America is my country, Paris is my hometown.

Ernest Hemingway perfectly expressed what I am feeling at this point in my journey here in France when he said: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

This has been the longest and most drawn-out goodbye I have ever had to make in my life. Considering many of my friends in the ISA program left last week, I have already had my fair share of participating in “things-to-do-before-I-leave-Paris” lists, and all have been great! Picnics of bread and cheese in parks, revisiting favorite spots in the city, and of course waving goodbye to the Eiffel Tower. Saying “au revoir” to my friends was definitely a sad moment in my trip, yet at the same time I was interested and excited to see how the change in my usual routine would affect my last two weeks here. The verdict? I have realized that this city is what I love, and the people around me are the bonuses to the experience!

My week has been full of free afternoons to myself after class. Considering the great weather, I have taken full advantage of them. I find that now in my time here in Paris, I am finally able to discover how the “average Joe” Parisian people live and enjoy their time.

One afternoon, I finally made my way to the northeast side of the city to a park called Buttes Chaumont. What an amazing place! This hidden gem is in the middle of residential buildings, and is complete with rolling hills, gazebo-topped cliff, and even a cave with a waterfall. I was content just walking around the entire park for the afternoon and soaking in the beautiful weather and friendly atmosphere. I loved all the families picnicking and people playing games in the fields. There were times I felt like I was in a national state park with all the green around me. I even saw a movie being filmed there!

The movie being filmed!

Another great find of the week came from walking from the Seine River to my apartment. I ended up winding up several random streets and across the picturesque Canal de St. Martin. Beyond the Canal, I found numerous side streets full of quirky shops and local restaurants. One thing I love about Paris? You can be here for months and still find things you never knew existed. I am constantly learning new things about neighborhoods and buildings around the city.

Beyond the permanent sites to see, something new is going on everyday of the week in the cultural community. Just last week I visited a free photography exposition at Hotel de Ville, saw a ramp being built at the Eiffel Tower for a man wanting to make the Guinness World Record for highest roller-skating jump, witnessed two protests in the streets and watched a part of the French Open on a mega screen near the Notre Dame. I am constantly amazed at how alive this city is!

Here is a prime example of the spontaneous events that have regularly occurred in my Parisian life this semester. My friend Victoria invited me to an event called “La Nuit du Chocolate” (The Night of Chocolate). She had heard about it on the news earlier that day, and I made my way over with little knowledge of what was to come. She explained that for one night, the store, “La Maison du Chocolate” (The House of Chocolate) was giving away desserts for free. We were expecting to get a small individual serving of chocolate cake, and were pretty ecstatic about it. (Due to our funds, a single piece of chocolate cake was exciting enough, as anything free is better than nothing at all!) After 15 minutes in line, workers started flooding out of the store with platters full of macaroons, mousse, cake and other assorted desserts for people in line to devour. Over the course of almost two hours in line, I ate 10 macaroons, 3 pieces of chocolate, 2 pieces of chocolate cake, 1 chocolate mousse, 1 vanilla puff pastry and 1 chocolate éclair. By the time that we actually stepped foot in the store, we were not feeling the greatest. Out came dozens of large desserts that were all at our fingertips. We could literally point at one and the workers would give it to us. Of course my stomach didn’t agree with my decisions, but it was definitely a memorable night. It is events like that that make me never want to leave this place!

Saturday, I finally made my way up to the flea markets at Porte de Clignancourt. Known for the antique shops, I was excited to take some photos and see what they had to offer. Upon arrival, I was incredibly disappointed. What lay in front of me was a street full of makeshift tents full of people trying to sell cheap souvenirs and knockoff name brand merchandise. Thankfully, a friend informed me earlier that day to walk through the first street to get to the good stuff. I hurriedly made my way through the tents, where I breathed a sigh of relief. Winding through tiny streets about the size of a city block were actual antique stores! Prices were generally high, as a lot of the items for sale were extremely old or collector’s items, but if I had wanted to find something fun for myself I could have, as many shops had trinket items for lower prices. It was great to walk through the area and snap photos of the eccentric mix of items in each store.

The initial market that you walk through.

Other days this past week have included relaxing on the edge of the Seine with a good book, practicing my written French comprehension, hanging out with friends that are still here, and lots of walking! Also, this past weekend I was able to meet up with my friend Anna Wickham from home and show her and her friends around Paris. It was so great to see a familiar face once again. Even though it is a collision of the familiarity of home and the life here in Paris, I loved seeing her so much. She has been backpacking throughout Europe for a month since graduating, and after this epic adventure is moving to Korea for a year to teach English. She is the epitome of an adventurous traveler!

Anna!

A view of the escalator at Musee de Georges Pompidou.

One more mention: I went up to one of my (new) favorite areas of the city last week. Located around the Metro stop Absesses, the area is full of hills and smaller streets. I love that there are less tourists, yet a lot of fun shops and things to see at the same time. It was in the same area that I got a baguette that was voted and named the “best baguette in Paris 2010”! It was definitely a winner in my book.

The boulangerie with "the best baguette in Paris".

I am continually blown away by the dimensions of this city, and how much I still need to see! This last week I am planning on saying my own farewells to favorite things of Paris, and then will be on my flight to the states Friday afternoon.

Affecteusement,

George