In which the sun consents to appear…
Well, I can now officially attest that Paris is completely different in the spring. Last Sunday was the first warm day we’ve had, followed by another one on Monday. The sun was shining, flowers were blooming, I heard birds chirping, and everyone was much happier. Amazing how the weather affects people’s moods! Anyway, while it hasn’t stayed as warm as it was those two days, it has definitely been much nicer weather. I’ve finally been able to shed my winter coat and boots and start moving into (gasp) sweaters and “spring shoes.” That may not seem like such a big deal, but it’s huge for a Californian girl who isn’t used to having winter for more than a week. It’s a joyous occasion indeed to see the sun!
Most of my time since I last wrote has been spent doing schoolwork or going to class. I’ve had more classes than usual (to make up for holidays that we’re going to have in the second half of the semester) and more work than usual, because midterms have started. This past weekend, however, I did manage to squeeze out some time to go to the Louvre and the Musée de la Vie Romantique. At the Louvre, I finally got to see the Mona Lisa (that was my third visit, and I still hadn’t seen it!) and I also got an annual pass to the museum, so I can now go whenever I want! The Musée de la Vie Romantique houses artifacts from the lives of Romantic-era French figures. I was particularly interested in Georges Sand, a 19th-century French woman who left her husband and moved with her children to Paris. She was a feminist before the feminist movement really started, dressing like a man and going out unescorted with the great male philosophers and artists of the time. The museum visits were a really nice way to break up my studying.
Next week is my spring break (a nice reward for getting through midterms). I’m going to Italy for the week. I’m flying to Rome on Saturday, staying there through Monday, and then taking a train to Assisi where I’ll spend the rest of the week. I take a train back to Rome and fly from Rome back to Paris the following Sunday (Easter). Then I have a day to recover before classes start again, because, in France, Easter Monday is a holiday. I won’t have my computer with me over the break, so I’ll tell you about Italy next time I write!