Les morts et Rue Mouffetard

Okay…so here’s the deal.  I just got out of my Environmental Diplomacy class, where I handed in my second of two papers this week, and presented my second to last exposé (oral presentation) of the semester.  I was FULLY intending on catching up on the past couple of weeks of blogging (because believe you me, there is certainly a LOT to write about!).

…buuuut, it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside!  Sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, and just a wee bit of a chill (that I actually find quite refreshing!)!

Therefore, I made an executive decision and decided that I’m going to go explore Paris in all its sunshine-y, late winter-y beauty.

Alas, no blogs for the time being.  But fear not!  I have class later on until 9:15, but after that, I will be sitting down with a bottle – I mean glass – of red wine, and blogging the night away :)

*   *   *     several hours later     *   *   *

Okay!  So I am finally in a position to get my life in order!  I had a pretty busy week, what with a paper due on Tuesday, a paper due today, and an exposé today in my Environmental Diplomacy class.  My exposé was on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is the leading scientific and intergovernmental body for the assessment of climate change.  Its job is to provide to the world with accurate scientific, technical and socio-economic information.  The whole point of exposés is to unearth the controversy or questions surrounding your assigned topic, and so I focused on how politics is affecting the IPCC, and whether or not the IPCC will be able to overcome the problems it is currently facing (i.e. conflicts of interest, political fragmentation, political pressures, etc.).  Alright, I suppose that’s enough of an environmental lesson for now.

Moving on!  After I got out of class, I was in an incredibly giddy, adventurous mood, as I said earlier on in today’s entry.  I decided to check out Rue Mouffetard, which is known for its cute stores, cafés, restaurants and markets.  It was such a great, interesting little street!  It took about 10 minutes to get there from my apartment, and then about 20 minutes to walk slowly from one end to the other.  I found a few tiny stores who had cheap shoes, clothing, and accessories (who knew stuff like this existed in Paris?), and saw a Greek restaurant and a sandwich shop I want to try sometime over the next few weeks.

After I reached the end of the street, I sat in a little park where parents were watching their children play.  Little French kiddies are adorable!  One mother was teaching her little girl how to slide down a slide.  Unfortunately for her, the poor girl wasn’t quite grasping the concept, and her mother eventually gave up, laughing.  Another mother and her 1-year old son were sitting next to me on the bench, and he just smiled and giggled when I said bonjour in my little kid voice.  As I was sitting there watching the children play, I realized how quickly life flies by.  Those little kids aren’t going to be little kids for long.  It’s kind of crazy that my own childhood is becoming fuzzy in my memory, and I’m only 10-15 years removed from it.

Anyways, I eventually decided to head back towards my apartment, and as I was passing the Panthéon, I decided to wander in and check it out.  I got in for free (woohoo, Sciences Po ID strikes again!), grabbed my little info booklet, and started walking around.  I saw Foucault’s pendulum, which was pretty cool.  What I thought was more interesting, however, was checking out the cyrpt down below.  I saw the tombs of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Pierre & Marie Curie, Jean Moulin, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas and Emile Zola.  So many famous people!

After my crypt wanderings, I sat on the steps just outside and admired the beauty of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  I took a few pictures, and then eventually started my long walk home.

I arrived in 3 minutes.  As in 120 seconds.  Man, I just love the location of my apartment.