week 6 in pictures

Here's a catch-up on events and encounters from the past week or so... starting with some iconic views!

Last Saturday night, my Italian friend (who has the extremely good fortune to have a room in an apartment just off the Champs-Élysées) had a group of us over for dinner. I took the two pictures above on my way over - what luck to have such views all the time! I had a wonderful evening with fellow students from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Romania. The wine flowed freely, and we enjoyed this delicious spread along with pasta (cooked by an Italian!):

Speaking of food, here are a few more pictures from a recent trip to the grocery store. First up is the bread section (which is larger than pictured here). Note the do-it-yourself slicer (which I have not used):

Next, I saw these strange fruits and still have no idea what they are:

Finally, I noticed that there is an abundance of pre-made croque monsieur. I had the real deal (bought from a bakery) recently and can't imagine how these could be as good, but I understand the desire for ready access. Croque monsieur is like the French version of a grilled cheese sandwich, but better: the cheese is on the outside of the bread, so it gets nice and crusty, and there's ham in the center. It is DELICIOUS. 

I also got lunch last week at a salad place. There are also "regular" salads in France (like the one I love, with warmed goat cheese and prosciutto), but this is another salad concept that I've also seen around. Lots of vegetables, but no lettuce base.

Transitioning from food to wine, I spent a lovely Wednesday late afternoon/early evening with two friends at a wine store that doubles as a wine bar. You buy a bottle of wine and then pay five euros to drink it on the premises - in our case, while sitting on stools around a huge barrel just in front of the store. We had a great white wine, and it was great to just watch people go by (on a relatively quiet street) and hang out.

I've seen a few new areas on my side of the river within the past week. On Sunday I set off on a (shorter) run heading north without any real idea of where I was going. I ended up in the 5th arrondisement and passed this charming little plaza on the way:

I may come back here to do some casual reading by the fountains. It feels a bit like Rome rather than Paris! I only had to run another 5 minutes or so from here before I found myself at the northern end of the Jardin du Luxembourg, with this new view of the Eiffel Tower:

And, finally, one more view: this picture shows all the classic elements of Paris: beautiful architecture and fashion. (This is just above the Seine on the left bank, across from the Louvre.)