March 4th, Friday

"Je vous presente des comarades de ma classe." (May I introduce my classmates). On the left Miss Viet Nam, Miss France, Mr. Iran, Miss Venezuela, Miss Tibet, the teacher, Claire, Mr Bangledesh and Mr. Portugal. Two students (Miss Turkey and Miss Sweden) left for various reasons. It is a great class.  I have difficulty hearing all the subtle sounds of the French language, therefore, I decided to sign up for the grammar section too. That means I will go to class every day for 3 hours - 3 days, grammar and 2 days, oral french. Because we do not have one language that we all speak, the teacher speaks in french. If you ask a question, ask it in french. She will answer you in french. This is what I need - no english what so ever. (because I like to cheat if I can). At the end of the class, we played a "guessing game". You think of an "icon" and then write out as many attributes about that icon without revealing the name - (in french, of course). I picked Marilyn Monroe. Not as well known as I would have thought. But, about 1/3 of the class chose "Angelina Jolie". Evidently, she is well-know and very popular around the world.

After class, I walked to "les jardins de Luxembourg". It was noon and sunny and clearly, a very popular spot. There are 18 hectares (a hectar is about 2.47 acres) of grounds including the Palais (designed by Marie de Medicis who was the mother of Louis XIII), tennis courts, gardens (you can look, but do not walk on the grass), multiple statues, fountains and people eating lunch. The flowers have been planted, but are not blooming yet. It felt, even to me, like a nice refuge from "the daily grind". Oh, yes, and people can smoke outdoors too. There is a lot of smoking in Paris, outside.

After "les Jardins" (gardens), I followed signs to the Pantheon, a former church, but, now, a mausoleum for distinguished frenchmen. It is a massive structure with grand columns that support the portico.  This structure took more than 30 years to build. And, the architect died before his project was completed.


I passed by a beautiful church, St Genevive, stepped inside and lit candles for all my friends and family. Then, I was on my way. Even though I had no idea where I was, it didn't matter. One finds a metro (they are everywhere), locates the line and, voila! You are home.

But, not for long. I walked to Le musee Carnavalet. It was an amazing experience. The museum is free. And filled with artifacts, paintings and relics. You begin a walking tour that takes you through the history of Paris, beginning in the 16th century. There are large models of "old Paris" and replicas of the entire city during a period in its development. The model is under a large class case, but one gets a feel for size and congestion. (the street widths are very small and the housing is tight and layered). You can almost "smell the stench". The paintings are many and they give you an idea of how people dressed and station in life. The museum, is an old hotel (Hotel de Carnavalet), built in 1548 and flows from room to room and floor to floor. There are so many treasures. My favorite period was the 17th/18th century. Of course, this was a time of opulence and greed. The people of wealth lived quite comfortably while les pauvres (the poor) - not so good. However, the "rich" played an important part in advancing the "arts". The fashionable party host's guest list always included writers, painters, musicians, philosophers etc. New age ideas were discussed and challenged. It was a great venue for forward thinking. There was a bust of a rather young, very beautiful dame (very wealthy, to be sure) whose likeness to Janet Jackson wasn't overlooked by me: "WARDROBE MALFUNCTION". The dress drooped below one breast and I snickered at the many ways "history repeats itself".

But, beyond the decadence, the fall. July 1789. The Revolution. This section was truly unbelieveable. The halls and rooms were filled with paintings and china and weaponry and more. All the players were there from Dr. Guillotine to Jean Paul Marat. There was a replica of a prison room where Marie Antoinette remained until her death. (It wasn't that bad: wall paper, bedding, pillows, upholstered furniture, desk, games etc.) If you come to Paris, it is a must.

I arrived home after stopping at "La Patisserie". I purchased my breakfast which is becoming very addicting. A large gooey, bread-like, chocolat centered "roll". I try not to think that this concoction reminds me of a "cinnabon" roll when I devour it. Yum-yum!

A bientot! Sally