The Return of Routine

The first week that I spent in Paris, I had only one meeting that I had to attend.  As most of my time was free time, I was free to plan my own days and schedule all of the touristy sightseeing I could handle.  Since then, my days have grown progressively more occupied by "routine" activities - things like class, running, homework, and meetings which are not unique to Paris, but a part of student life. This past week marked the completion of that transition, as it was the first week that I had all of my classes.  Additionally, since I am practicing with a team now, track has once again become part of a routine, rather than fitting in whenever I feel like scheduling it on a particular day.  

At first, I felt like I was not able to do or see enough in Paris, since I no longer had big blocks of free time, but by the end of the week, I had come around to my schedule.  I now realize that I can still cross things off my (ever growing) list, but I might just have to choose only one each day, rather than three or four. While the first week of a new schedule is always difficult, eventually things settle down, and you learn to use the free time you still do have.  I am still learning, and since I was in unfamiliar territory this week, I did not have a very productive week as far as sightseeing is concerned, but I can say that I kind of enjoy having a set schedule. Plus, now I know when I can plan things in the future! I guess some things never change- I have always been a "routine oriented" person, and even in Paris, it turns out I take comfort in knowing in advance what I have to do each day.  

Though I didn't do much this week, I did take advantage of the weekend (which starts on Friday for me, as I do not have classes) to get out and explore the city! Turns out, I can go to school and still have time for extracurricular activities.  :)  

Leaving my art history class through the Marly Court at the Louvre on Wednesday night.  

Friday was a beautiful day for a visit to Montmartre and the Basilique du Sacré Coeur, a young church by Parisian standards, but one that has a phenomenal view of the city.  This church has been celebrating Eucharistic Adoration non-stop since August 1st, 1885! 

This weekend was also the Fête des Vendanges, or celebration of the wine harvest in Montmartre, so we got pictures taken with some of the people participating in the ceremonies Friday morning! 

Saturday I visited the Sainte Chapelle with some friends.  The stained glass is absolutely breathtaking.  

Fun Fact #11:  Sainte Chapelle has two levels, the bottom being for lay people, and the top being for the king.  The stained glass is found (logically) in the upper chapel, or the chapel of the king.  Interestingly, the whole building was built to be a storage place elaborate enough to house the Passion Relics that the King possessed, including at that time the Crown of Thorns and portions of the real cross.  *Keep in mind that this is when the relic trade was a big deal. It is said that if you were to combine all of the portions of "real cross" that existed in Europe in the middle ages, you could make over a thousand trees!

Next, we walked though the court in front of the Louvre and through the Tuileries gardens to the Musée de l'Orangerie.  

L'Orangerie houses Claude Monet's Nymphéas, or water lily garden paintings.  They are absolutely huge and are panoramic. This section reminded me of one of the pictures I took when I visited the garden a few weeks ago.  

We went to see La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons, one of two remakes that is currently in theaters based on a classic French favorite. The movie was really good, and in it one of the characters actually referred to the theater where we were watching it! 

We ended our night at Montmartre, for the fireworks celebrating the wine harvest.  It was quite a good show, especially with the Basilique du Sacré Coeur in the background! 

Fun Fact #12: "Brunch" (yes, they kept the english word) is VERY popular with the french right now.  Many restaurants are now offering brunches, and it seems to be a very chic thing to do. I personally got to go to two this week, one with a good family friend at her hotel, and the other this morning when my host sister, visiting from London, had her friends over so she could see them all! Both were delicious (how could something not be when it involves Nutella?)!

Have a great week! 

~SKS