Jours 16-18

Bonjour tout le monde!
Jours 16-18
May 7-May 9
This weekend was amazing! On Saturday we went to Versailles which was beyond beautiful. I really remembered coming here with my family six years ago. You can read all about it in one of my previous posts. I loved the classical music that was playing throughout the gardens, and even though it was a ton of walking it was still wonderful. Also, for lunch I had a crêpe, which I had six years ago for lunch there too! It was amazing to see it all, however, it was a huge touristy day because a lot of the French were on holiday for the weekend and it was a Saturday.

In the Hall of Mirrors

Out in Marie Antoinette's Hamlet

Sunday was also very nice, it consisted of a lot of sleeping. On the way to church we met up with another BYU study abroad group, the third one this week. After church we had a lunch there, which was delicious. I swear everyone in France can cook so well. For dinner with our host family we had a BBQ, which was also amazing. We had rabbit/beef hot dogs in a baguette, with grilled peppers and some tomato salad. Everything in France just tastes so French, I love it so much. I've actually been converted to liking tomatoes. I also took a two hour nap in the afternoon and was able to talk to friends and family.

There were two national holidays in France this week, and they put up French flags everywhere. These are at the Champs-Élysées.

Monday was also very nice. I went through the Latin Quarter, which had a ton of amazing food. We also found this dessert shop with cheapest and the best macarons that I have had while in France, it was amazing. We did walk number 10, and stopped for an 1 ½ hour lunch at a café on one of the roads. After the walk we all did our homework in a park next to the Notre Dame. That last sentence seriously just epitomizes how much I love being here in Paris. Doing homework is never fun, but when you got to do it with all of your friends in a beautiful park in front of a beautiful cathedral, life is pretty good. 

A road in the Latin Quarter

We also spent a couple of hours reading in Shakespeare and Co while waiting for FHE to start which was so nice. FHE (family home evening) with the other young single adults from the ward was really fun! We had food, a lesson and just talked for a while.

The Shakespeare and Co bookstore

One of the funniest moments of being here in Paris happened on Monday too. One of the biggest struggles about walking around all day in Paris is finding a bathroom, especially in a touristy area. This is because there are tons of people, and you often have to pay for a bathroom. On Monday we went to the one we usually go to by Notre Dame, but it was closed. We either had the option of paying, or waiting for a half hour for a nasty one on the street. Instead, I came up with a third idea, to go to one in a museum. With my wonderful arts card, I get into all museums for free. Consequently, Melissa and I walked over to the Conciergerie, where we knew that there were nice bathrooms. We got in for free (it usually costs 8 euros) and we used the bathroom and left. Needless to say that the people working the front desk were really confused, but it was totally worth it. I love my life here in France so much.

À bientôt,
Claire Hunsaker