Bienvenue a Paris

So its about time I got my blog started up. Hello all, this is Alexandra, an aspiring world traveler, with the lofty goal of visiting as many places in the world as she can before she dies. 24 before 24 I decided on...24 countries before the age of 24. I think I'll be there by the end of this trip. (Europe makes that easier) I landed in Paris on Wednesday, August 19 and was picked up by the famed Lucie Wa', a French exchange student I knew in high school and got to be great friends with. Now we've been hanging out seeing each other for the first time in 5 years! Not a lot has changed between us and we've been having a ball. She has an internship in Paris for the summer at the French department of defense, which doesn't really seem along her lines for those who know her at all, but she said it's been a great experience and has actually really changed her formerly negative views of the military. She also has an apartment she so graciously has been sharing with me.

What have I been doing? Eating lots of bread and cheese, so much cheese. And its so good. Wandering, chatting, riding trains, riding bikes, trying to learn enough French to get around (I know German), lounging in the outdoor cafes (they all have outdoor seating, I love it), eating croissants and baguettes, getting familiar with the layout and different neighborhoods of Paris, walking along the Seine, (river that runs through the middle of Paris) visiting places like the Eiffel Tower, Rodin Museum, Louvre, Montmartre-where the film Amelie took place, etc. Dad, you would have been proud of me going to the Cemetiere du Pere Lachaise, Paris' most famous cemetery with at least 50 or so famous people in it—Modigliani, Edith Piaf, Chopin, Bellini, and...Jim Morrison. Lucie was especially excited to see what crazy American tourists would be doing at the grave. She said last time she was there they were kissing it and crying and putting flowers and stuff. We didn't see any displays like that, just a few people leaving him cigarettes and having a smoke in his honor.  I'm sure he appreciated it.