The Birthday Week

Guess who's 21! (It's me!!!) But actually, I think I celebrated my birthday at least six times this past week (no complaints here). This post is going to be mainly photos since I'm exhausted and am boarding a plane tomorrow for Madrid to see the wonderful Mel/Mellie/Melbatoast! Four days in a city I know nothing about and can barely remember the language for. Yikes! I'm equal parts nervous and excited. Baby's first voyage!

So. Quick, quick update Apparently this is now a long update. First off, birthday stuff: Friday I was supposed to meet up with my roommate Nasra, but there were huge and confusing train ticket issues, so she was stuck in Rome for a couple more days. More on roomie bonding in a moment. I went out with Midd Kidz instead and we had a double birthday fête at a wonderful restaurant called L'Écurie (The Horse Stable) - classic yet unpretentious and still wonderfully cheap (enough that we could afford the house champagne!) French food in a really cool setting (stone walls, low ceilings...Turkish bathrooms...). The night ended with a walk along the Seine, sharing a box of macarons in front of the Notre Dame, and a bit of dancing in a bar that turned out to be more gay than just gay-friendly (an experience in and of itself). Pictures:

Oops, these aren't from dinner. They're from Dalloyau, a famous pâtisserie in my quartier.

Here we go! So pretty.

Special vegetarian meal :)

Sorry about my lazy eye, better luck next time...

There I am...

Giant crowd of 100s of rollerbladers. Apparently this is a thing in Paris.

 Saturday: Don't remember, assuming it was a failed attempt at doing homework during the day. In the late afternoon, my friend Rachel from school (studying in Sweden!) came to visit, and we were tourists for the day, followed by dinner at an amazing vegan restaurant in Montmartre (veggie burgers!!!). Touristy photos (including Eiffel Tower at night!):

Finally went inside Notre Dame!

Arc de Triomphe is awkward because it's like "LOL you were conquered"

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

:)

Sunday: Triple birthday party for me (#21), host grandpa (#86), and host cousin (#21). Everybody got their own cake from which we each could blow our own candles out. Fun fact: Frenchies sing "Happy Birthday"...in English. Apparently this is normal because "everyone understands it." I was showered with presents and kindness from everyone, once again reminding me how lucky I am to be a part of their family, if only for a little while. After the party, I asked my host mom where I could buy some thank you cards to send, and she looked at me blankly because it appears that France has never heard of this before (host mom: "Wait, so, in a card store, you'd have a birthday card, and an anniversary card...next to...a...thank you card?). I feel weird not sending a thank you card, though, so I'll probably buy some blank ones and do it anyway. Sunday night Rachel came to have dinner with me and Brigitte, prompting me to play United Nations and rapid-fire translate between her and my host mom. It was weird to switch so fast but it certainly helped me practice my translation skills!

Monday: A visit to Disneyland Paris with Rachel! That girl knows her Disney, so she was the perfect guide. We got there just as the park opened and stayed until just before it closed, hitting almost all the highlights in both parks! Since the last time I went to Disney I was seven and spent the majority of the time enjoying the effects of a stomach flu in the hotel room, this was a relatively new experience for me, and also a fun way to celebrate getting old. I was a very brave girl and went on roller coasters and the Tower of Terror(!). Anyone who knows my previous experiences with speed and height (read: crying) should be very proud. Pictures:

Notice: I'm wearing both earrings.

Notice: I am no longer wearing one earring. :( RIP...

Don't have a dance party on the ride?

So proud...

So happy....

Tuesday: Actual birthday! It was spent trying to cram in some homework in the morning and attempting to find a library in Paris that did not have a giant line of people waiting outside it in the afternoon. I gave up around 4pm and instead did some window shopping, came across a Pierre Hermé store, went in and bought their famous Paris Brest and naturally took it to the Eiffel Tower to eat it and reflect on my old age. Pictures to follow. Dinner with Brigitte, who, on top of the gorgeous bracelet and earrings she gave me on Sunday, also bought me a box of Dalloyau macarons (remind yourself with the pictures from Friday) and we did a birthday taste test. J'ai toujours de la chance.

Attempting to find a library led me to taking photos of the Panthéon.

NOM

Not even zoomed in, sat right there, ridiculous.

Wednesday: Miss Nasra finally arrives! I was requested as a tour guide for her and her new roomies (don't replace me girl) and since they are leaving tomorrow we did a "Paris Express" tour - probably one of the craziest things I've attempted to do in Paris, and the pain in my legs is currently confirming this for me, but we succeeded! Presenting: two train station visits, one hostel visit, Jardin des Plantes, La Grande Mosquée de Paris, one crêperie, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, Tuileries, Musée du Louvre (speed tour: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Napoleon's apartments, hot chocolate and macarons at Angelina's), Hôtel de Ville, Île de la Cité, and Notre Dame. Awesome - but never again... Touristy pictures part deux featuring romantic photos of roomie love:

Okay, finished packing for Madrid. Naturally bringing three pairs of shoes. So exhausted from this week but I've got to keep on going so I can enjoy Madrid! Vacation, it's rough...

Bonne nuit!

x R.