2008?!

Well, Happy New Year! I am fortunate enough to say that I truly celebrated the new year in the best way possible: in Paris! I got to visit my friend, Andrew, from America who is spending his year studying in Paris for 6 days. My schedule looked a little like this:

Friday: Arrive in Paris, stroll the Champs-Elysée, get french food, get looked at as though I'm crazy by the waiter after ordering 3 appetizers and no entree, walk across the bridge, over the Seine, to the left bank, take pictures of the Eiffel Tower in an epileptic fit of lights, take the metro home.

Saturday: Wake up, eat a baguette/croissant, head out, meander through the city, visit Montmarte, Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer, et Les Deux Moulins (the café from Amelie), meet Andrew's friend who was in Paris for only half a year and was heading home, take her and her luggage to the train station, meet up with another friend of andrew's for her birthday, go out to dinner in the Latin Quarter and then a local bar, catch the last metro home.

Sunday: Wake up, meet said people from the night before at the Jardins Luxembourg for a little while, sit and watch people, say goodbye, walk around Saint German de Prés, head home, get ready to head out, take the metro out, enjoy Paris at night, take the first metro home, sleep.

Monday: Wake up very late, walk around for a little while, head back home, finalize plans for New Years, catch the 11pm metro towards the Champs-Elysée, get stuck on a PACKED metro, get off at the Louvre and walk from there (it was faster, I swear), discover that the Champs is like Times Square for Paris, observe the people, drink champagne, avoid obnoxious drunk people, head to a little café for drinks, back to the Champs to walk towards the 1st Arrondissement, have a few drinks in a pub, take the first metro home, sleep.


Tuesday: Wake up very late, loaf around the apartment watching TV and putting pictures on the internet, make dinner, get ready to go out, metro out late, meet some germans, early metro home, sleep.

Wednesday: Wake up late, relaxing day of just walking around and hanging around the apartment, eat my last meal (steak frite), pack, and get no sleep because of bad sleeping habits.

Thursday: Cry myself to sleep on the train leaving Paris (just kidding).

Honestly though, I've decided that my goal in life is to live in Paris. I know this seems somewhat redundant as I'm currently living in Germany for a year but, there's just something about Paris, a certain je ne sais quoi, that is amazing. It's like New York City but better (I know, is that possible? Yes, it is). I just know it's where I want to be. Also, as of January 1, 2008, there is no smoking in restaurants and bars in Paris. I'm not how I feel about this. I know smoking is terrible for the health, blah blah blah and I can understand not wanting to smell smoke while eating but, there is that image of paris, of people in a smokey café eating croissants and drinking coffee and just isn't there anymore. And for bars and nightclubs I am of the firm belief that it should be the choice of the establishment and its patrons whether or not smoking is permitted inside. I wasn't sure if this ban would just be a giant joke but I can say it's not. Every place I saw after the 1st had no smoking signs and when we went out that night the bouncers told us before we were allowed in "No fumer" (no smoking). Interesting. We'll see what happens.

Well, I am exhausted. It was a wonderful 6 days and I can't think of a better way to have wrung in the new year. I hope 2008 will be as amazing as it promises to be!