The 2nd Arrondissement

The 2nd Arrondissement is the smallest of them all, but is packed with gems. Its location in the heart of Paris allows you to conveniently spend a morning sipping a café at Le Vaudeville while watching the world wake up across the street at the Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange). Or, you could take a mid-day stroll down Rue Montorgueil, one of Paris's most famous market streets (a stop at world-renowned patissier Stohrer is mandatory). The Rue Etienne-Marcel, Rue Montmartre, and Rue du Louvre will lead you to a bevy of shops, cafés, and restaurants. History buffs take note as one of Paris' last remaining vestiges of the Middle Ages, La Tour Jean Sans Peur is tucked away behind a square on the Rue Etienne-Marcel. Additionally, if you find yourself looking for shelter during one of Paris's frequent rainshowers, the 2nd is home to some of the most stunning galeries the city has to offer.

Custom Map Murals by Wallpapered

Something I think about frequently is how I am going to design my next apartment (Is this really weird? Does anyone else do this?? Don't answer that.). I've been living in a dorm room since August, and I am having growing pains. I've added a few things here and there to make the space more "me", but knowing that everything has to fit in a suitcase at the end of the day has really impacted my purchasing decisions (actually, it hasn't... so going home will be interesting.). However, this has given me more time to find inspiration and continue developing the aesthetic for my future home.

In my free time I peruse Design Milk, Apartment Therapy, and a host of other websites for inspiration (yes, Pinterest too). One day, I stumbled upon these Custom Map Murals by Wallpapered.  

And I love them.

YOLO

Me, loving on Montpellier.

These past couple of weeks have been very exciting. I snuck in a couple of wonderful weekend trips, and have made some solid plans for the next few months. My internship has been extended through the end of June, so I will be staying in Paris until then. I could not be more excited to spend the next couple of months exploring this amazing city while continuing to work. After that, I will be traveling for a couple of weeks to cities that have long been on my "to-visit" list (!!!), and then celebrating Bastille Day, or as the Frenchies say Le Quatorze, in true Parisian fashion. After reveling in the French Revolution (and maybe taking advantage of the summer sales...), my visa will have expired so I will pack up my things and head back to the US. 

Zee Alps!

I went to the Alps in February, and it was incredible. Backstory: I was talking to some friends in studio earlier in the semester, and said that I really wanted to go to the Alps, but didn't know any other skiers/boarders. My friend Julie was like, "I go for three weeks every winter, come visit me!" And I was like, "Um. I'll book my train now." So, after my first week of work, I packed up my bags and headed to St. Gervais-les-Bains, which is located southeast of Geneva (but is in France). For the ski buffs out there: it is very close to Chamonix/Mont Blanc. 

I haven't had the opportunity to ski in the mountains (Lutsen I love you, but we both know you don't count!) since I was studying abroad in Montpellier four years ago. Then, I went to Pelvoux-Vallouise, and it was great, but a little small for what I was expecting from the Alps. This time, I went to Megève and Les Contamines Montjoie, and OMG it was amazing. I was a tad rusty, but I was on cloud nine the entire time.

Snow.

Rarely does it snow in Paris... and actually stay. One day after a snowfall in January, I walked around the 4th to snap a few pictures. We ended up getting a few more snowy days, but I think it is safe to say that they are behind us until next year. Fingers crossed - I am from Minnesota after all. ;) 

PS It feels really weird writing this post right now, because we are in the middle of some insanely beautiful spring weather.

The fence enclosing the Luxembourg Gardens 

Give The People What They Want!

So, about this "blog thing". My mom has now openly pestered me on Facebook about my absence, so I guess you can count that as rock bottom. (Love you mom!) Since I last left off, I've been busy with work, more work, and a little exploring! I'll get some real posts up soon (please don't hold your breath...), but here's a little taste of what's been going on:

It snowed! I love snow.

A Christmas Treat!

We are fast-forwarding from Thanksgiving (and going back in time???) to one of my favorite moments this past year, Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette at Christmas. A friend tipped me off on their fabulous window displays, so on a sunny (a delight in rainy Paris winter times) afternoon I headed over to check them out. One word: magnifique. 

That one time I made a Turkey.

Let me set the scene: Thanksgiving in Paris. Thursdays during school were loooooong, with a 6 hour structures class and prep for studio reviews that happened every Friday morning at 9 AM. Yikes! So anyways, our actual Thanksgiving was a bit... anticlimactic.  My Thanksgiving dinner was a turkey sub from Subway (JUDGE ME IT'S FINE. But it's the best cheap late night option, and I was celebrating 'Merica).

