Series Finale- Paris et Merci

Happy Friday all!

Last time we talked I was in Lyon, basking in its sunshine. We spent one more day in Lyon and we went to the Musée des Beaux-Arts. While it's obviously hard to follow the Louvre, I enjoyed seeing some different works such as Monet and Picasso as well as some more modern art. And, being a student, I once again got in gratuit (freeeeee!).

We then took the world's longest train ride back to Tours, where I introduced my mom to where I've lived for the past four months. We went to a few of my favourite restaurants such as La Tosca and Fuxia (Italian, yum!), Mamie Bigoude (an adorable crêpe restaurant) and some of my favourite patisseries for some éclairs, quiche, pain au chocolat, etc! But we did more than eat. We did a petit "Tour de Tours" and I showed her the Cathédrale St. Gatien, la Loire, the Tanneurs campus and Place Plum, of course. For the full Tourraine experience, il faut qu'on voit un château! While there are so many more I want to see, I took her to Chenonceau, because it is probably the most iconic of the Loire Valley. While we experienced some more typical Tourraine weather, it was still an enjoyable New Years Day. On the 31st we went to Ballan-Miré to see my French family, and I was so excited for my mother to meet them because Jeanne and Yann are the sweetest people. We had a lovely evening talking over rooibos tea and pineapple flan and we gave them a small gift of all things Canadian (since their house is like a museum of so many different cultures and places that they have been to).

On Wednesday we headed to Paris again and spent Thursday touring around with my mom's friend who is from France. We walked through the Jardins de Luxembourg where the French Sénat is located, through several amazing stores such as Hermès (€900 scarves!!), and Le Bon Marché (the épicierie, or grocery part, was mouthwateringly delicious). We covered a lot of ground yesterday, and my feet/legs/etc are feeling it today! Today was also an action-packed day; we saw the Musée d'Orsay this morning which I really enjoyed! There were walls of impressionist art by painters such as Van Gogh, Monet, Sisley and Renoir, which I far prefer to the older, biblical paintings of Madonna and baby, angels, etc, which seem so frequent. We went by the Eiffel Tower for old-time sake before heading up to la Défense and then Montmartre/Sacré Coeur. I would best describe the latter as a Niagara Falls-esque tourist trap as the area was covered in junky retailers, sketchy Eiffel Tower sellers, and throngs of people. The church, meanwhile, would have had a beautiful view of the city had it not been overcast but it was definitely worth the visit to see what it was all about.

Before making our exit, we stopped in the latin quarter for gelato. I know I've blogged about this before, but if you ever get the chance to try Amorino gelato it is an experience like no other (being a connoisseur of gelato, I would know ;). For dinner (yes, after the dessert), we had raclette, also delicious. The set-up was a little different than I've had before, but we melted our comté cheese and spread it over potatoes, prosciutto and bread. The prosciutto gave the dish a nice savoury flavour.

After that was our biggest challenge yet: getting to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Somewhere along the way, we reached a total of 4 full-size suitcases (sadly not a typo), and anyone who has ever traveled the Paris metro can tell you it is not handicap/stroller/luggage friendly. So after hauling more than my body weight around Paris, I can assure you that I have learned my lesson and forever longer will travel light.

And unfortunately for our purposes here, that is where the story ends. I thank you for reading my blog, I have so much enjoyed writing it and sharing my experiences, of which I am so thankful for each and every one. It has been an incredible four months, it has truly flown so fast and I've definitely acquired a taste for what is out there in the world. So au revoir, and à bientôt, I hope. Exchange isn't a year in your life, it is a life in a year!

Z <3