Moral of the Story: Last Day in Paris

Today is my last full day in Paris and I'm oh so sad. I can still hear the bells of Notre Dame through my open windows, just like before. But now, they're a familiar friend reminding me that my time here is at an end.

This month has been incredible: hands down one of the best decisions I've made recently. I think and hope I've become a better writer through the classes and workshops, and the friendships I've made are epic. 

Here are a few things (out of many) I've learned since I arrived:

1. There is no such thing as a bedtime before midnight. When you tell yourself that you'll go to bed before midnight in Paris, just go down to the corner bar, get a drink, and stop lying to yourself.

1b. Bring a huge bottle of ibuprofen.

2. A baguette and a wheel of camembert cheese are the perfect amount for each other.

3. Sitting by the Seine with a book might be one of the best things in the entire universe. Just don't fall in.

4. Priorities are important. You cannot visit the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay in one day or you will probably die of exhaustion and what's known as the Too Many Tourists Are Crowding Me Syndrome. PS. I will always choose d'Orsay over the Mona Lisa.


Now, I'm going to go out and get postcards and enjoy my last day. See you on the other side, Paree.

Fireman's Ball, Bastille Day and a Reading Party

This past week was a marathon. Workshops and writing filled in every single moment, and when I wasn't doing that, I was enjoying time with friends.

I went to the Fireman's ball last Saturday night, and what a ball it was. When we got there it was still light out and we had plenty of room to dance crazily and get drinks without a line. They only served Heineken around the dance floor, but behind the DJ and makeshift stage was a champagne bar where we spent most of the night. It got very crowded toward the end of the night, and my friend got pick pocketed at some point...One word to the wise when traveling in Paris: hold on to your purse/wallet. I really hate to generalize and say that about the entire city, but it's a real downer when you think you're at a safe party and then some jackhole steals your phone, money and cards.

Other than that aspect, I had a great time partying it up with my "mates." I highly recommend attending one if you're in Paris during the summer.

Sunday was Bastille Day, and as we were nursing our hangovers with cheeseburgers and fries, a group of us decided to go down to the Seine and watch the fireworks from an undisclosed location. We originally were going to go to Champ de Mars, the park near the Eiffel Tower, but it was far and we just wanted to some wine already. Even though a tree and a bridge blocked our view of the fireworks, they were still impressive. I had so much fun hanging out, talking, eating a dinner of cheese, olives and fruit and watching the river from the quai.

This weekend, I'm looking forward to taking in some touristy sites like Musee d'Orsay and watching the Tour de France end its month-long endeavor up by the Arc de Triomphe tomorrow. Have a good weekend!!

Saturday writing sesh in Luxembourg Gardens

Fireman's Ball!

Procrastination at its best

Sunset on Bastille Day

Great view, right?

Our sweet Fellow, Powell, hosted a party at her apartment Thursday night. Such a great time! Some people read pieces that they wrote about Paris...

Like me. I read something out loud. Voluntarily. I'm even shocking myself these days...
Photo source.

"Whenever Spice Girls' Wannabe starts, the world erupts in rainbows."

So much for writing every single day that I'm in Paris. It's a sign I'm having a blast though, right?

The club downstairs is playing Every Move I Make. As it floats up through my open windows, I find myself smiling. Something about American music here makes me super happy. The other night, we went up to Monmartre to see Sacre Coeur and walk around. We stumbled upon a bar in Pigalle ("oink oink, my good man") and found out later that it was a karaoke bar. Watching foreigners sing American songs is at times painful, but also adorable. My friend Bob sang Where is the Love by Black Eyed Peas and killed it.

This weekend is Fireman's Ball and Bastille Day. Bastille Day, July 14th, is basically their Fourth of July, so we are going to go get some wine, sit by the river and watch a bunch of fireworks light up the night sky. On Saturday night, the Parisian fire stations open up to tourists and students to drink and dance the night away. I'll take pictures and report back.

I wrote my first prose poem last night, so that was interesting, and while I'm not ready to share it quite yet, I will soon. In the meantime, here are some photos from recent adventures.

Louis Vuitton Store. I did make a purchase, it's an adorable little bag that I sent home with my parents.

Place de Vosges 

Dinner at Brasserie Lipp - one of Hemingway's haunts

Daddio and the Torre Eiffel

They're the cutest.

My cute little apartment.

Night time fair 

Louvre

This huge cat was perched in a booth at Cafe Select. 

Graffiti in Monmartre

Sacre Coeur is becoming one of my favorite places in Paris.

View from Sacre Coeur

Shakespeare & Co. has readings every week. They're usually American writers and poets. Love.

Moral of the Story: I actually have no idea about anything.

1. I'm taking a break from my writing to write this blog post so I can continue to practice writing and be a better writer by writing and writing some more. Writing.

2. You know when you think you know something about a certain subject, but then you start to really study it and realize that you actually knew absolutely nothing about it in the first place? Yeah..that is currently happening.

3. An actual quote from my dad before he and my mom descended into the metro to go to the airport this morning: "You're a writer in Paris. Act like it." The trouble is, I don't really know what it means to be a writer. I know I like to put pen to paper and talk about my feelings, but sometimes that ends up being a written version of what I think a shrink session would be like. It can be really depressing. Good thing we have a class coming up on writing with humor.

4. Our professors are inspirational. Every sentence they say sheds light on a whole new way to think about the craft that I had never considered before. And it's only Day 2...

5. I love living so close to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I walk by it every day and it still makes me giddy. Fun Fact: it's the background of my blog :)

Now back to (yep, you guessed it)...more writing. That, and another glass of wine.