Paris in March

I rode home today on a double-decker train from class at the Musée d’Orsay. Now how many people can say that? Occasionally I’ll stop and take in where I am and be in absolute awe of Paris. The other night I took a stroll with some friends from the Latin Quarter home to the 16^th arrondissement; I must admit I felt a bit like Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris. Anything is possible in the City of Lights!

Spring came a little early in Paris. It has been 65° and sunny for about a week now and people are definitely taking advantage of the beautiful May-like weather. Saturday some friends and I took a walk around the Bois de Boulogne which is a massive park right next to Paris’ 16^th arrondissement and sequentially a 10 minute walk from my house. We spent around four hours exploring the park and we also got to see the nearby Longchamp horse-racing track and the Roland Garros stadium.

Generally Paris has been cold (but not too bad, around …) and rainy. The weather here can be absolutely unpredictable; you’ll look out your window and it will be sunny and then five minutes later be pouring and then you’ll look out again and it’s beautiful. A friend and I went to Berlin last weekend (I’ve included some pictures at the end) and it was so sunny and nice! The first thing we said when we got off the plane was Oh WOW the SUN! Even when it is sunny in Paris, you’ll only get a glimpse of it on certain streets because the buildings will block it. But still anything is better than the snow I’ve been hearing about back home!

One bad thing about the changing weather is that EVERYONE is sick. I had to see a doctor yesterday because I got a stomach bug and my roommate had strep throat this weekend; so many of the IES students are sick. Quick interlude about the doctor, he was very nice and prescribed me medication but didn’t speak English which could be a problem for some. However, the staff at IES was very helpful and accommodating through the whole thing. So if you’re worried about getting sick abroad, don’t; it’s not too bad.

Also one more thing, if you’re looking into study abroad because you think it’ll be a whole semester you can goof off during, you’ll be surprised. This week is midterm’s week and it’s been just about as hard as any other midterm’s week at St. Joe’s. But it will all be worth it because Spring Break is next week and I leave for my ‘tour du monde’ Friday night!