cupboard sized space, crammed full of leotards and smelling of feet that I have become accustomed to in England. Repetto is famed for its artisanship, not just of ballet shoes but also of beautiful leather pumps and boots, which make this boutique a haven for fashionistas as well as ballerinas. Impeccable customer service by poised, young professional dancers turn this shop into an experience and an adventure. I carefully selected my pair of ballet shoes that were then wrapped in pink tissue paper and put into a special little box with a ribbon; pure satisfaction. Shoes here are not cheap but are exquisitely made and possessing a pair is a bit like being given magic powers that suddenly make you dance beautifully, or so I hope. What is clear, however, is that each customer, however old or young, leaves this shop feeling slightly enchanted by the beauty of ballet and motivated by the love that goes into crafting each individual shoe. Needless to say, I cannot wait to start dancing. 

Mood- On my tippy-toes excited

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Comment on peut être une vraie parisienne?

Annick Goutal's beautiful perfume shop can be found tucked away on Rue de Bellechasse (7eme), in the same shop since its foundation in 1980. Each perfume is individually created to have its own character and personality that is in perfect harmony with that of its wearer. Annick Goutal secured its place as a luxury perfume house through a collaboration with Baccarat crystal, evident in the elaborate, pastel perfume bottles. Today the shop has been passed down to Goutal's daughter who continues to employ the original principles of decadence and impeccable quality in the production of each product. However, the real beauty of this boutique lies in the detail, rather than the perfume, as the intricate bottles, gold toppers and chiffon bows seduce every woman and little girl that passes by the window.

Mood - Charmed

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Paris Quirks

Today was a beautiful day in the city, all the Parisians were returning to work after a sunny and relaxing weekend and the streets were nicely empty to allow me to wander at my leisure. I managed to sort out my bank account after three trips to the bank and three hours. French bureaucracy leaves a lot to be desired at the best of times, but after being told that my housing contract was not sufficient proof that I lived in Paris I was about ready to cry, tear my hair out and run towards the nearest train station! However, a visit to my fantastically patient, good-natured and funny estate agent soon remedied this frustration. (Apparently in GB a pleasant estate agent is impossible to find, but in France the situation seems quite the opposite.) Jaques, the agent, has a fantastic sense of humour, and even through our linguistic barrier he manages to make me laugh. But nothing prepared me for today and the moment that he pulled out an ancient typewriter with which he used to write my letter to the bank. After realising that he was not joking, this time, I realised I had a silent appreciation for his refusal to accept modern advancements and for being a fantastically-pleasing French eccentric. It is moments like this that make me realise how truly lucky I am to be in one the the most beautiful and also quirky cities in the world.

Mood - Satisfied

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Live the language - Paris

Today I stumbled across this beautiful video. Enjoy 

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Quai Branly

The Musée du Quai Branly can only be compared to Central Park in NY, for the reason that a busy, bustling city is lost for a few moments as you wander through a calm and green garden that shields the infrastructure of the city from view. The museum garden also provides an interesting paradox between urban and rural, blending asian influences with modern, sleek design. In particular, the use of light tubes creates an explosion of colour on the underside of the metal bridge and the space-like pod surprisingly complements the uniqueness of this garden. I think I will return at night sometime. 

Paris looks increasingly beautiful as night falls, with dusk lingering long enough to reflect warm hues off the sandy coloured buildings and in many cases casts dramatic silhouettes and shadows surrounding the cities most prominent landmarks. 

Mood - Welcomed 

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