My apartment was near University City - it was the name of the metro stop I got off at as well. My landlady took me there for supper my first night, and from what I understand, it's not actually a university. Or a city. What it is, is dorms. Residences. Apartments. For university students from all over the world. Each different building was named and themed after a country somewhere else in the world.  So the Moroccan building looked Moroccan, and the USA building looked American, and so on and so forth. It was a neat place to walk around.

I, of course, liked the gothic and Victorian style buildings the best. There is just *something* about turrets and brick and stonework that gets me.

 

Not far from cite universitaire I found this. It made for an interesting contrast.

 

It was getting close to the end of the first week of classes, and I had too much homework to do to go for a very long walk.  This beautiful building was next door to the school I was attending, so I walked past it every single day.

A Concert in Notre-Dame

I am not much of a night person - I prefer to stay home when the sun goes down and read or, better yet, sleep.  But it got dark early at the beginning of March , and there was an acapella concert in Notre-Dame.  I wasn't going to miss that! So I put on my jacket, and tied up my shoes, and headed out in to the night. (it wasn't really all that late)

 

I met a few more tourists in line waiting to buy tickets, and even though my French was slow, atrocious, and more than rusty, I could read it a little better than they could - so we helped each other out with figuring out which line we needed to be in, and where to find the best seats.  It was an amazing concert. The cathedral is a beautiful acoustic space, and the choir was very skilled. I especially loved that I had sung some of the same pieces in a University choir several years before, so I knew just how much it took to sing them.

 Although I would have gladly spent time in Paris for no reason at all, I did actually have a purpose to being there a whole month. I had registered to take a class so I could be certified as a TEFL teacher. And why *not* go to Paris to do it? Right?  The class was 4 weeks long, and that first Monday felt a little overwhelming. For the first time in several years, I had homework.

 

 

I didn't go far on my walk that day - instead I explored the few blocks surrounding the apartment complex where I was staying. Just behind it was the local cemetery, which was organized into streets and alleys in miniature scale, and full of interesting graves and mausoleums of all ages. It was a very peaceful place to enjoy the sunshine.

 

It rained a little throughout the day, and it was Sunday. I had looked up how to get to Church, and was quite proud of myself for finding it. The building they met in was inside a courtyard - so it was hard to figure it out from the street.  After Church I went for a long walk and crossed and re-crossed the Seine as I meandered across bridges and past large, magnificent buildings.

 

 

I also walked to, and around, and past the Eiffel Tower. It's hard not to find it - when you can see it sticking up above the city from so far away.

This museum had a history of war and the army, and a bunch of old weaponry. There was also a chapel, and an old army hospital.  There was mass in the Chapel, and someone was playing the organ. I sat and thought about all my friends who would appreciate listening to an organ being skillfully played in an old and beautiful cathedral.  It was, I thought, a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

 

I also walked through the middle of a marathon or race of some sort, which was being accompanied by a walking band.  They were dressed up to support the runners, and played the most cheerful music.

Spring decided to come early to Paris last year, in honour of my visit. Or so I assume. I mean, it may have been for some other reason, but I can't think of any more persuasive than the fact that I was there, and I would only be there for a month. So of *course* it had to put on a show while it still had my attention.

I loved walking around Paris. Every day I would walk in a new direction, and stare up at the buildings and the sky and out across the Seine and simply enjoy being there. Silent and wonderful and full of clear skies and fresh spring smells and sights.

 

 Day 45. February 28, 2014. First full day in Paris after a good nights sleep in my lovely lovely LOVELY little apartment.  I went a-walking. Which became quite a habit during my month in Paris. I would hop the metro, get off at a random (or pre-chosen) station, and then wander. With my camera in hand. And all the time in the world. ^_^

 

 

This guy was hilarious. He was at the fountain of St Michel, and he would only move if you put money in the can. Or, if he could stealthily photobomb your touristy pictures. He would move for that.