Day 2. Lessons #2, 3, and 4 in Paris

Lesson #2 in Paris: Parisians will look at you weird or make annoyed noises when you tell them you're vegetarian, but then they will bring you delicious food.

A much better day, today all UChicago students in Paris got a tour of the Center (where most classes are) and then a lunch at Café Bibliothèque. Sitting at the tables in front of us were bottles of red and white wine; then immediately when we sat down the servers poured some sort of wine that tasted like Manischewitz. First course, some sort of fish. I didn't say anything when the server put the plate down in front of me (really brave and intelligent, I know), so I left it to our group leader to sort it out. After she told him, he hurried away, shaking his head, going "AIIiiii aiii aiii!" I feared a multitude of things:
a) Spit in my food
b) Secret meat in my food
c) Serious attitude served along with my food, and
d) No food at all
To my pleasant surprise, I ended up with a delicious bowl of (what I think was) Sweet Potato Soup. The next course was pasta with pesto (also delicious) and the last was some sort of chocolate cake with a molten filling and what might have been gingerbread ice cream on top. Then they gave us coffee.

So, yeah, those rumors are (so far) true. The French can cook. AND ALSO, one of the servers was nice. Very pleasant start to a day.


Lesson #3 in Paris: Everything really is very expensive

The mecca of Monaprix. Like Target, Monaprix has EVERYTHING, with a few extras. They have a nice makeup counter, every food item one could possibly want, etc.. Unlike Target, however, Monaprix's price tags have a higher number on them--and they're in Euros. The 60 I brought with me barely covered the bare essentials. On the brighter side, the cashier was surprisingly friendly, even when she had to price check an item I bought that didn't have a tag on it.


Lesson #4 in Paris: The French love of personal space and privacy does not extend to rush hour RER (Réseau Express Régional) rides

The station was packed and we couldn't even shove onto the train like a lot of the Parisians. And I mean they shoved. And got stuck in the doors. And continued to shove until the doors closed behind them. We got into the second train that came by and there was no need to hold on--the people on every side of everyone were enough.