Bonjour à tous! Another lovely Sunday here in Paradise, I mean Paris. <wink>

May into June is going to be a busy month for me, as these are my last four weeks in Paris. I may need to use an actual calendar to write down all the events and things I’m planning.

Yesterday’s tour of the May 1968 student uprising which took place in the Latin Quarter was fascinating, and of course one couldn’t ignore the parallels of the uprisings in the States that occurred at the same time. The barricades and protests here all happened in and around La Sorbonne in the 5th Arrondissement. The Sorbonne encompasses some of the first universities in the Western world, and has existed since the 13th Century (1253). It is a complicated structure/organization of universities and I cannot pretend to understand it all. Mostly, all of the area is referred to as « La Sorbonne. » Very prestigious, intellectually and academically.

I had made sure to arrive early for the tour in the Latin Quarter (via le Métro, now that I’m an adept rider) because I wanted to have lunch at Le Métro Café, our group’s meeting spot beforehand. After a pleasant déjeuner in the sunshine, I enjoyed an espresso with a friend who joined my table.

When we met our group, I was delighted to see that our tour guide for the afternoon was the same guy we’d had for the La Balade – Pont Neuf in March. He’s just terrific! I remember it was quite cold when we met before, traversing the two islands in the middle of the Seine — which was very much in contrast to yesterday’s warm temperatures. We walked for about 3 miles during this tour, and my phone app registered 5 flights of stairs somehow — and our guide was lively, fun, and animated the entire time.

(All of the tours/events/lectures with L’Alliance Française are in French only. When I tour on my own, I mix it up, usually picking up a French AND English brochure, for example at a museum.)

Originally, this was planned to be a church, which would be the shrine of Sainte Geneviève. Built in the 18th Century (1758-1790), at the behest of King Louis XV of France, the intention was that the church be dedicated to Sainte Geneviève, Paris’ patron saint. Louis did not live to see the completion.

And since the French Revolution (1789), this monument has been intended to honor great figures who have marked the history of France — except for military careers — because they are honored at Les Invalides.

They transformed the church after the French Revolution in 1791 into a mausoleum for the remains of distinguished French citizens, modeled on the Pantheon in Rome. Tombs include: Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Sola, Marie Curie, and the first black woman (American-born) to be interred was Josephine Baker this past November.

My friend from class, « K » and I enjoyed a walk through le Jardin du Luxembourg after the tour. We ended up having a Prosecco at a local café, sharing stories of our wonderful adventures with the French language, culture, and people.

For anyone who has never been to Paris, these cafés are EVERYWHERE. You walk past dozens in a day, and you just take a seat at an empty table on the terrace and the serveur/serveuse comes to greet you with a menu. Sometimes a host will seat you, and it’s a little different if you want to eat inside, in that you tell the host « L’intérieur, s’il vous plaît. » But, these are small spaces, which is why there are so many and they’re all thriving! Since I arrived in late January, I’d say 99% of my café visits have been « l’extérieur. » Outside on the terrace. Why? Because it’s delightful, easy, charming, convenient, and in winter, they have les chauffages overhead, and sometimes blankets on the seats. (Les Brasseries types of cafés offer more traditional French fare, vs. the other cafés which offer a mélange of choices.)

Today, I’ll be doing mes devoirs de Grammaire and probably some laundry. I tend to save chores and such for weekends now that I have days off during the week. All museums are open and free this weekend, in the evenings — white nights — but I decided to avoid the crowds. Originally, I was planning to visit Le Musée de l’Orangerie to see more of Monet’s works after Giverny, but when my prof told me it was White Night, I thought twice. Next week works.

I’m scheduled to tour Versailles on Tuesday since I don’t have class, and the weather looks good for the all-day bike tour, which includes a picnic lunch on the grounds. Can’t wait!

Next Tuesday, I‘ll be touring le Palais Garnier (théâtre) dans le 9eme Arrondissement sur la rive droite. I also splurged and bought a ticket to see an evening ballet performance later in the month. The Program features works by Mats Ek, who is a Swedish dance and ballet choreographer, dancer, and stage director. I’ll be seeing three of his pieces:

• Carmen (music by Georges Bizet)
• Bolero (music by Maurice Ravel)
• Another Place (music by Franz Liszt)

I’m supposed to see a French film on Wednesday, « Molière » but, it’s at 2:00p.m., and I have class. I’ll have to decide if I’m skipping class or not.

Back to mes devoirs!

Oh, and jury is still out on les deux chantillys! Je les aime tous les deux! The fruit here is delicious. The strawberries are never tart, the blueberries taste like blueberries. They don’t hide tiny berries underneath those shown on top. Packaging is all open, so you can really see what you’re buying. I’ve never had a sour grape, either! Lol! I don’t know why the food here is so different, but it is. I think the French would take to the streets if it weren’t, so merchants don’t dare offer anything less than.

À tout à l’heure!