The latest and greatest...

Hi friends! My host family does not have internet, but the restaurant below our place offers free and unlimited Wifi. It's a cute little cafe, but it would be a drag to go order food every time I want to get online. So, whenever I'm able to check my email or post a blog update, it's because I've managed to hack into the restaurant's internet. But that is the "French way." If there is Wifi available, you use it! Anyway, my internet has been awful this week. If I start seeing a stronger connection, I'm going to download some new videos for you.

This is another café down the street from our apartment. Ashley and I went there for dinner on Wednesday of last week, and we ended up staying there for over two hours, eating and talking. We're so French. Well, I convinced Ashley to get pâté. I told her, "It's so good. You'll love it." However, I refused to tell her what it was. It wasn't until after she had cleaned her plate that I said, "You ate liver!"


On Friday night, I saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up. Even though we arrived around 10 pm, Trocadero was swarming with cute couples, souvenir vendors, and eager tourists. Every hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles like a diamond for five minutes. I imagined tacky carnival lights when I heard about the Eiffel Tower light show, but it's far more tasteful and elegant. You'll see it when I post my videos.


The Eiffel Tower reflecting off the Seine. Isn't it beautiful? You can see a boat tour passing under the bridge. I think that a night-time boat ride on the Seine would be spectacular. Maybe one of these days...


The following picture has not been photo-shopped or digitally altered in any way. I changed some night settings on my camera, and I took some cool photos of Ashley in front of the Eiffel Tower. She returned the favor and snapped this one of me. It almost looks like I'm in front of a green-screen image... but it's the real deal!


On Saturday 9/19, I went to the Louvre to sketch a Donatello statue for my art history class. It was so fun. And... well, this is amusing... I wore my cute black and white dress. I was entering the Italian Renaissance wing, which was rather crowded. As I side-stepped a man who was rushing past, I stepped on an air vent. My dress came up around my waist, a la Marilyn Monroe, and I shared my pink underwear with a gallery of tourists. I heard several people clap. My little flashing act definitely did not go unnoticed. 1) Why was there an air vent in the middle of the floor? And, 2) What if I'm in some tourist's photos?!

Here is the infamous dress at the Louvre.


Last night, Ashley and I were supposed to meet some friends for dinner. We were standing around in front of Hotel de Ville (our designated meeting spot), and she took this picture. Our plans fell through, so she and I took off to the Latin Quarter and ate some fantastic Indian food. I love the Latin Quarter-- there is a large variety of restaurants, they are all affordable and delicious, the streets are always active, and it's not swarming with too many tourists at night.


We found this cute little bookstore in the Latin Quarter called "Shakespeare and Company." It's a tiny little shop with rows upon rows of old books. There's a "reading room" that consists of two old velvet theatre chairs, a shelf ladder, and a gaudy bohemian lamp. The ceilings have old wood beams. I might go live in this store.


On Sunday, our church was relocated to Versailles, where we were supposed to have Stake Conference (a larger church meeting with several congregations). However, the ward neglected to make that information clear to us... so a large portion of our group did not make it to church. Since we had no religious meetings to attend, Ashley and I decided to go on a Sunday walk by Sacre Coeur. To get to the cathedral, which is set on the top of a hill, one must climb a large number of stone steps (or take the funicular, which is pretty lazy). This is a picture at the halfway point, where we stopped to enjoy the view.



Behind me is the Sacre Coeur cathedral, crawling with visitors and thieves. Once inside, Ashley and I enjoyed part of a worship service where nuns sang verses of scripture. It was very peaceful and reverent. What a contrast to the outside of the cathedral!


Well, it's long past my bedtime... but I wanted to share these pictures with you while the internet is working! Tomorrow, my art history class will be visiting the Louvre (or "Loov-ruh," as my teacher pronounces it) together. It should be a wonderful day!