I could not resist taking this picture tonight...It's a bit hard to see, but this scene was so Parisian with the little old car along a bridge over the Seine...all with the Eiffel Tower in the background!

Nothing out of the ordinary happened today, but I feel as though my night run is worth commenting on. Around 7:30 p.m. I took a nice run along the Seine, by Notre Dame, and around Île Saint-Louis. I had a great view of the Eiffel Tower for a portion of the run, and I eventually stumbled up the Hôtel de Ville; it was so beautiful with its sparkles and ice rink! You just never know what you'll find in Paris! As a side note, I also just finished watching the movie, A Midnight in Paris. I had no idea what it was about, but honestly, this movie is amazing!! If you have ever been to Paris it is a must see! Although, I think I disagree that Paris is more beautiful in the rain. However, I have only experienced Paris in the very cold rain, so maybe my opinion will change during the spring and summer months...

Today I woke up to a fresh blanket of snow over all of Paris! I was hoping it would stay around for the day so I could see the Eiffel Tower in the snow, but it melted pretty quickly. Anyway, today was a rather ordinary day in Paris. I had grammar and phonetic classes and did some homework in between. Getting very excited for our weekend of couch surfing in Germany! And to my yia-yia, I am so happy you saw Les Mis again! 

Get ready for a long post, so much has happened over the past few days! I ended my last post (before my tribute to my amazing, lovable puppy) with my beautiful day under the sun along the Seine. Wednesday was a super busy day! I had a doctor's appointment to get a bill of health in order to sign up for a yoga class (which of course I couldn't enroll in because the times conflict with my classes) then went to my grammar class. Afterwards, I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to art history. That class is still definitely a challenge, but I am starting to gain a better appreciation for art. I guess I was frustrated when my professor continuously shot down people's opinions of art work, but that was because I did not truly know what art history is. She explained that art history is using the context of the piece of artwork such as the time period in which it was painted, the reason for creating it, excerpts written by the painter, etc. to analyze the meaning behind the painting. I suppose from this perspective there is a correct interpretation of the painting. Anyway, after art history I had training for my internship as a tutor, and then saw the movie Renoir for my film class. The movie was actually great. It tells the story of the last few years of Renoir's life and the inspiration he got from his final muse, Catherine Hessling. Thursday I had grammar class and then my first film class during which we had a discussion about Renoir. I had additional training for my tutoring job, and then went back to the Cité to relax. Friday I found a great café with amazing tea by Notre Dame and had my first phonetics class. For a half hour I listened to myself repeat the same words and sentences over and over, yet my accent didn't sound any better by the end. You think your French accent is somewhat decent until you are forced to speak in front of a professor who corrects every word you say. Regardless, I am really excited to work on my accent...the less American I sound the better! Friday night I skyped with Alisha (my friend from home who is studying abroad in Sweden), and I booked a trip to visit her. I also booked a trip to Edinburgh with her! Saturday my two friends and I spent hours planning trips to London and Germany...yes this weekend I am off to Frankfurt, Germany! We then took a break from trip planning and grabbed dinner at St. Michel. We were planning a night on the town, but the snow made us want to stay warm inside for the night. The snow continued to fall all day; the snowflakes looked perfect, but they didn't stick. I spent today (Sunday) exploring more of the Louvre with my friends, one of which is from Sweden! We visited the Mona Lisa of course and Napoleon III's Apartments in the Louvre. These rooms are a must see; they are stunning! 

Lacey "Charlotte" Lainas

September 14, 2002-February 21, 2013

Always loved. The best poochie a family could ever ask for. 

My past few days in Paris have been going pretty well. The weather has been beautiful so I've been spending a lot of time outside! Sunday I had a nice long run by the Eiffel Tower and then continued running in surrounding neighborhoods and actually ended up getting lost. I eventually found my way back, and I didn't really mind because it was so nice out! I spent the rest of the day catching up on homework and relaxing. Monday I had Sorbonne class in the morning, and then had lunch with friends. We made our way to Place St-Michel to buy another text book, and then our friend from Germany took us to get some delicious ice cream on Île Saint-Louis. We strolled along the Seine under the sun with a perfect view of Notre Dame while eating our ice cream...you could say it was a perfect day. Mom, Dad, and Karen, get excited! Anyway, afterwards we hit up the grocery store and cooked a communal stir fry dinner. Today I had class, and then our friend from Germany took us to a delicious noodle restaurant (she knows all the best restaurants in Paris apparently). We walked to the Latin Quarter to pick up yet another text book...the third one for the same class...and then I had an interview and was hired to be an English tutor for French engineering students.