Rain, rain, go AWAY!

It's raining in Paris.....

......again......

It's always raining - July and August have shown me the rainiest summer in life, and it's not over yet!

Looking SO forward to my first trip to Spain this weekend, where I HOPE to catch some sunshine!!!!

YESSSS!!!

On a non-Paris note....

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-rosacea6aug06,0,1305081.story?coll=la-home-center

SO happy. Please note this was discovered at UCSD! Of COURSE! :)

I miss summer in L.A......

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke27jul27,1,2792757.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

WISH I could be there, but I still would have no idea what to do....

Heard on the train this morning...

"Si vous decidez de me donner une carte bleu, n'oubliez pas de me donner le code secret...."
("If you decide to give me your ATM card, don't forget to give me the pin number!")
- A beggar on the train this morning

Nothing like a little laugh in the morning....I take what I can get. :)

A week later....

Bastille Day was last weekend - July 14th, and I celebrating by braving the crowds and heading towards the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks across the river at Trocadero. To be honest, the fireworks show was up there with the ones that I praise at Dodger Stadium...but the musical selection, not so much. I mean, they played the theme from Star Wars and songs from the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge to celebrate their national holiday...

I mean, could you imagine the uproar at some celebrations in the U.S. if "La Vie en Rose" started blaring out of the speakers amid hot dog eating contests or apple pie tastings???

View from the Balcony...

Well, after months of awful weather (I'm talking DAILY rain...what is this, Seattle?) it has finally become summer in Paris. Here's a view from my balcony to commemorate the occasion. :)

Amazing Street Art

Please note the awesome street art I happened to notice yesterday on Rue Moufftard. Amazing!

I have yet to share it with the fam, but I have a feeling we are going to get a good laugh!

Back in Paris

Well, after a crazy, hectic few weeks all over the U.S., I am back in Paris today and I feel so strange, to be honest...

For the first time, I kind of feel like a visitor in BOTH countries....like I was not fitting in the way I used to in the U.S. but I do not feel 100% at home here in Paris.

Some of the things I LOVED about the U.S.:
Family
Friends
The freedom of my car
Seeing the ocean
Food
Space to spread out
Customer service!!!! (This was huge)
Not being pushed (haha!)

Some of the things I MISSED about Paris:
Friends
The scenery
Food
Metro
Walking
My "routine"
Being complimented on my language skills (haha!)
My balcony

I could go on and on but I know that while I am happy to be back I also am missing L.A. in ways that I don't think I have before...maybe it's because I've never been away for this long?

My cousin's wedding and grandpa's birthday were both SO much fun...pictures to follow once I get over this jet lag. :) It's back to work tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday at the Louvre

I spent yesterday at the Louvre and had such an amazing time- it's been literally almost TEN years since I first visited the museum, which is crazy, and it was a wonderful trip.

It made me want to go back more often, and I think I just might....

The weather continues to be absolutely gorgeous so it was almost a shame to spend the Saturday inside...

Here are a few of the highlights of what I saw, without overwhelming you with photos. Enjoy!

More views from my walks...

P.S. I GOT AN INTERNSHIP!!!!

Just wanted to keep you all up to date!

Although I am not going to post exactly where I will be working on the blog (see www.petiteanglaise.com who recently got fired from her job and went through extensive legal proceedings because of her mention of her employer on her blog) because in France you can never be too careful about this stuff......but let me just say that I am sooooo excited! It's from late April to late October, a HUGE American company, a marketing job, they hire Americans, and I will be SO thrilled to be getting a discount on their products!!!!

Email me to find out the company- I am so glad the search is over!

New Space Invaders

The Oscar the Grouch one is probably my favorite of all time!!!! I found him over by Les Halles, near the HUGE crazy mall that I tell everyone about. :)

P.S. I recently discovered that there are TONS of Sesame Street clips on YouTube. I have been having a FIELD DAY watching some of the old favorites! SO awesome!

Walking in Paris

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous again (although borderline too-hot) and I have started trying to walk EVERYWHERE.

Not only is the scenery amazing, but I am enjoying learning my way around town ABOVE ground and out of the metro, and I have been enjoying the exercise too!

The other day I decided to walk to the movies- about 45 minutes away, and the view was gorgeous.

Just thought I would share some of what I see....

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Some scenes from Pere Lachaise

I finally took the time to visit the beautiful Pere Lachaise cemetery in the 20th arrondissement in Paris...it's well-known for being a place where famous Parisians are buried but it's also where Jim Morrison from the Doors is laid to rest.

The whole thing was absolutely gorgeous and the dark rain clouds that were looming over the city just made the setting even more perfect.

I took a TON of photos but here are a few that I wanted to share....

NEW Space Invaders...

Boy, have I ever had a Space Invaders FIELD DAY!!!! Seriously, it seems like now that I am looking out for them, they are everywhere I go!

Here are a few from my walk in the 5th and 6th arrondissements last week with old friends L&L. One was above a video game store near the Sorbonne and the other over right by Luxembourg Gardens.

Enjoy!!

By popular demand....

Just a little post to let you readers know that I am still alive, happy, well, and having a BLAST with three different groups of visitors here this week. Plus, the weather is absolutely gorgeous- almost dream-like, and I am really enjoying being outside.

I have been taking a TON of pictures so please check back in a few days...as much fun as it is to have visitors, I am all over the place (literally) and don't have much time to be online.

Can't wait to catch you all up with everything!

Bye for now. :)

New hobby...nerd alert!!!

Okay, so I will begin the post by making it clear that I in no way wish to dispute that I am totally nerdy about some things....geeky even. For example, when I lived in D.C. a friend came to visit and we spent the entire weekend in 100 degree + 100% humidity chasing around town to find and photograph the donkeys and elephants (50 of EACH)!! (No that's not me and D in the photos...ours are better!)

Needless to say, I am a big fan of street art.

So, here in Paris we have "Space Invaders"- basically little mosaics that look like they come straight out of a Nintendo game that pop up everywhere on the side of buildings. I have been seeing more and more of them lately so I have decided to take pictures and see how many I can find! Looks like someone has beaten me to it, but it will still be plenty of nerdy fun for me!!! Woohoo! Do I have too much time on my hands??? :)

Here are a few to start...

Gorgeous!

The weather has been totally amazing lately and I have been enjoying it by walking around a lot more and enjoying the scenery. Here are a few photos of my everyday surroundings...enjoy!!

Amazing!

A picture's worth 1,000 words....