Jours 4 et 5 - Île de la Cité et Île St. Louis, glace Berthillon, shopping!

Yesterday, I was finally able to work out! The gym here is very nice, a little small, but just enough for all I have to do. After that, my group took a tour of the île de la Cité, where Notre Dame is located, and then we proceeded on to île St. Louis. We saw Notre Dame, the tower where Marie Antoinette was held captive, and plenty of interesting historical places.

After our tour, we had the super-popular ice cream Berthillon - I had a mirabelle sorbet (mirabelle is a variety of plum), and then I did a little shopping at the supermarket. I'm content to have found Bjorg, a brand that makes a lot of organic products, tofu, soja milk... all the things I like. After that, I came back to meet with the director of the program and have dinner with her, her husband, and three other students. The restaurant was absolutely delicious! I had a green bean salad as an an appetizer and a vegetarian dish for dinner - And, of course, le Paris-Brest as a dessert. After dinner, Madeline, Diane, Katie, and I did a little homework along with Derek in his room. 

Today, after classes, we had a picnic with Hannah, Madeline, Hayley, and Heili along the Seine. A little tabboule, some arugula, and balsamic vinaigrette all in a little ziploc bag for me - a perfect lunch! We had a little adventure to find a delicious bakery, where I tried a little croissant with chocolate and raspberry jam - delicious! After that, Madeline and I did a little shopping in Marais - I finally found my oxfords, they were only 39 Euros - way cheaper than in the US!

We also went to BH, a big department store a little like Macy's (except they're also a hardware store and a Staples all in one), where I got some school supplies. I didn't have time to get my Longchamps bag and my Swatch watch, but I'm going to return to get them. I cooked a little pasta and cut up some tomatoes, and had a nice dinner with some wine in the company of Madeline - it was delicious!

I have to say, I feel like I've been in France for a long time. I can now take the Métro (I did that all by myself today!), do grocery shopping, and I can even think in French now. I no longer feel like I'm mute, and I'm not really afraid to talk. I'm actually considering staying for the whole semester, but I don't really now. I will decide once I'm in Aix-en-Provence. I have homework to do now, though.