treize semaines.

     On Thursday, Nora Joana and I decided that we needed to get into the holiday spirit...of consumerism and spent our afternoon shopping for gifts and such. We started out by meeting near Fauchon at Madeliene and then wandered our way over to the Galerie Lafayette. We strolled along Haussmann checking out all of the Christmas window displays and lights, as well as braving the crowds of holiday shoppers now everywhere. I usually try to hold out on Christmas activities until after Thanksgiving, but it's hard not to get in the spirit with the sound of Christmas music in your ears, the smell of chestnuts roasting on the street, and beautiful Christmas displays like the one at Galerie Lafayette to look at.


Christmas @ Galerie Lafayette

     Once inside, we spent a few hours looking at all of the beautiful things we couldn't afford and even purchasing a few gifts in the small section of things that we could. Our plan for that evening was to check out the tree lighting ceremony on Champs Elysees which started at 6pm, so we started walking that way with plans for a coffee and treat at Laduree to warm us up before the big hoopla began. Generally, we try to avoid the Champs Elysees Laduree since it's in a full tourist frenzy at all times, but we were really wanting to try the Palmiers that Joana had gushed about for the last week so we braved the crowds and were seated at a fairly quiet table upstairs in the ornately decorated and beautiful tearoom. 
     The Palmiers were massive, and perfectly caramelized, and buttery and delicious. They were worth they hype (and cheaper than many other treats at the infamous tearoom, bonus) and almost too rich and buttery to finish, but somehow we muddled through. 

Laduree Palmier

     After paying our tab we walked back out to the street to brave the crowds for the tree lighting ceremony. The Champs Elysees is lined with trees for the whole length of the street, and every single one was decorated and would light up to start the magical Christmas season off right. The mayor of Paris as well as a celebrity appearance were promised for the big event, and we were excited to witness it. Unfortunately, like any event that draws a crowd, actually finding standing room and a view of the stage proved impossible, and we eventually found a spot where we could hear and somewhat see what was happening, but short people problems, could definitely not actually see anyone on the stage. Undeterred, we stuck around for the big show, which consisted of some random and a couple of Christmas songs playing over the PA system, a brief introduction from the mayor, and an announcement the lead to cheers and screams from the crowd which the three of us later realized was the introduction and appearance of Omar Sy (actor from Intouchables, the French pronunciation threw us.) After our confusion wore off thanks to a quick Google search, (where would we be without smartphones?) we laughed at our ignorance and joined in the countdown to the actual lighting trois...deux...un...CONFETTI BOMBS! The lights were on and the season had officially begun. Even though it wasn't exactly what we were expecting or anticipating, we were glad that we had decided to go.


Tis the season! All lit up

     We moved away from the crowds a bit and started heading towards the Arc to meet up with Yunwi, and then we all strolled down the decorated and lit up street to the Christmas markets near Concorde. Holiday music was playing through speakers along the street, vendors were selling ornaments and gifts and food from little pop up shops, and a warm glass of Vin Chaud helped us to gulp up the Christmas spirit that much more. Once we had covered one side of the street (the markets are pretty massive) we checked the clock and realized it was time to catch the metro so that we could make it in time to Chef's DJ gig.
     When we arrived at Chez des Amis we saw Chef and another friend from school there to great us enthusiastically immediately. Chef was really excited to have such a large group of students there to support, and we were stoked to see what he did in his off time. He's more of a sound technician, and he was on the board for an awesome live band from Australia that was playing in the cozy café. We grabbed our seats and a bottle of Beaujolais, the wine of the season (an annual event here) to share and Nora and I ordered a burger to split. Chef's brother was also there, so we were able to meet some of his family and then a few more of our LCB bunch arrived as the place filled up. It was completely packed, standing room only aside from the fortunate few who had either made reservations or arrived early like us to snag seats and a table. Overall, the evening was a massive success, the food, wine, company, and music could not have been better, and it was the perfect way to spend the night. When the band was done playing, we all hung around for a bit and chatted with one another and Chef before saying out goodbyes for the evening.
     We had made plans with Albert to meet up for teriyaki the next day for lunch, so the next afternoon we met up at Pyramides again and Joana Albert and I grabbed another bubble tea while we waited for Nora and her friend visiting from Finland to arrive. Right as we were finishing our beverages, the showed up just in time for us to snag a table in the back. I had Yakisoba and Gyoza, which felt a little like home since it's my go to fast food meal generally (hooray for awesome teriyaki options in Seattle,) and when we were all sufficiently stuffed, Cine and Norah gave each of us Finnish salted licorice candies to try. They are definitely an acquired taste; while I didn't hate them, I won't be running out to the store anytime soon to buy them. Albert and Joana's reactions however were priceless, Albert especially was quite vocal about his distaste, with is main question being, "WHY?" After some good laughs and paying the bill, we headed back to the metro to lay low before the big event later that evening. Since Joana was leaving for home the next day and Nora had a friend in town, we'd made plans to go to an event at the Machine Moulin Rouge (a club right next door to the Moulin Rouge) for a night of dancing and music.


