Spring arrives in Paris

Well, as evidenced by my lack of posts, things have been busy here in Paris. I think I mentioned in previous posts that this semester is a particularly busy one (for no apparent reason), and the last month has truly been a whirlwind! Quick recap:

Spring Break: My spring break was at the end of February; I went to Zagreb (Croatia) and Budapest (Hungary), which was my first time leaving France since August! I had a lovely time exploring Zagreb (where I'd been twice before) and Budapest (new to me and worth a return trip). You probably know that I have a separate travel blog, and I wrote about those experiences there. 

Paris Half Marathon: The much-anticipated race arrived on March 2. After diligently training (including two 11-mile runs the preceding weekends), I was as ready as I was ever going to get, but I was so nervous the day before! I truly felt like I was about to take a major exam. I am proud to report that all four of us Americans made it through - my friend Lilly and I ran together and ran the entire way.  (It's a good thing we never stopped running during the race because the moment we finally crossed the finish line and did stop, all the pain my brain had obligingly blocked out for the past two hours came flooding in all at once!) The race started and ended at the Chateau de Vincennes, which is located outside the city to the east, at the end of metro line 1. I was disappointed that we weren't running through much of the actual city, but because I'd never been out there, it was all new to me - and we got PERFECT weather, so it was lovely running through the huge park and then working our way through the 12th arrondisement. We ran as far as the Hotel de Ville (city hall) before turning around. 

My favorite action shot. My hair has grown really long...

Hugging my friend Steve after the race. I love this photo!

Three of the four finishers!

And after the race, there was only one logical place for a group of Americans (and their French counterparts) to go and get stuffed: 

Chipotle. 

Visit from my brother: I came back to Paris on a Wednesday night, and my brother arrived for a visit on Saturday morning. It was phenomenal having him here, especially to help me walk home from the half marathon. :) JS is very easy going, so despite not having been to Paris before, he had a very laid-back attitude and no particular agenda of things we had to go see. We ate good food, saw the basic sights, and generally enjoyed some quality sibling time! 

in front of Picasso's house in Montmartre

We did learn an important lesson during our trip to Montmartre, which was the day after the half marathon. My legs, which were functioning but very stiff, got quite an unexpected workout thanks to my choice of metro stations. I decided to check out the Abbesses station on line 12; its exit is partially up the hill, so it's above the Boulevard de Clichy where the other stations are. This would have been ideal had the elevator been working. The Abbesses station is one of the deepest in the whole system - if the elevator's broken, it requires walking up about six flights of stairs! Fortunately, they've made the trip more pleasant by putting in a spiral staircase with an ongoing mural of the all the way to the top. Still, my poor legs were dead all over again when we got out! 

We also obviously went to see my dear friend the Eiffel Tower sparkle on a nice clear night. This is one of the best pictures I've taken:

My brother left Paris for Amsterdam on Thursday morning, and I joined him there on Friday. We met a friend of mine for lunch and then just wandered around - partaking in NO illegal activity, I think it's important to note! The next day, JS went back to America, and I went to my other favorite city: The Hague. I love The Hague nearly as much as I love Paris, and this was my first time going back there since the summer I spent working there. It was a glorious, perfect day with incredible weather. I sat on the beach in the sun, which is one way in which The Hague can beat Paris... 

...and the weather followed me back to Paris, which enjoyed sunshine and spring weather (along with a toxic dose of pollution) all of last week and this past weekend! Here is some evidence that SPRING HAS SPRUNG:

Parc Montsouris near my apartment

westward view from the Pont Neuf

Sunday morning in the Jardin du Luxembourg

Kids with their sailboats in the Jardin du Luxembourg

Now that I'm faced with the reality of having only SIX WEEKS left in Paris before I have to go back to reality (ie, graduate and take the bar exam) in the United States, I'm really starting to feel the pressure to experience as much as I can. While I have mostly given up the idea of a bucket list - after all, I'm going to be nearby in London for the next few years at least - I am intent on repeating some things I have tried and know that I love. This means sticking to my favorite bar (I'll have to do a separate entry about that) and my favorite restaurant, which you should be familiar with by now: Autour d'un Verre. I went back there last week and had what was, no surprise, the best boeuf bourguignon bar none:

tender beef on top of mashed potatoes with carrots, celery, and a super savory broth

I also had another great culinary experience last weekend thanks to my friend Arnaud. He introduced me to raclette, which is sort of like fondue's cousin. Rather than melting a bunch of cheese in a pot and then dipping things into it, raclette involves a special type of cheese (raclette) that you place, slice by slice, into little spatula-type things that melt the individual slices, and then you either pour the creamy cheese or flip the crispier cheese onto potatoes, dried ham, and whatever else you've got handy. It was DELICIOUS, and I am definitely going to get one of these raclette "grills" for my apartment next year! (The cheese spatulas go inside/underneath, and then you can cook meat on top. We made bacon!)

Finally, I'll just note that I saw a French film on Saturday called "Diplomatie." Those who know of my love of Model UN, and international relations more generally, can appreciate why I would have been interested in this movie just based on the title. The story is even better: it's the TRUE story of how the Swiss consul in Paris managed to dissuade the German general who was "governor" of Paris at the end of World War II from destroying the city. Hitler wanted Berlin to be the most beautiful city, and since Berlin had been largely damaged by bombing while Paris stood intact, he ordered the destruction of all of the bridges and major monuments. If the timeline is to be believed form the movie (I don't know why not), the Swiss consul managed to convince the general with literally MOMENTS to spare. It brought tears to my eyes (and I am NOT a crier) to think of how close this city came to destruction - how we might not have the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, or any of the other icons of Paris! It was a good way to kick off my final six weeks here...