-The Friday of No Breakfast-

Not even a week here, and I have cracked the secret to French fashion: wear a lot of black. together.
You can see in this (the very first photo of me in Paris) that I am doing this very well, but that this tree is not. In fact, it is pink and sparkly, which is something the French are not.

Today was an odd mixture of events in which I found myself the only one awake before 9:30, found a pink tree, dodged dog droppings in a park, took a language placement exam, savored my first Parisian espresso AND tiramisu, took a boat tour along the Seine River, and amidst all of that - navigated the Paris Metro with no mistakes!

I would like my family members to please take note that when I attempted to find someone to show me where breakfast was at 9AM...there was no one to be found. Because they were all still asleep. And this is at least part of the reason that today was the 'Friday of No Breakfast'.

Though my daily voyage on it will be long (18 stops and 1 transfer) the Paris Metro gave me no difficulty today. On my way home in the evening, a little old accordion player even came into my car, though I had no change for him. Yes, the Europeans allow a lot more begging in public places than we do in the U.S., but a little music sure can liven up your commute.

As Lorna explained to us before we arrived, La Sorbonne was founded between 1160 & 1170 or 1257 - depending upon which part of the lecture I was listening to - so it consists of multiple buildings which were put up at different times throughout (mostly) one part of the city, instead of a consolidated campus. This also meant that I was not surprised when we walked inside under scaffolding and repairs (no actual workers in sight) which brings me to my next photo: old stones, new scaffolds, same Kaitlin.

The exam was...short? Very un-American, but perhaps that is for the best. 2.5 pages of multiple choice and essay responses, and then a brief oral exam with one of les professeurs. My fingers are crossed that I am placed into the appropriate level, though I was nervous and am not sure I came across as brightly as my face did in that photo.

Some of my fellow students and I wandered until we found a cafe (read: three feet later), and continued until we found one in which we wouldn't look quite as underdressed as everyone else. And in this chic spot, I ordered my first double café (dew-bluh caf-ay) and tiramisu maison (ti-rr-a-mee-sue may-z-ohn) which was the 'house' tiramisu, though I secretly hoped that meant 'on the house'.

Really though, should you travel in Europe, you need to know about tips. Otherwise you will just jump out the restaurant window when they bring the check. Service is included in the prices of all menu items, so there is no need to leave a tip for a meal. You can round up to the next Euro, instead of asking for 20 cents back, but adding 10 Euros to your 50 Euro ticket is not necessary. In Europe, waiting tables is a salaried job with health benefits. Your server is getting paid well to bring you that 7 Euro dessert, and is not depending on the whims of your wallet to pay his bills. Small tips are for things like taxi rides and haircuts, if you are especially pleased with the service.

Later our entire group (21 students) took a boat tour along the Seine. The tour guide still had the H&M tag flapping wildly from his pants (I felt bad for the poor kid), but he did a decent job of reciting his script - first in French, then in English. I don't remember all of the details - lots of important bridges built by various kings, the palace-turned-prison where Marie Antoinette spent her final days, the Eiffel Tower (the French say it "eff-ell") - but I can tell you that on that tour I saw La Tour d'Argent: where some king and queen first used the fork. Very important historical lesson, and I did take a photo of said restaurant from the boat, should you like to see it.

By the end of the day, the thing I was most proud of was successfully buying les timbres - stamps - at La Poste, from a nice old man who spoke no English.