La Vie Parisienne

Sorry for the lapse in updates! I've been busy living life in ol' Paris. Since my first post I hope that I've become a little more aware of the city and have started to settle into life here. For instance, I refuse to step in anything wet on the sidewalk, thanks to the metro training (most if not all of them reek of stale urine). Maureen taught me all about the gypsy scams (she and Ariana got scammed outside Notre Dame). It's really interesting what they do. They have clipboards so you think it's a petition. They of course pretend they can't speak. You go to sign the clipboard only to find that it's dollar amounts that previous suckers have put down as to how much you need to give them. I guess they keep telling you to give more, but c'est la vie. Oh! And in my first weekend being here, I almost got my bag pickpocketed! I was on the metro and some girl who looked like she was twelve but had hickies covering her next was standing next to me. She looked a little sketchy, but that was only because her neck looked like someone tried to swallow it. Then she placed her hand above my purse (which i wasn't holding the zipper) and she placed her jacket over her hand. I soon after realized what was happening and saw that my zipper was slightly opened. I zipped it back up and glared at her, letting her know that I was on to her. Then she moved to the other side of the car. Luckily nothing was stolen because my purse was incredibly stuffed with crap and all the useless things were at the top! Now I hold my back to make sure.

I've already been in at least 11 of the 20 arrondissements of Paris (the way the city is divided up). I've been to Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre twice, each time getting more lost than the previous. The Louvre is really not a force to be reckoned with. It can get you lost so fast that you're so much more exhausted after you leave it because you have to spend at least 20 minutes wandering through rooms to get to an exit. There's too much to see. It's ridiculous. The sheer size of the place still puts me in awe.

Also, I have become more obsessed with chocolate than I ever though possible. Not just chocolate, but more importantly chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). Swiss Miss has absolutely NOTHING on this stuff. It's so thick and creamy that it coats a spoon and expands three times its size in your stomach. It provides me with the best warmth on a cold day. Going to Angelina's (the best in Paris) was certainly a treat for my taste-buds that  I wish I could share with all of you. It was a euphoric experience, especially to a chocoholic.

Oh and another thing I would like to note, is how freaking expensive it is here! I have barely eaten dinner at restaurants because it's so expensive. Even buying  food is detrimental to my bank account. I am amazed that I got 1 hamburger, a can of oringina, a bottle of water and potato chips and it cost me 4(euro)45! It's nuts! No wonder people aren't fat here! It's too expensive to eat anything! At least if you're on a student budget! I don't even eat anything insane and try to buy the cheapest of everything. Except being gluten free is definitely a  struggle. Bread is without a doubt the cheapest thing that France has to offer. It's 50 cents for a demi baguette... I have to pay 4euro for 4 slices of G-free bread. All my friends say "at least you won't be fat", which I guess is true. Once more, I don't mind so much that I can't have it is the convience factor of it. France definitely makes it hard for gluten free people to eat. The cheapest lunches are sandwiches and crepes, both of which contain wheat. I bring my own lunch though so it sort of eliminates that problem. It's just annoying. Also, the gluten free food options I have found are much more limited than in the states, even at a bio-coop! Anyways, I will keep exploring. I've found more options of places that sells gluten free food and will continue my conquest to eat the cheapest I can with my diet (rice cakes are seeming to be my answer).