16e Arrondissement

12 mai

Today I had quite the adventure on the Metro coming into Paris.  I was walking up the escalator after I had gotten off the metro when my shoe got caught on the stairs and I tripped.  I was more embarrassed than hurt and so just kept walking forward like nothing had happened.  Then I look down and my shoe and toes are covered with blood!  Crisis.  I was by myself and didn't know what to do because everytime I took a step, it just kept bleeding more and more since I had cut open the bottom of my big toe.  So I searched in my purse for something to stop the bleeding and found a museum map.  So I ripped it up and tried to clot the blood so I could walk to my next metro to get to the institute.  So with a bleeding foot and a bloody shoe, I limped to my next train where people looked at me and then looked my foot then back at me with the expression of "Umm, you know your foot is bleeding like crazy, right?"  I gave them the look back of "Duh of course I know, thanks for the help pal."  I kept changing out museum map scraps on my foot when it would get all bled through.  I finally made it to the institute where I was able to wash off my foot and shoe and put on some band aids.  It was stressful in the moment, but hilarious now.  I tried to clean it off really well, so hopefully it won't get infected from being an open sore walking around in the nasty metro stations.  

It's a great day in Paris when it's sunny with blue skies!  Today we walked around the 16th arrondissement.  We started by seeing a mini version of the Statue of the Liberty.  It's like 1/20th the size of the one in America.  It's ironic because France gave America the statue of liberty and then in the 1980s, they decided to make a mini version for themselves to have in Paris.  The statue is on an island in the Seine river.

I had heard people rave about the 16th arrondissement,  but I was honestly not that impressed.  There are other areas of Paris that I much prefer.  A great part of the day was when we went to the Marmottan museum.  They had lots of Monet paintings and had a Berthe Morisot exhibition which were both inspiring.  I've seen so many Monet's on this trip, but I am still so impressed every time I see more of them.  There were these beautiful ones of him painting the reflection of the trees in the water that was beautiful.  It's incredible that in one painting, there are maybe 2 or 3 colors...but there is still so much depth and beauty in the painting.

Our last stop was a huge wooded area that I had no idea existed in Paris.  It's called the Bois (woods) de Boulogne.  It was huge! There were several lakes, trees everywhere, bike paths, footpaths, ducks...so cool. It was neat because there were no tourists there, it was all French people enjoying the beauty of their city.  

See the waterfall on the left side!

People were rowing boats all on the lakes.  We are planning on going back there to do the same.

Thanks to all the rain we've gotten, everything was such a vibrant and juicy color of green that was incredible.  Reminded me of the gorgeous green that is seen in New Zealand and Australia.

That night, a bunch of us wanted some REAL french food.  You can only eat so many baguettes and sandwiches and crepes before you start wanting some variety.  We ate a cute cafe in the Latin Quarter called Cafe de Paris.  We had the whole French experience where dinner was a process that took 3 hours.  I asked the waiter what his favorite dish was and he told me to get the duck (canard), so I did.  And oh man was it good.  Whenever I spend a little bit more money to get some nicer food, I never regret it!  The great thing about French food is it is all so natural and simple.  There are never billions of flavors and elements together, but just a few simple ingredients where the flavors are enhance by simple seasoning.  The concept of it is refreshing as I know I am not eating lots of preservatives or things fried in oil/fat.  The duck was delicious and there were also potatoes with garlic and parsley.  Sounds so simple, but it was divine and highly satisfying.  Yesterday I bought some chips that I saw at the grocery store because those are my American food weakness.  After I ate them, I just felt so tired and not good.  I realized that it was the first processed food I had had since coming to France.  I realized how nice it's been and how great I've felt by just eating all natural things like fruit, vegetables, bread, and cheese.  No processed food needed here.

The whole group with our delicious meals!