a bientot

still cant believe 4 months went by so fast. its like an extended dream.
i've packed up all my stuff and spent the past hours scrubbing and kitchen and bathroom of the apartment. my goal is to return it to my landlady better than i got it. craziness. wish me luck.
anyway, back to seattle tomorrow and i cant wait to see everyone.

much love, char

un bon jour

oh paris, why must you bring out the rain, thunderstorm and all the goodies just when im about to leave? the bipolar french weather was on full force today. but no rain was going to ruin my last friday. i trekked in the rain to get to "le caveau du palais." its such a lovely restaurant overlooking the place dauphine on the ile de la city. this side of the island is so much calmer than the square in front of notre-dame. anyway, of course i got confit de canard since im not going to get these authentic ducks for a while. i just might need to take back the statement that the best confit i had was on il saint-louis becuase i got an even better plate here. delicious beyond words.

pont neuf

place dauphine

afterwards, remy and i went to "le fumoir" to get her some lunch and me some coffee. such a nice surprise, im in love with the place. its very unpretenciously chic- a good change after seeing so many places that scream "stuck-up french" in the city. it looks out to the east colinade of louvre- a mostly classical facade with italian baroque influences (leftovers from architecture final). anyway, i will be going there again befor i leave since i feel a final trip to the louvre is needed. and you know, this cafe is right across the street.

(remy's "perfect shot")

we finished the day with a stop at louboutins on jean-jacques rousseau (what a perfect way huh?). the window display is beautiful. but of course, the shoes inside are better. just wait, i will get my hands on a pair of those blue ones, soon soon.

oh deer.. so well heeled

oh la la...fauchon

ONE WEEK TO GO!! mkay, just putting it out there. now down to business.

my morning: 6 HOURS of grueling finals. booooo...why must finals be so early AND so long? i had to be at school by 8.30 which means leaving the apt at 8. so that one goes from 8.30 to 11 then the next one starts at 12 to 2.30 stoopid school. i was pretty much brain dead by 3. my architecture exam just took the life out of me. one the bright side, done with 2/4. two mo on thurs.

of course i had to go get me some food. fauchon it is.
had lunch at the cafe then got my fav almond cookies (the apple thins are delicious too but i got those last time) and butter cookies for my dear sister (co, now you have to leave me comment)
the shop is pretty close to my definition of heaven- its so big it takes up two corners by the madeleine.

ohh beaauuuutiful eclairswells. wouldnt be a post without me playing with food.

mini me

introducing: charlotte framboise.
now, i just need to change my last name.
seriously, there must be a reason why my name is constantly associated with pastries. first the "apple charlotte" i ate in london and now this.

saint-germain-des-pres

sorry i've been mia. so im officially done with all my classes!!!! the rest of this week is reading days then finals. argh. good thing is, i get to work through my "to go before i leave list" since i have a lot of free time now.
so today, i woke up and decided i would go to the eugene delacroix museum that i've wanted to go for a while. its right behind the saint-germain-des-pres church, hidden in a really cute square filled with interior decoration shops and galleries. the museum is much smaller than i expected- only 3 rooms of an apartment delacroix used to live in, while decorating the saint-sulpice church. it only houses a little bit of his work but there are these lithography (on shakspeare plays) stones that are just so cool to look at with the incredible details. after the museum, i just walked around and enjoyed the unbelievably warm weather.

saint-germain-des-pres will prob always be my fav neighborhood in paris. this place is usually flooded with tourists..which can be annoying, but this area is just so lovely to wander around that i still go there all the time regardless of the crowd. there are plenty of galleries and furniture stores and of course, an abundance of clothing shops and restaurants/cafes.

saint-germain-des-pres

mabillon on the exterior of the churchles deux magots

they put small metal plates up to mark the seats the famous people used to sit
apparently today i sat right next to J.P. Sartre

musee national eugene delacroixplace de frustenberg

treasure island

view of chatelet from the ile

ile saint-louis

i love this place. its filled with restaurants and only 5 minutes from me. AHAHA.
please remember to stop by if you are ever in paris. its right next to notre-dame and its THE place for gelato. everything is on two main streets- its just like a small town that is in the middle of city. the food is especially great. i had the BEST confit de canard here.
there is also an amazing creperie that not much people know about. i went this afternoon to get a late snack/early dinner. i ordered a galette (buckweat crepe, basically all salty crepes are made with this) it had potatoes, bacon bits, creme fraiche, and gruyere cheese. so good. for a while i was the only person sitting in there and all these people would walk by and look at the menu then walk away. i was this close to telling them to get in and order. for dessert (part I), i got crepe miel&jus de citron. again, so good. lemon+honey=pure genius. trust me, im going to make it all the time this summer.
basically i just spent my time there stuffing my face while trying to do my homework. suceeded the first part and failed the latter. my epic fail only continued, as there is only one way to get back- going pass my fav gelato place amorino, i stopped and got a gelato (dessert part II). people always rave about berthillon- another gelato place on the island but i think its overrated and the line is too long, plus they don't serve the cones like a giant flower. yeah, im that picky. i stick to my amorino. first, choose a size, then, pick however many flavors you want. today, i got a medium cone with yogurt, berries, and lemon. finally, i walked home like a kid with a popsicle.

on the bridge between my apartment& the ile

so much for a good ol' long weekend. i have one last paper to write but i can't concentrate...oh why oh why. im so done with school, it needs to be over asap.

one goodafternoon

so i took a legit "hour long" nap today- something i havent done in a very very long time. worth every minute of it. oh and it was semi-under the sun too. the weather was too good to be true so i opened the curtains and slept like a baby. i woke up starving and so i dragged myself out to my neighborhood shops to get food. i've been going so often, the people working there all know me.

boulangerie julien- hands down best baguettes

they are almost as long as my arms but i always get them as whole- got the demi (half) the other day and i finished it as i was cooking. seriouly, give me a baguette and i can eat the whole thing. if its dinner time, i have it with cheese, snack time? nutella and honey.

oh my minimarket. what am i going to do without you? its a block from my apartment. i buy my fruits and juices here. my record is probably 4 times a week and they only open tues-sun.

anyway, i am so ready for a long weekend! i hope the sun keeps up its good work for a nice weekend. after that, two more days of classes!! summer is so close, yet sooo far. arghh
im off to eat my apple sauce. laters.