Due to our schedule, we decided to postpone our Thanksgiving until the following Saturday. We are such responsible students. 

3 things before we get going:

1. We = everyone in my program. Shout out to my people - love you guys!

2. You are about to see too many pictures of me for one post. I apologize in advance.

3. I realize this is several months late. December got crazy (hence the hiatus), then January got crazy (hence the extended hiatus). This post is one I promised for my family, and I need to keep my promises!

I'm Back!

Okay. That was RIDICULOUS. Sorry about the extended hiatus. I think it's safe to say I am a horrible blogger-slash-student. We are now moving on to the next phase in our program - internships!! - this week. I am very excited. :)

HIATUS. (sorry)

**** UPDATE **** I'm going to extend this hiatus until the beginning of February - a constant stream of final projects has kept me a little more than just slightly busy :) I will shout from the rooftops once I get back to blogging. Sorry! All is well, we just have a few more things left on our plates... but the light at the end of the tunnel is visible! Small, but visible. :) If you're reading this, I hope you're doing well!

Okay, it's time I'm honest with you. Obviously my absence from the "blogosphere" (embarrassing that I actually used that word...) has been a little excessive, so I have decided to put this guy on official hiatus until Christmas break. However my Christmas gift to you will be a barrage of posts, as I literally have half a dozen started with more on the way. Unfortunately it takes work to be this witty, and my sassiness significantly plummets when I'm in the midst of madness.

1er Arrondissement: Shopping

A huge part of the 1st arrondissement is dedicated to shopping. Here, you will find a variety of shops ranging from the hautest of haute couture (that doesn't work but let's pretend it does) to crowd favorites such as Zara, Sephora, and H&M. 

One of the most famous squares in Paris is Place Vendôme. Located just north of the Tuileries gardens, the square plays host to the plush Hôtel Ritz (currently closed for a 2 year renovation - set to open in 2014), the Hôtel de Vendôme, the Ministry of Justice, several enterprises, lavish designer boutiques, and a few charmed (and extremely wealthy) residents.

Salon du Chocolat.

Chocolate: 1  Lauren: 3942398. This might not seem like a huge deal, but this is the first time I can officially say that chocolate beat me. It's a little upsetting, but the defeat was sooooo worth it. Paris hosted their annual Salon du Chocolat last weekend, and I literally had to pinch myself to remind myself that I wasn't in Heaven. Okay, that's an exaggeration. But if I schedule any trips to Paris in the future around this Salon, don't be surprised.

Pastries. Everywhere.

1er Arrondissement: Gardens

Here are some gardens to get you through your weekly case of the Mondays. If you are on the east coast, enjoy these not-as-ominous-looking skies and stay safe!

There are 2 gardens in the 1st - the Palais Royal gardens + the Tuileries gardens. As you gaze through these beauuuuutiful images, take note of the garden design. The French are known for displaying order/control over nature in their gardens (much different than English. DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS? To my mom and aunts, this is for you/you already know this I've seen your coffee table books....)

1er Arrondissement: Sights

Okay guys, blog slacker party of one over here. I know I KNOW. School is in full swing now, so I am playing my famous disappearing act from society. Seriously though, I've been getting home from studio and I'm just too tired to be witty and put together blog posts.

Good news: You will not be able to get rid of this blog and its constat updates (and meeeeeeeeeee!) starting at the end of January.
Bad news: I'll be in and out of here sporadically for the next 3 1/2 months. Sorry, but this girl's gotta graduate!

So, we left off last time with the arrondissement thing. That starts now!

The 1st arrondissement is one of the oldest arrondissements (weird right?!) in Paris. It's also one of the smallest, with a significant portion containing the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens. Aside from that, it's main functions are dedicated to business/administration and things like tourism, dining, shopping, etc. Even though it's small, the 1st is packed with things to do/see, so I've broken it down into a few different sections. Today I'll show you some of the sights (built ones - AKA gardens are another day).

What is an Arrondissement?

An arron-WHAT? Yes, an arrondissement. Paris has 20 of them. It is how the city is organized. I know what you're thinking, "Lauren I really don't care why are you telling me this?" Well, read on.

Before I left, I was talking with a previous professor of mine who spent quite a bit of time in Paris and southern France many moons ago. He said that while he was in Paris, he explored the city by arrondissement, and I was like, "Hey that sounds like a great idea!" and now here we are. So I am going to start exploring and blogging about each arrondissement. I'm pretty sure by the end of my time here, you're going to be ready to pack your bags for Paris and you'll be like, "OH MAN I'm so happy Lauren blogged so much I feel even more prepared for this fabulous impending trip!" 

