The past is a good place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. ~Author Unknown

Updating a little earlier than usual so I can get some reading done. Today was a lot of fun. We went exploring through the Latin Quarter, the area where many of the writers we're discussing in my American Writers in Paris class lived and wrote. We visited Picasso's studio, as his style of painting was actually a huge inspiration to many of the writers like Stein. We visited a few of Hemingway's favorite cafes and restaurants, and walked along the river Seine, which is beautiful.

We ate at a Lebanese restaurant which was interesting. I had a fruit salad but tried some of the hommus (sp?) and it was very good. I also had some of the chicken soup, and that was good as well. And then I went to a lovely little bakery and had my first authentic french eclair and it was super yummy! I'm finding that I like the icing at the top more than the filling but that the whole thing is fabulous!

All of the places where these writers lived are so beautiful. It's hard to not find inspiration all around when in Paris, the whole world seems open and new, old and secretive, all at once. It's almost impossible to put into words! Everything is so beautiful and exciting!

The weather is very odd. The past few days it's felt very much like late fall, gray, windy, and cold. I'm in a scarf and jacket most days (really wishing I wouldn't have forgotten that one jacket at home now! :( ) so I might even go and find myself another warmer jacket here, maybe a nice weather proof trench coat. Right now there are huge sales going on to make way for the new style of clothing to come out so that's exciting. My sunburn is slowly fading away too!

Tonight was fun when we had to go to the front desk man and ask about Kelly's dirty water and get toilet paper for me. He demanded we speak in french, and I did ok, yay! I really feel like my french is very much improving everyday. I understand more and more. It's really very exciting! The language is so beautiful, and it's interesting to be able to eavesdrop even just a little into the world of the people who live in the heart of France, in Paris.