More Class...

So I signed up for two more weeks of French class, which explains the lack of updates. On days I have school, I usually just do my homework in the morning, go to class in the afternoon, walk around in between Montparnasse or St. Germain des Pres and then come home - nothing really newsworthy.

Walking to and from class is definitely the highlight of my day. I try to take different streets every time and know the area well enough that I can get lost without actually getting lost. There is seriously always something amazing to see, so it doesn’t matter what way I go anyway. I love peeking into different stores and ateliers, looking at the buildings, and just being with different kinds of people (i.e. mobile people watching).

And, of course, I love discovering new patisseries. On Tuesday I went to patisserie Sadaharu Aoki (which, in all honesty, wasn’t by chance at all) I’d read amazing reviews about it a few times and its really close to Alliance Francaise, so I just had to go. Its a tiny, all white store of pure amazingness. It infuses typical Asian flavors (wasabi, matcha, sesame, etc.) into traditional French pastries. I had a wasabi macaron that had just a hint of spice (not pictured because I ate it on the way home), a sesame/strawberry macaron and an earl grey macaron. I also got a more elaborate pastry that actually resembled a tennis ball, but was delicious anyway - I think it was lightly coated in Matcha powder. I didn’t read the sign carefully and totally forgot what exactly was in it, but I’m pretty sure it was a ball of matcha cream filled with some crispy layer on the bottom and, if I’m not mistaken, sweetened beans. Weird, but so good.

Yesterday I didn’t have class, so just walked around the 1st and 8th arrondissements. I went to Lafayette for lunch, bought a new dress at Manoukian, went to Fauchon and visited the Eglise de la Madeleine. It was a pretty great day.

Tomorrow I have no plans, so we’ll see what happens. I haven’t really been to the 16th yet or the area around the Eiffel Tower, so I’ll go if its warm. Also, I was trying on outfit possibilities for this Saturday (my convocation in Canada on Saturday = a perfect reason to go to the Ritz bar in Paris) and my shoe broke! The elastic at the ankle strap came out of my favorite pair of heels that I’ve only worn once before. I guess its just lucky it happened during the trial run and I didn’t fall on my face at the Ritz. So maybe I’ll try to find somebody who fixes shoes, or go straight to the source - maybe Monsieur Louboutin will stitch it back in himself?!

Anyway, picture time! I’ve been really inconsistent at using my camera (sorry, Mom!) but here’s a few...