Technooooooooo

     Sadly, Joana was feeling under the weather by the time the evening rolled around, so Nora, Cine and I headed towards Pompidou to meet up with Piry and his friend Eugene for some dinner before the festivities. After the meal, we stopped at some more of Piry and Eugene's school friends apartments (a group of Aussie boys) to hang out and enjoy some Finnish delights like glögi, Finnish mulled wine. Eventually, we made our way to the club and had an awesome evening dancing and taking in the music (tech-nooooo, it's now a joke and a thing, bear with me) before finally calling it a night and heading home to crash.
     The next day after a bit of sleep, I met up with Nora, Cine, and Piry at our favorite Indian restaurant in the 6th for lunch. After a delicious and satisfying meal, we decided to head over to Grom (it was a tradition and routine at this point) for some gelato. Nora wanted to pick up a sweatshirt she'd had her eye on at Galerie Lafayette and Cine and Piry wanted to see it all decked out with the Christmas décor, so we headed over to Haussmann. After shopping around a bit, we headed up to the roof to take in the view of the city. The weather was fabulous, sunny and low 60s with just a hint of Autumn chill, and so we hung out for quite awhile enjoying the view and atmosphere. Eventually, we were all in need of caffeine, so we sauntered back down to street level and hit up a near by café for some espresso. Feeling a little more balanced after the coffee, we were all still pretty exhausted from the night before, so we parted ways and headed home.


Rose Bakery quiche

     Sunday was my friend Gary's birthday, so a group of us got together for brunch at Rose Bakery to celebrate and give him some lovely cookbooks for gifts. The food was delicious (I'll have to head back soon for the amazing carrot cakes I was eyeing while paying my bill) and the company was amazing as usual. Since it was sunny and lovely and Montmartre was nearby, we all trekked up the hill towards Sacre Couer to enjoy the day. After taking advantage of some group photo ops, we meandered around the charming neighborhood together people watching and enjoying the sites.


It's an obsession.

     Nora wanted to show Cine the Marais, and we were in the mood for some dessert, so Piry met up with us and Alex ventured with the team to hit up the Éclair Genie. (There's so many varieties and they're all so good, trust). After devouring our treats, we continued to wander the Marais a bit before deciding to head back to the Champs Elysees for some Christmas cheer and Vin Chaud. After wandering the markets for awhile (the crowds are even crazier on the weekends, imagine that) we made our way up the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe.
     Along the way, we stumbled upon a slide that Goni had told us about the previous week and we had been dying to try out ever since. It's five stories high and at only 2 Euros, it's a steal if you ask me! When we saw it, Nora and I squealed like small children and ran to the entrance to buy our tickets and take our turn. It was completely worth the money and the 5 story stair climb, I was grinning from ear to ear like a child who learned what Halloween was for the first time. Sometimes, you just have to embrace your inner 5 year old.


View for the Arc

SLIDE!

