Paris

I spent six days of my mid-semester break in Paris: soaking up the autumn glow of the city, walking along the Seine, and relaxing in as many cafés as possible. We were just in time for the yearly grève, the Métro strike - and this turned out to be just what we needed. It forced us to walk everywhere...and we did. Kayla and I spent a morning exploring Montmarte and the basilica atop the hill, Sacré Coeur. Then we strolled all the way down to la Place de la Concorde and le Tour Eiffel. Teresa joined me for the weekend and we spent Saturday night with thousands of people singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and yelling "Jonny!" every time England's fly-half, Jonny Wilkinson appeared on the giant screen behind the Eiffel Tower. (We were watching the Rugby World Cup Final if you haven't caught on). I spent a couple of afternoons in the Louvre and watched the sun go down while meandering through the Jardins de Tuilleries. I can now say with certainty that Parisiens do walk down the street with their baguettes in hand. And although I didn't bring a Parisien boy back with me, I was most certainly in love. With falling leaves, crisp air, and magnificient vistas in every direction, it would be hard not to be. Ô Paris, que je t'aime!