English Language Swan Song

OK not really but I am going to stop posting in English every day. I'm backing off to try to keep most English to one or two eve's a week if at all possible, to try to enhance the immersion quotient in my own life, even as I suggest ways for the students to do the same. The difference is I kind of have to create my own immersion since I don't have host families to go home and talk to! No worries, a couple of the students, Justin especially and we'll see about the others, are aiming to try for Zero English Tolerance, so I can talk with them, and of course I'll continue with my nonstop French TV background noise in the flat.

I'll have to do a little English every day I'm sure b/c students will have questions, etc., and twice (or so) a week I'll be doing kind of a block of English for the lower level students' class. I'll probably aim to do blogposts those days and maybe comment on FB in English those days, too, but I want to keep my English internet use down to an hour or so each of those days.

Never fear; I'll put reminders in my journal about anything particularly fun that I want to blog about so I don't let anything juicy go by the wayside.

That was kind of the bad news, for you. The good news is I still have my camera and I actually have been remembering to take it out and about better lately. Here's proof, in no particular order...

If you want to keep reading and you can read French, check out the French blog which I believe will have lots more activity the next few weeks than it normally has...

What Tully would look like in Paris, kindof.

Take another look.

There are three different models of Yaris here. This one is the same as the US hatchback but with four doors instead of 2 (not counting the hatch). It is the same length as the US one, as far as I can tell, but the front doors are considerably shorter than Tully's doors. Toyota has a four-door hatchback in the works for US distribution next year (I found out from the salesman when I was getting Tully) but it's a bit longer than the 2-door, because -you know- those danged Americans can't bear to have a small car with four doors and have to have everything bigger than everyone else. The wacky thing is that the next smaller Yaris here also has four doors - it looks rather strange at first. Basically the panel between the back edge of the back door and the rear of the car is completely taken up by the back door itself; backseat passengers sit right on top of the rear axel instead of slightly in front of it and the hatch is only for use with no rear passengers and you have to put the back seat down to use it. The SMALLEST (!) Yaris is only two doors with a hatch and basically looks like a Yaris and a SmartCar mated. It is crazy, but cute. And Toyota's commercial here is really fun, too. But more on commercials later.

My supper last night, from the Greek falafel stand next to my building's door.

I like the fries better than anything else. Next time I'm going to ask for 2/3 fries and 1/3 meat. Tonight I opted for Chinese, from my local takeout, since I keep forgetting to get any more groceries except breakfast stuff.

More cars - standard PO-lice car near Notre-Dame.

The old girl herself, from a potentially different angle than you've usually seen her, trying to hide...

On s'approche...

Quite close from other side...

Les beaux portails...



AND



history was made today as I finally broke my Eiffel Tower moratorium...

I didn't go up, tho, but might tomorrow with the students. We're going to try to hit it fairly early after they get here. Anyway it was pretty cool, I admit. Altho I've never seen that many tourists before, ever, anywhere... maybe in DC at certain monuments. It was maniacal.

Basically today I spent the morning reorganizing my materials and my head about the next week or so. Then Justin and I met to brainstorm a bit about student pickups tomorrow. He's going to grab the two girls who are arriving at Austerlitz from Spain at 9am. I'm grabbing the 7 arriving at Charles De Gaulle between 6-7am. The two arriving at 11h30 are getting a ride from the uncle of one of them, who happens to live here as he is français.

Hopefully it will all work out for everyone to reconnoiter at the Tour Eiffel, altho the Spain girls might catch me with the first group at the hotel, which would be nice.

Anyway after Justin and I had our café time, I headed to the hotel's neighborhood to check on a couple of things. It's about a 15-20 minute metro ride, then 10 minute walk, to the hotel for me. I was going to check at Monoprix to make sure of what kinds of toiletries, etc., they had so that we could stop there for any necessities tomorrow, but I had completely forgot that most stores are closed on Sunday here. Doh! No big... I also was going to do a test walk to the Eiffel Tower from the hotel to see how far it really was and to find a better route than just following the really icky busy street in front of the hotel. I did both, spent a couple of minutes at the tower for pix and for checking on prices, then crossed the street to check out the little food stands, in case anyone wants to get snacks there tomorrow.

I continued eastward along the Seine to see how far it was to the Pont de l'Alma, which is both the bridge where Princess Diana's car accident happened and is located next to the bateau mouche boarding area. Chris suggested that as a good way to fill some time tomorrow in a not too fatiguing way for the jetlagged students, plus it really is kind of a fun way to get an overall view of the city's layout. Well one strip of it anyway.

I also cased the area around the bateau mouche place for cafés and restos and was glad to see several. After the boat ride we'll split up for supper there, then meet up again to go to Charles De Gaulle-Etoile by metro (probably) and then walk down Avenue Kléber to the Place du Trocadéro, as it offers a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars as night starts to fall. We'll walk back towards the Tower to enjoy it at dusk, then those that want to crash I will escort back to the hotel, and those who don't can go out with Justin.

Really early day the next day so I'm holding my breath about everyone getting going OK - it's our Sorbonne stuff so we have to be on time. The next day is a group excursion, so of course I wouldn't want them to be late but if they overslept that day all that it would hurt is my mood, rather than our Sorbonne stuff.

So there. I walked all the way back along the Seine after that (another 1.5-2 hours). I had my new shoes on, rather riskily, but no blisters or anything! Just general tired dogs. I'm thinking of wearing them again tomorrow; can't decide what to wear otherwise... Such the fashion plate you know.

More fun night views of St. Séverin...

I love how the shop lights make the little tympanum-ish triangle bits all orange. (I'm going to be fantastic imparting all my leftover tidbits of medieval architecture knowledge, huh?! doh!)

A truly cool shot of the truly coolest time of evening for the church lights and the remaining daylight to play together.

Different angle on your favorite gargouille.

Salut!