Since my last post, a few things have happened. Unfortunately, I still seem to be hung up with a cold that just won't go away and makes sleep so enticing. Especially because it has been COLD and easy to stay in the warmth of our apartment!
Luckily, there have been some events that made me drag my sluggish self out of bed and have some fun!
First off... FASHION WEEK! A friend of mine (Crystal) from the Art Institute is studying abroad in Paris this quarter so I have a fellow fashionista here with me! Seeing as though it is Haute Couture fashion week, we decided to hit up the one and only Chanel. I awoke with Boris at 7am to get ready and was out the door by 8am only to grab cafe and travel near the Opera by 9am. Then from 9am until nearly 2pm a group of us (Crystal, some of her fellow friends from school, me, and the paparazzi) all sat outside the Chanel entrance waiting to see who may go in or come out.
It must have been the luck of the Irish I carry with me because right around 9:30am (before the other girls had made it), two of the most idolized people in fashion showed up. #1 KARL LAGERFELD (the head designer of Chanel) .. out of the blue this Rolls Royce pulled up right behind us, parallel parked on the street, and out came that legendary white pony tail! If that weren't enough, about 15 minutes later a bustle of people started swarming and flashing lights of cameras started as Anna Wintour (yes THE editor-in-chief of US Vogue) waltzed in with her infamous bob haircut and GIANT sunglasses! I nearly fainted... It was at this point that we realized out of the two shows that were happening that day (the first at 10a and the second at 12p) that the first was for journalists and the second.. celebrities!
After the show (which mind you we saw none and just waited in the alley outside the building) we waited for Anna to once again emerge. I actually got within a foot of her and my friend Crystal did some major crowd control so I could get a great pic.. but my camera is SOOOO slow and I only managed to get the back of her head! AHhh!! After that defeat, we popped into a cafe and warmed up with some hot refreshments. Then it was back to our stalking. The pictures below are evidence (though some very blurry and a few missing for lack of camera battery) of why facing the cold weather was TOTALLY worth it!
 |
| Karl Lagerfeld in the mass of paparazzi |
 |
| Karl's Rolls that he just left sitting out on the street.... |
 |
| Anna Wintour (on the right side right above the giant head and camera of the photographer) |
 |
| The back of Ms. Wintour's head after I missed the PERFECT shot! |
 |
| Kirsten Dunst.. blurry but by far the most exciting celebrity we saw (other than Karl and Anna of course!) |
 |
| Actress and Model Diane Kruger (above and below) |
 |
| Handsome French/American actor Gaspard Ulliel |
 |
| Chanel models leaving the show |
 |
| Vanessa Paradis- French singer, Chanel product model, and wife of Johnny Depp |
|
|
 |
| Crystal, her friend Adrienne, and I - photo taken by prof. photographer Jean Leroux |
 |
| Me with one of the official invitations to the show someone dropped afterward |
 |
| Even pugs love fashion! Spotted at the show! |
So after that exciting event, the rest of the week was fairly calm. The weekend is what held the fun when Boris and I traveled to Normandy to the city of Caen where his parents live (and the was raised). While there, I enjoyed tons of home cooked delicious food that his mother packed in to me at every meal! No joke- there was 4-5 courses at every meal! Also, since his parents don't speak English and I don't speak French we had a great time communicating in our own way using charades and random words we have all picked up here or there. Luckily, I happen to have picked up many words pertaining to food names so that was always a good topic for discussion! I also met Munch (or so I named him) the little plastic head of a man that sits upon a mystery bottle of liquor that is housed in the Meda family's liquor cabinet. Apparently, he hails from Germany and was brought to them 15 years ago by a 12yr old German exchange student they housed. To this day, they still do not know what kind of liquid sits inside. His name comes from the title on the bottle...something munch something.. that I can't remember now :)
In addition to that fun bottle, we also saw a bottle of homemade Calvados (an apple liquor that is a specialty of Normandy) that was from sometime around WWII. Such interesting artifacts are held within the Meda family household!
 |
| Ancient bottle of Calvados.. oddly reminds me of what I picture Moonshine to have looked like! :) |
 |
| Boris and his dad, Jean Paul with Munch at dinner |
 |
| View from Boris bedroom window/look-out in the ceiling |
 |
| Morning view |
 |
| Morning dew that I played around with in a picture editor |
On Saturday we woke up and traveled to Boris late grandmother's house where his parents were selling some of her things. Boris and I then took the car on an adventure to the nearby Mont Saint Michel... an old town built on an island that is now home to tourists on foot, but also houses restaurants, bed and breakfast type inns, a grand cathedral at the top of the hill, a castle-like wall surrounding the town, a cemetery, and many places that appear to be or to have once been homes. We drove to the parking area just outside the island and walked in as there are no vehicles allowed. Below are the pictures for there really are no words to describe how unique and beautiful it was!
 |
| View of the island from the road |
 |
| Now being from the Midwest, I am used to seeing caution signs for deer... but sheep? That's new! |
 |
| The Cathedral |
 |
| Tourist shops and restaurants |
 |
| Tiny walkways taken you on a maze through the town |
 |
| Shadow of the cathedral in the water and sand surrounding the island at low tide |
 |
| As Boris commented.. it would be difficult for "larger" people to be tourists in these small passageways! |
 |
| Awwww-- what you can't see hidden in our smiles is that is was FREEZING and super windy! |
 |
| Boris peaking out an old lookout around the defensive towers of the city |
 |
| The rest of the pics are me playing around with one of the picture programs on my computer... |
So, there were other events happening throughout the past two weeks, but none too much of note. I get out and about to the grocery, cafes, shopping, and yes I even was successful at the embassy all by myself. Well, after the third time filling out the paper that is... NOT MY FAULT.. it was in French and I had to write all the dates and information in French.... did I mention that I don't speak and definitely don't WRITE in French? At least the French man at the embassy was nice and just laughed at me and tried his best to help.
What this weekend holds is yet to be determined, but hopefully it will bring lots of good stories and pics!
Oh- as a side note: Boris and I have a new home! We move in at the end of next month. For those of you who are savvy with the neighborhoods of Paris. It is in the 18th- the Lamarck subway stop (near Montmartre which is one of my most favorite areas). It's located on the 6th and top floor of an old building with a cafe and creperie right on the corner. There are beautiful old hardwood floors and a new modernized kitchen and bathroom. We are VERY pleased! More details and pictures to come after the move-in!
