WEEK 2 - BECOMING PARISIAN

With jet lag finally gone, I settled in to enjoy Parisian life without feeling tired 24/7. Week #2 brought both rain and shine to Paris. The rain was welcomed by locals as tourists alike because of the extreme heat that scorched the city (and most of France) the previous week. But on days the sun was out, it was scorching hot again. 

The highlight of this week was my Sign Language Studies in Paris Global Seminar class’s excursion to Château de Vincennes. It is an absolutely spectacular medieval castle that began as a hunting lodge/manor house for Louis VII at the end of the 12th century, later becoming a fortress and a venue for royal weddings and births (and executions). My favorite part of the castle was its chapel, Sainte-Chapelle, which had some of the most beautiful stained glass windows I’ve ever seen. The lighting that day made the glass 100x more beautiful.

Paris is a multicultural hotspot. So, weather permitting, I started sniffing out budget-friendly eateries. One of my favorite finds was L’as du Fallafel in the Jewish Quarter of Paris which serves (you guessed it) really good falafel. With around 13.5 thousand reviews on Google, I had to give this place a try. I tried their classic falafel and it was really, really good. I asked for spicy, and they added hot sauce which made it 10 times better. I give it a solid 9.5/10. 

Another thing that made this week exciting was shopping for a birthday gift—for myself! Just before I left for Paris, I converted my birthday cash into Euros for a Parisian shopping experience. Paris is filled with super cute jewelry shops. I knew that I couldn’t leave Paris without buying a pair of cute earrings. I discovered Bubble Rock Studio, which specializes in pearl jewelry and bought the cutest pair of earrings as my birthday gift. One thing to keep in mind is that many jewelry stores in Paris are wholesale only, so it can be a bit tricky to find a store that is retail only.

Week #2’s Most Surprising Observation: The price you see is not necessarily the price you pay in Paris because you can bargain! The caveat is that it depends on the type of store. You can’t talk the price down at supermarkets, pharmacies, and the bigger department stores or chain stores where the price you see is the price you pay, but bargaining is common at thrift stores and at smaller shops that sell clothing and jewelry items. I got 5€ taken off at a thrift store!  

Au revoir next week!

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed with regard to businesses mentioned in this blog post are mine alone and should not be construed as endorsements.