Paris' Gay Pride Parade

Last night was almost as close to a traditional french evening as we could get, being as tired as we were.  I ate at a brasserie (like a café) on the Boulevard Saint-Michel called Le Luxembourg.  It was at a traffic circle facing  the edge of the Luxembourg Gardens.  I drank a delicious glass of chardonnay and ate a light Caesar salad since lunch was so heavy.  I am also rather embarassed to admit it, but the French version of a Caesar salad makes the American attempt look very pathetic.  The parmesan cheese was in thin sheets instead of grated, the chicken was grilled but without the grilled taste, and the entire thing was just ever so slightly coated in dressing.  It was divine.


This morning I woke up (after a lovely twelve hours of rest) and went to our first orientation meeting.  We were told a few things about the program, the rules, the city, and our classes and given student ID cards and métro passes, then told to go out and enjoy ourselves.


My roommates and I got lunch and ate in Luxembourg Gardens once again.  I can definitely see this becoming a wonderful habit.

After lunch we relaxed in our room for a bit then decided to go check out the Gay Pride Parade we'd heard was happening today on our boulevard.  At first we just went up to the roof to look, but quickly decided it'd be better to experience at street level.  The walk was amazing.  It was full of colorful people, bright clothes, and loud European House music.  I joined up with a group of other students in my program and we walked the length of the parade.  It was so much fun.  Literally a party in the streets of Paris' Latin Quarter.  

Eventually the parade ended and we made the long trek back to our dorm.  On the way three of us stopped to get crêpes (which taste even better with ham and mushrooms than fruit and whipped cream).  


Finally back at the Foyer, I watched the sun set on Paris from the rooftop terrace with Kelcie and Elizabeth, two girls on my trip, then came back to my room to settle in for the night.  Talk about a busy day.