    Jazzed on our slide victory, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe so that we could head to the top and check out the view. (The whole student under 25 thing still means free entrance, yay!) We climbed the dizzying steps to the top and then embraced the 360 degree panorama of the city. It was fun to see everything all lit up at night, and to realize that my knowledge of the geography of the city had exponentially increased since my arrival; all of the puzzle pieces of the map were coming together. Hungry from a long day of wandering, Cine, Nora, and I headed back to my place to enjoy some pasta for dinner and relax a bit watching Love Actually (chick flick mode, I know, tis the season). After an epic day, we said our goodbyes and went to bed.


Arc de Triomphe

     I spent most of Monday at home relaxing and reading, but later in the evening Nora and I were in the mood to go to the movies, so we met up at Montparnasse to see the much hyped and anticipated
Interstellar. All that I can say is, if you have not yet seen it, you must. It's visually incredible and the story line is totally insane and amazing. Nora and I walked out of the theater speechless and in need of a glass of wine to process and decompress, so we headed to the nearest café and did just that. Once we felt that we had returned to normal a bit more (and the café was closing) we headed back to the metro and called it a night with plans to hang out the next day.


Chair palette from Picasso's studio

     I woke up the next morning and made my way to the Picasso Museum to meet up with Sara. We had tried to visit a week earlier but got distracted by shopping, so we were excited to fully appreciate the art for the afternoon. I was excited to check it out, but was blown away by the exhibits once we arrived. It was incredible to see how much seeing all of his work together that way humanized him and made him all the more impressive all at once. He worked with so many different mediums and had such a vast array of styles; seeing everything moving from room to room through the decades was truly a privilege. The museum also houses pieces from his personal collection which includes works from Degas, Matisse, Renoir, and many more. Hard not to find inspiration when surrounded by such brilliance I guess. Needless to say, the visit was definitely worth the price of entry for me (even though my ticket was free, but you get the point).


Gargoyles & Paris.

     I was starving at this point and Nora was joining us to visit Notre Dame finally (I had been in the church, but I had not yet toured the towers) so Sara and I walked over to the island and grabbed a couple of savory crepes from a street vendor. We sat in the park behind the church enjoying the day before Nora arrived. We met up out front and headed inside to take in the grandeur, which will never cease to impress no matter how many times I visit.


Notre Dame.

     We went back outside to join the queue for the tower tour, and enjoyed some Vin Chaud to warm us while we waited for our turn to climb the 400+ steps. When we'd gotten our tickets and finally reached the top, I was once again reminded why I love this city so much. Seeing the detailed architecture up close while drinking in the view of the historic and charming city made me remember just how blessed I am to be here. 200 pictures and 400 steps back down later, we wandered back across the river and along the Seine before deciding to head to Pierre Herme in Saint Germain des Pres for the much praised millefeuille. Since it was Nora's last week in Paris before heading back to Finland, we were working on bucket list items and that particular pastry had made the list. We purchased that and an Isaphor croissant (dusted with rose water sugar and filled with raspberry cream, in a word, amazing) to split on the steps of the church across the way. We quickly inhaled our amazing treats (worth the hype as usual) before parting ways with Sara and heading to the grocery store.


Successful evening baking.

     Nora and I had made plans with Alex to spend an evening baking bread. He had interned at a bakery, so he was going to give us some tips and tricks while we also prepared rolls for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I wanted to contribute as well so I decided to make some scones with clotted cream for the team to enjoy. After gathering our supplies at the grocery store, we metro'd up to his place and caught up on the latest stories and such before getting to work. The evening was a success and we made tons of different kinds of bread while enjoying sandwiches with our freshly baked concoctions. Tired and pleased with our productive evening, we called it a night and I biked home.
      Today I hung out at home cleaning and prepping for tomorrow, (Thanksgiving, yay!) and I'll pick up the last minute supplies needed for my dishes and contributions later. I know, this post is a serious novel, props if you've read the whole thing! It's been an insane and wonderful week and I'm' so looking forward to the holiday with our amazing Parisian family unit.