more than waffles: the second time around

With the year soon coming to a close, I am realizing more and more that I must take advantage of the opportunities that arise to travel or else I will regret it later. That being said, when my friend Gwen from Germany invited me to go to Paris with her and her host mom, I said yes right away! Gwen's host mom was participating in a kyudo convention (which is basically japanese archery), and she told Gwen that she could bring me along so we could explore the city. We had a place right in the center of Paris to stay at for no cost, so it was a done deal. In addition, the weather was beautiful! I am glad that I had to opportunity to visit Paris twice, because each time was a completely different experience. With my sister, it was still fairly cold for April, but I felt like we took our time to just enjoy Paris and hang out with each other. With Gwen, I felt like I saw a lot more of the monumental things of Paris that the whole world comes to see, and in addition, the weather was perfect. This time with Gwen, I felt as though the city was more "alive". People were out along the river (La Seine) reading books, sitting in park enjoying the sun, and there were even markets on almost every street. It's not everyday that I can say that I went to Paris for the weekend, so I tried to enjoy every minute. It's a great city, filled with little nooks and crannies. I hope that one day I will spend a longer amount of time there so I can explore even more!

The Galeries Lafayette dome.

(April 20, 2013)

Le Jardin des Tuileries.

(April 20, 2013)

Everyone wants a piece (of sun).

(April 20, 2013)

Tree shadows are cool.

(April 20, 2013)

So are bike shadows.

(April 20, 2013)

Now there's a sight I like to see.

(April 20, 2013)

My friend Gwen hanging out near Les Invalides.

(April 20, 2013)

We bought some nice mango-apple juice and hung out near the Eiffel Tower. What could be better?

(April 20, 2013)

And there it is.

(April 20, 2013)

The locks commence.

(April 20, 2013)

The Pyramids at the Louvre museum.

(April 20, 2013)

Moulin Rouge in the night.

(April 20, 2013)

View of Paris from the Sacré-Coeur.

(April 20, 2013)

The place we stayed in was this artist loft. It was awesome! There was one guy who gave us little flip books that he made. When you flip through the pages, it looks like a little film.

(April 21, 2013)

One of my favorite plants: jade plant. When I get back to the United States, it will be really interesting to see how much all of my plants have grown. (That's a warning, mom.)

(April 21, 2013)

The arrows used for kyudo, but they're not really arrows at all.

(April 21, 2013)

In Belgium, breakfast is called déjeuner, but in France it's called petit déjeuner (fun fact for you).

(April 21, 2013)

If the Parisians have got one thing right, it's the architecture.

(April 21, 2013)

They also practiced meditation there. Look at all of those comfortable pillows...who wouldn't want to meditate?

(April 21, 2013)

I was a fan of their house plants.

(April 21, 2013)

And...one more photo of indoor foliage. Sorry.

(April 21, 2013)

Bouquets of flowers for sale at every corner!

(April 21, 2013)

Big rooms and big windows are the best for taking pictures.

(April 21, 2013)

That handy little book sure did help us out.

(April 21, 2013)

Gwen and I stood in line at a falafel restaurant for 20 minutes and ate the best falafel of our lives and all I have to remember it by is this silly picture.

(April 21, 2013)