The last several days have gone rather well. It seems to be getting warmer here bit by bit which is nice. I went for a run this morning at Parc Monsouris. It was a good day for run since it was warmer and everyone else seemed to have the same idea for there were a lot of people out for their morning run. Parc Monsouris is really a nice place to run because it is big so it doesn't get too monotonous too quickly, like running around a track for example. There is a pond which is always filled with ducks, geese, or seagulls. There is also a rather large open area in the middle and a play ground complete with carousel. The park though fits in with the city, especially since the area I live in is a nice residential area. It is a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Last night I met up with a friend at the Louvre at 7:00 pm at the Pyramid because on Friday nights the Louvre is open an extra hour and we can in for free with our Louvre cards and we're under 26 (everyone under 26 can get in if they present a valid ID). It was pretty cool. First because the fountains were on and it was dusk so the lights were on. It's very pretty. I would recommend to anyone visiting the Louvre for the first time to go at night because 1) there aren't as many people or tour groups there and 2) it is prettier at night than during the day. We had dinner at the restaurant/food court. I don't recommend doing that because because a $5 or $7 plate of food cost $20. Then we went to see The Dying Slave by Michelangelo in the Sculptures room, which is an amazing room just because there are so many great works there with no barrier at all. The thought struck me that if I wanted I could just reach out and touch one without any obstruction at all. Not that I would, but having all of the sculptures displayed without a barrier gives it a feeling that it is more than a museum. After that we moved to the French paintings section and we saw some neat things on the way there. Like paintins on the ceilling and rooms that are decoration with gold. We ran into some others from ISA so I guess we weren't the only ones with a good idea. Our party grew to three and the three of us left right at closing and started walking around trying to find a cafe were we could get some somewhat cheap hot chocolate or coffee. The area from the Louvre to the Opera , the are we covered, isn't the place to go searching for cheap anything because that is the rich section of town where all of the expensive shops, hotels, and restaurants are. After a metro ride and some more walking around we ended up at a cafe across from Notre Dame, a very nice view, and we enjoyed our coffee and hot chocolate. At that point though it was 11:00pm and we head to our respective homes. All in all a very good night that I think we'll repeat in the future.

Yesterday afternoon I met up with some friends after class and we had lunch at Le Crous. We then went to Gare de Lyon to meet up with a friend of one my friends who was coming to Paris from Lyon to visit. We took him to the Eiffel Tower and got him a crepe with Nutella (it's the best thing ever!) and then we went across the river to Palais de Chaillot directly across from the Eiffel Tower. We took some pictures and then called it a day and went home. I had to go home anyway and drop my stuff off before going to the Louvre.

Jumping back to today I went to do some laundry after lunch. It really isn't that much different from the US in terms of the process. However, here in Paris hardly anyone has a dryer so most people hang their clothes up in their homes or go to the Laverie (in French). There's a Laundromat on almost every corner. Theiy're almost as numerous as the pharmacies which are literally on every street corner. It's a pretty easy process to wash clothes but it's expensive. My host mother does do the laundry but I had some pants and shirts that I wanted to do and her washer I know couldn't handle it. Their washers here are small too. It's funny because here in Paris everything is small from the apartments to the cars to the washers, while in the US everything is big from the house to the pickup trucks and SUVs to the washers and dryers.

After that I started walking to the tram station only to discover that it wasn't running. I soon discovered that there was a huge moto rally that was coming through the area. It included mopeds, dirt bikes, racing bikes, vespas, touring bikes, high performance bikes, and yes there were Harleys including some choppers. Everyone was beeping their horns and revving their engines. But the european motor bikes couldn't compare in noise to the Harleys whose owners let everyone know that their bike had the most power there. I'm a little prejudice I guess but it really was a noticeable difference. There had to have been several thousand who all lined up to participate. It was more like a parade than anything else. But it was pretty cool though.

Not much on the table for tomorrow. I think some friends and I are going to get together and go see some stuff we haven't seen yet. Maybe a museum or something.

The Normandy section is finished and I am working on getting the Le Sacre Coeur page up. Enjoy!