Two Words: Les Desserts

Dessert is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and I suppose one of the reasons I am having a fabulous time in Paris is because DESSERT IS EVERYWHERE!
The other day I made a cake with Sylvie-Anne. The recipe was really simple - two bars of dark chocolate, a cup of sugar, two sticks of butter, and six eggs. We had fun making it (I didn't tell her that one of my favorite things to do back home is to melt chocolate while baking) and it was honestly one of the best cakes I have ever had.
The next day I had class at the Louvre, so I went with some friends to check out this famous hot chocolate place that's right down the street called Angelina's. As soon as we stepped into this place, I felt like I was in heaven. There were little pâtisseries everywhere, and I wanted to try them all. We wound up ordering two hot chocolates, and they came in these little pitches so we could share them. They came with whipped cream, which was absolutely necessary because without the whipped cream it was basically just melted chocolate. I also ordered a dessert called a Choc Africain that was made with very high-quality African chocolate, and a chocolate eclair. I know when people come to visit me, this will be one of the first places we will go!

For class on Thursday we went to a medieval building which has been turned into a museum of the middle ages. There were so many things to look at, but I had two favorites. The first were the original stone figures from Notre Dame. If you look at pictures of the cathedral from the front, you can see the 12 disciples on the front door. The original stone pieces had to be removed after they were vandalized. The second were the stained glass windows, most of which were from the 12th and 13th centuries. I have always admired stained glass windows (in French, les vitraux), and the ones in the museum were so old and so beautiful that I decided to do my project for this class on stained glass windows in the middle ages. Other things we got to see included tapestries, armor, and ivory sculptures.

Yesterday we went to the Salon International de l'Agriculture, which is basically like a huge version of the Wisconsin State Fair. When we first got there I felt like a little kid because there was so much to see and so much to do - they had seven pavilions all with a different theme. We spent most of our time in the livestock pavilions, but we were also able to get wine, cheese, and beer samples, walk through gardens, and explore the food in the different regions of France. We had so much fun, and it was nice to be outside on a day where the temperature was warm and the sun was peeking through the clouds!

One of the coolest things about Paris is that there is ALWAYS something to do. I can't believe how busy I've been, and I'm very grateful that I have made friends with a group of girls who are also interested in getting as much as they can out of this whole experience.