Back to France. Round 3.

OK SO, Sept 12, 2012.  Flight LAX to Toulouse (layover in London).  Nihal, my new flatmate was lovely enough to pick me up from the airport and show me to my new place, where I live with her and Selin.  Unfortunately, I had to leave a day later for a quick vacation before the start of school on October 1st, so I would have to wait to get to know them.

I went to Paris for a week with Mike.  We stayed at my friend Antoine's place and explored the city.  He lives in the 18th with his flatmate Sophie.  It was the Jour du Patrimoine that weekend, so we were able to visit the Senate and Congress and Napoleon's tomb for free.  Except for said weekend, the public is not allowed into the Senate/government buildings.  We also went to Versailles and the Impressionist museum etc

We met at a café in my faorite park, Buttes Chaumont

He lives on the 4th floor

Musée d'Orsay

Mike loved the medieval armor museum

Napoleon's tomb

Pretty majestic tomb, Napoleon

Pere Lachaise

Montmartre

Versailles

Every time I've been to Versailles, there's a super weird art exhibition inside.

After Paris, Mike had to go back to start school in Belgium, and I went off to London (on teh 20th) to visit Dan, Ant, Charlotte and crew !  It was super fun.  Lots of hanging out and movies, but Ant and I also got to see Lucy Rose live at a record shop, releasing her new album...aaand we all went to see Fake Blood live (dj), which was amazing.  It was a great week of which I have zero photo evidence because 1) I don't have a camera and 2) we forgot to take pictures.

After London it was off to Biarritz on the 27th to visit KristenTranny!  It was a big surf competition that weekend at Hossegar so there were a lot of surfers in town.  We went to the beach, ate delicious pizza and went to the big Quicksilver concert (Kristen was working for Quicksilver).  We had never heard of the performers, but were thoroughly impressed by The Shoes and Birdy Nam Nam. Great weekend, of which there are pictures somehwere, but I can't find them.  Tant pis.

I had my first day at work on Oct 1st, so I got back to Toulouse on the 30th, ready to start.

Happy

Sunshine in Paris :)  All the humans are out!

These are from the Monet exhibit I went to a couple weeks ago.  Magnifique.

And the Basquiat exhibit.  RAD.  You should look him up, he's from New York

SB

And I decorated my room!  So that's exciting.  I get to see all your smiling faces :)

I HATE SLEEPING ALONE!!

and I hate that the metro closes at night, and I hate that it is impossible to get a taxi, and I hate that it is Freeezing! and I hate that the system is so inefficient and I hate that everything is so expensive, and I hate that I can't walk at night alone, and I hate assholes and I hate the differentiation between TU and VOUS, fucking FUCK YOU!!  How fucking pretentious!

France's motto :  Hello, how can I most inconvenience you?......formally

Talking shit on France for the past day has been thoroughly entertaining however, so I can thank it for that...The Christmas market was cute too I guess...And the snow is pretty...

"This town is full of cock-suckers, but when you begin to hate it, that's when you're becoming a real Parisian."

Pinic

By chance, we managed to find a little gazebo to shelter us from the rain that started as we were about to eat our sandwiches.  We were soon joined by a group of french kiddies and their caretakers.

Watching kids play is one of the most entertaining things to do.  They just run around and fall down, making games out of the fallen leaves or the dirt they find there.  Acid heads.  Each white french kid was accompanied by their very own African caretaker.  Totally bizarre, but I guess it's like that in the states too.  Everyone looked like they were having fun anyways.  The gazebo seemed to be the place to be.  When the toblerone came out, the kids came over with their best pouty faces.  Couldn't give them any without their parents consent though!  Lovely day.  I hope the kids I teach will be as cute as these ones.

The rooftops of Paris

Coolest place I've been.  Imagine one of Danny's friends shimmying up a drain pipe to hop the fence of his former high school.  A second later, he opens the gate for us grinning.  Woo!  We're in!  Next, it's up the elevator and through some questionable fences onto the roof.  The 'fence' was made to make it difficult to make it through without falling to your death, but possible enough to encourage people to try.  However, luckily we all managed and once up there you realize what a fantastic choice you made to not turn back.  The view up there is incredible!  I felt like I was in Mary Poppins.  We could see everything:  Sacré Coeur, la Tour Eiffel.  C'etait trop cool.  We just sat up there for awhile, the 4 frenchies, me and Danny, speaking french and smoking cigarettes....Oh, the French.
And to think I almost missed out because I was 'too tired'.

Cleary the photo doesn't do it justice, but I thought I'd try.

Kristentranny comes to visit!!

First stop:

The electroparadefestival in the streets.  It was siickkk!  Sicky gnar bro!

So much fun!  Frenchies in da streeetz.  I love everything about festivals.  Everyone is there to jam, people are dancing, people are happy and people are free.  It's an all-around good time.  The only difference between European festivals and American ones is that very few people dress up at the Euro ones, and I feel like almost everyone is dressed up in America.  I miss dressing up, but I like both.  Looking forward to more of this.

Next stop: clubs

 Danny went all paparazzi on us apparently.

This night did not go as planned!  But it was still mad fun even if we didn't get to dance. lolllz haha leave it to the trannies, I guess we'll save dancing for Nice.  So good to be reunited in la France!  Who what have guessed we'd be the ones to come back?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35rPec8NigA