Quand en Paris...

So yesterday morning, I woke up at about 7:30 a.m. and got ready to hop on my plane to Paris. After a near-heart-attack from the woman at the check in gate over my visa (she didn't know how to read the dates, as they're backwards from the US) and a tearful goodbye with Thane and my mother, I boarded my plane to Minneapolis (a 45 minute flight). In Minneapolis, I had a four hour layover, after which I got on my Air France flight to Paris (a 7 1/2 hour flight). I couldn't sleep on the plane due to a headache, and I finally got out of the airport and into a cab at 8:30 a.m. Paris time (1:30 a.m. Des Moines time).

Paris is actually a lot like any other major city. It has some seriously shady parts visible from the high ways. There's graffiti on every overpass. The drivers are scary and inconsiderate. I don't think I saw one speed limit sign on my way here. Honestly, I will never ever want to drive in Paris--it's terrifying. My cab driver nearly hit the other cars at least ten times because everyone's cutting each other off and speeding up at ridiculous moments. Best part: my cab sped up to 40 mph for five seconds, then jerked to a stop in order to not hit two crossing policemen (pedestrians), and nearly sped up again and toppled over them because they were walking too slow. The policemen didn't even wince--they just held up a hand and kept talking among themselves as they crossed.

We got to PAA, and I met a few of the instructors/people in charge. They're all very nice! I'm set up in a temporary apartment with Caine until February 1, and after that we'll be in an apartment across the street from PAA. The apartment we're currently in is gorgeous. The owner told us it was actually built by his great-great uncle during the Directoire for the Revolution in the early 1800's, and it was built atop a recently destroyed convent, which was in turn built atop the ruins of a Roman villa. So the basement is totally stone, and you can see the different phases in the stone--2nd century AD at the bottom, 16th century in the middle, and 19th century at the top. The entire place is just gorgeous.

Paris itself is lovely. Caine, her father, and I went to lunch at a small restaurant a few blocks down. We even ordered in French! The waitress was surprisingly patient, but I think she was still rather annoyed despite our best efforts. The food was fantastic as well. I had a salad with apple slices, tomatoes, onions, and a vinaigrette, and it was served with a round of camembart, warmed and topped with honey. Good Lord, it was fantastic. I also had a chocolat chaud... Even the lowest common denominator of hot chocolates in Paris are miles ahead of the US!

Caine, her father, and I have plans to go to Normandy by train tomorrow and see Deauville, which should be fantastic. Deauville is where the famed film, "Un Homme et Une Femme," was shot by director Claude Lelouch. It was honestly one of my favorite films from my French Cinema course a few years back. And of course, who could forget the song?

On Sunday, we'll be touring Paris proper. Monday we start classes with orientation at 9 a.m., and from the sound of things, it seems as though we'll be working a runway show on Tuesday as well. How fantastic is that?

And on that note, I have officially gone 29 hours without sleep. I think something needs to be done about that. One last parting shot for you all: