One month, still alive

As of today, I've been living in Paris for one month. I've only traveled once — to Dublin — and while I've had three full weekends in the French capital, there's still so much to see. Today, for example, one of my friends suggested we go to Saint Chappelle. I was reluctant, but since I have my nifty art history card, I was able to get in for free, and I'm glad we went.

The stained glass windows were amazing, probably the most impressive I've seen. Considering the structure and its windows were built in only two years — something unthinkable in the 13th century — it is incredibly detailed and beautiful, despite being a relatively small building.
It was much smaller than I expected, but it was nonetheless an interesting little relic in the very center of Paris. Supposedly, it was built around Jesus' crown of thorns, which is apparently on display tomorrow at Notre Dame — yes, the "real thing." How, 2000 years after his death, the item has remained intact, let alone still remains in possession of the Church is pretty ridiculous. Maybe I shouldn't talk. Oh well.

Afterward, the girls wanted to get some chocolat chaud (hot chocolate), which is nothing like hot chocolate in America. Basically, it consists of a cup with melted chocolate at the bottom, and they give you a little pitcher of hot cream to pour into it. Really really delicious. The best part of our little snack though, was our view across the street of Notre Dame. That's something most Parisians (and even I'm starting to) take for granted.
Anyway, as a gift to myself for withstanding French snobbery for a month, I booked a train ticket to Bruges, Belgium for the weekend. I don't know much about it, but it's called "The Venice of the North," and apparently has some damn good chocolate and waffles. I'm always down for some good food, so no complaints there. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and since I begin my time as a full-time student starting next Thursday, it's my last chance to get out of Paris before having everyday homework.

Along those lines, I forgot to mention that I took my French placement exam last week. Well, I didn't really take it per say. I sort of looked at the sheet, and after about five minutes of staring blankly, the proctor came over to me and asked me if I spoke French. I told him I didn't, and he chuckled and told me I could just go outside. Go figure. Hopefully I'll get the time slot I want, and I'll be set for the next four or so months of my semester.

Meanwhile, Jon and I went shopping last week and stocked up on some essentials: olive oil, balsamic, cheese, pasta, herbs, etc. But after running out of a bottle of Nutella in about one week, we decided to go for the big boy. Hopefully this one will last us at least a few extra days.
That's about it for now. Hopefully I'll get a post in before Bruges, but if not, I'll make sure to post a lot of pictures and write about my travels. It's my first time taking a high speed train, and it should be pretty cool. Until then...