What are those letters next to the numbers? Well we say "First" (1st), "Second" (2nd), and so on. The French say Premier (1er), Deuxième (2e), etc.

Foodie Friday

OKAY so apparently I can only blog about food and on Fridays. Those who know me best know my strong affinity for themes (and outrageous ability to rock them), so that's why I developed FFs buuuut  I know you're just waiting to read about other things. SO hang tight for early next week. Until then, I have a little two-birds-with-one-stone post for you. On Wednesday night, a few friends and I took a cooking class, and it was so fun. It was organized through our program, so we met some other American students as well, which was nice. Now, we by no means learned anything new (we basically peeled and chopped things), but I like a good activity that mixes things up. There were three groups, and each made two dishes. We made Nicoise salad and tarte tatin.

It also solidified the fact that I actually do want to take real cooking classes, and that is what I am asking for next Christmas (cough cough FAMILY cough cough). Okay, without further ado, here are some preeeetty bad pictures documenting the evening. Sorry in advance.

Foodie Friday!

This week's foodie moment is brought to you by: Quiche Lorraine. Quiche is a savory pastry dish filled with a mixture of eggs, cream, meat, and/or vegetables. Quiche Lorraine originally contained eggs, cream, and lardons*. Now, cheese (usually gruyere) and onions are typically added as well.

*Sarcastic Cultural Difference Moment: Hormel is not sold here! Instead, they use lardons, which are essentially pieces of pork fat cut in thick cubes or strips (so, the same part of the pig as bacon, but just thicker and a different shape). If you were wondering: YES, they're better.

Are you a visual learner? Click here.

Vincennes

As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend our studio professor gave us a tour of Vincennes. Notable points on the tour were the Chateau de Vincennes and the "Festival America", which was going on at the time. 

We first went to the Chateau, which is a Medieval castle. I know this is going to come as a shock as I am an architecture student, but I've always been fascinated with different styles of architecture. Just in case you happen to stumble upon a castle, here are some tell-tale signs if it is Medieval. (Sidenote: there are a bunch of classifications within "Medieval", I'm just giving you some basics...)

1. The purpose behind a Medieval castle was defense, not just to be an opulent spectacle of wealth and indulgence. If there is no wall, gate, or drawbridge in sight, they might have perished long ago (the Middle Ages are considered to be the 5th to 15th centuries... annnnd a lot has happened since then...). Usually, you will see these things. Other defense devices include: walkways along the top of castle walls, small slits in the defensive walls which enabled knights to shoot arrows at the enemy, moats (or evidence of an pre-existing one), and its location. Smart kingdoms are located on a hill and near a fresh water source (think about it).

Approaching the donjon, which is the main tower on the grounds. Here, you'll find everything you need if you're a king or queen in the Middle ages. This is the tallest remaining donjon in Europe.

Foodie... Saturday?

Ok so last night at dinner I realized I hadn't posted for Foodie Friday yet (sacre bleu!), so I was going to cop out and just do a little post about wine. BUT I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU GUYS. You are going to get some great French treat-eye candy (just pretend that makes sense) and pictures of the remnants of my red wine are just not going to do. Obviously, red wine will make an appearance eventually... but it needs to be planned, or curated, if you will. It's not going to happen after I scarf down some lasagna and am then anticipating my Amorino (which you will also see, no worries... I have big plans.). And yes, we were feeling Italian food last night. Okay anywayyyys onto more important things in life:

CHEESE!

Today our studio professor gave us a tour of Vincennes, a town outside the eastern edge of Paris. We ended the day at his home, where his wife had a smorgasbord (YEP I SAID IT) of cheese, bread, grapes, and wine waiting for us. I honestly do not remember all the names of the cheeses - I know there was brie, chevre, comte... and that's about it. They told us all the names, but I was so hungry and had all these delicious cheeses in front of me... my memory was on the backburner. I've never met a cheese I didn't like (and I've met some of the stinky ones...), so each was amaaaazing. 

If you are in France, get a cheese plate for dessert one night. It will not disappoint! And, you might find a new one you never thought you'd like. 

I told everyone to be awkward. Great Success!

TECHNOPARADE.

One of the best things about living in a city is that there is always something going on. The weirder, the better. Last weekend my friend Aubrey and I heard about this little thing called a "Technoparade". Obviously, we had to check it out. It's literally a parade of floats playing techno music with crowds following close behind - dancing and partying all day. Let me tell you - great people watching. Have a look for yourself!