L'arobase: Not sure if I've written about arobase before but it's an awesome study café near the Parisian universities that I've sat at a few times now to study. I finally tried their bagel formula for lunch and must say the "New Yorkais" bagel was nothing close to a real New York bagel. It had maybe a slice of smoked salmon and a teaspoon of cream cheese. So I must admit New York does do one food better than Paris! Despite the lack of stuffing on my bagel it was still prettty dang good and I love the coffee and pastries so it is still one of my favorite study spots in Paris.
Dans L'Oeil du Flâneur: This is a small museum exhibit sponsored by Hermès that was held in a building along the quai exclusively for two weeks as a part of the "Les Berges" initiatives that I talked about before. The exhibit was conveniently located 3 blocks away from my house so as I was headed back from a run one Wednesday morning I decided to stop in. Entrance was free and since it was the middle of a weekday it wasn't very crowded. I was VERY pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure what to expect at all but the exhibit was all about "Le Flâneur" which is "The Wanderer". Each room highlighted the beauty in simple things that people often overlook. Since the exhibit was created by Hermès there were many beautiful luxury products such as watches, wallets, gloves, etc. But they were all presented in cute eclectic settings such as an all white room covered in a wallpaper with pictures of different canes and an armoir at one end. Or a room with topsy turvy lamp posts and birds on the floor and the ceiling so you don't know which way is up. The whole museum had a bit of an Alice in Wonderland type feel, and since that is one of my favorite books I loved it. One of the highlights for me was "Le Café des Objets Oubliés" or "The Café of Forgotten Things" which was a café that you could sit at (I did). But it had lots of random things left on the tables like a carafe of water that lit up different colors. Or a beautiful woman's coat strewn over the back of a chair. Or an ashtray with a few cigarettes still glowing orange. There are just so many random fun cultural things to see in Paris - even while you're still sweaty from your run.
Dachau Concentration Camp: This actually was not in Paris. I visited Dachau on my last day in Munich but since it was a very different type of visit I decided not to include it in my Oktoberfest post. It was a short train ride from Munich and definitely worth it. Seeing a concentration camp really helped to try and put everything I have learned about the Holocaust in the past in to perspective. That era is impossible to comprehend, and seeing the sheer size of the camp was eerie, saddening, and frightening; but necessary as not to forget.
Panini Boisson: Michael asked me on the phone the other day what was the thing I had eaten the most in Paris. It was a tough one but I think it's gotta be baguette sandwiches. At lunch time there is guaranteed to be a line at any and all boulangerie and people will be walking down the streets everywhere taking a bite out of a baguette. This place had good paninis near EDUCO so definitely convenient.
La Basilique Sainte Clotide: is a church not more than a block away from my apartment. I have sat in the park outside (Place something??) many times but had never gone in to the beautiful church until this week. Although it isn't a major tourist attraction it is still beautiful. The gothic architecture is wonderful and inside was very peaceful. There's also a huge organ and my host family tells me they have amazing organ concerts there so I'm definitely going to go back another time for one of those.
Coutume Café: For people who are super ~hipster~ and serious about their coffee. Coutume is very bright, airy, and modern. It is perfect for studying since it has plenty of outlets and tables. However, it can get really crowded so it's best to go at an off time. I went for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon and it wasn't too busy so it was perfect! It is also only a 15 minute walk from my apartment in the 7th which is ideal. They have any and all coffee you could possibly think of and some bomb looking pastries. My feta salad was small and trendy but really interesting and delicious (and had avocado! #basic) I actually didn't have any coffee and the waiter was appalled - but he gave me a customer loyalty card anyways (buy 10 get 1 free) and marked one off for me :)
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