Day 10: Some time elapses...

Well, the weekend came and went, and I didn't exactly have time to post...

Friday we went to Versailles for the day. It's about a half hour train ride out of Paris. The grounds are absolutely beautiful! It is so opulent, you just might get cataracts from staring at all that gold for too long...

We got a tour from a girl who was probably my age. Her English was not the best, and I was really confused about why she wasn't just speaking in French, when I realized that not all of the Americans in the SA program know French! Which is absolutely stupid. If you're going to be living in Paris for a year, why the hell don't you take a French class?? But mine is not to judge. At any rate, it makes me feel a million times smarter for at least knowing French. They have beginning classes at the center, of course, but I'm sure if I hadn't taken French in high school and wanted to study abroad, I would have totally taken at least 101 before hopping on a plane.

I didn't take lots of pictures because I totally got this stupid complex about being a dumb-looking tourist. Plus, I still have no idea what the protocol is for taking pictures in places in France. Can you take pictures in museums? I am totally confused, so these are some photo ops I snuck in:

Chapel at Versailles

Hall of Mirrors

I am completely unsurprised that the French citizens revolted, if they were all living in poverty and the king was living it up in digs like this. I know this is super bad of me, but throughout the whole tour, I kept thinking, "Let them eat cake!" and I really, really wanted a piece of cake. I told this to Sarah when we got to the gardens and Marie Antoinette's hideaway, and she totally agreed, which was the best part. We went to a café for lunch where I had a decadent tarte aux poires which will satisfy my sweet tooth for now (I know I said I would start running...maybe after classes start? I'm only human!) The rest, as they say, is history...

As for the rest of the weekend, we went to the Louvre again on Saturday. I did not take pictures because I didn't really care. We had a tour guide there, too, who tried to tell us all about the difference between Ingres and Jacques-Louis David. I had no idea they were at all similar, but she insisted...one painted naked men and one did naked women, I guess. I wasn't that impressed, but apparently she's one of the art history teachers we'll have if we signed up for art history. Which I did. I may drop it. I have no idea. Maybe if we actually discuss something interesting, but the chances of that are slim.

I'm going to try to get Michèle to take me running with her, but I'm afraid if I ask once, she'll expect me to go all the time. And, she's probably a lot faster than I am. I kind of don't want to bother, but I want to get to know her. And I have a feeling I'll never exercise if I don't have someone to do it with. Sarah might want to, but I have no idea. She's pretty thin, and I think she mentioned she swims at home? I'm not sure I want to exercise with her, though. I hate swimming. I guess these are questions for the future?

Love, Annabel

P.S. - That angel is just so cute, I couldn't resist!