The Parisian Classics

Every single day that I spent in Paris, I walked around as much as I could and took in all the sights. Naturally, I couldn’t come to Paris and not be at least somewhat of a tourist, so I hit nearly all the famous places, saw the sights, ate the baguettes, and enjoyed every minute of it!

La Notre Dame

There is something divine about churches that incessantly draws me to them. The peace, quiet, and cleanliness in a church are reflected on me upon entering and spending some time within the haven - away from the outside elements, bustling crowds, and annoying noises. I can’t say that I am religious, but there is certainly some sort of spiritual part in me that thrives in churches. Not all, I must add, but the Notre Dame is certainly one that I feel at peace in. It’s beauty, history, magnitude, and shelter (and of course the wonderful garden area behind it) make it a must-see monument for anyone traveling to Paris. 

La Tour Eiffel

From any angle, any distance, and in any light, the Eiffel Tower is probably Paris’ most famous landmark. During the day, it towers high above the rooftops and shows off its grandeur. But once the sun sets, it’s most sought-after secret is revealed: a thousand sparkling lights contrasting the night sky, indulge visitors in a dazzling light show, displaying the most magical sight in Paris.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Historic, monumental, tombs out of aged stone covered in moss and wild flowers fill every inch of this cemetery, where thousands of people rest in peace. Many are famous - Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde - and many bear classic French names that have been passed down for centuries. On a gloomy day like the one during which I visited, the Père Lachaise takes on a mystical and intriguing air, making it an almost spooky, bone-chilling place for a stroll. 

Le Louvre

Ah the Louvre - brings back flashes of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, one of my favorite books. The glass pyramid and the repurposed palace give the museum the air of cordiality and importance. Seeing as it is the most famous French museum, even on the off-season days, the entrance lines are infinitely long; and though the original Mona Lisa (La Joconde) is housed within, I, remembering how small and inaccessible she is, decided against visiting this time. 

Instead, I visited the Musée d’Orsay, where there was a temporary Van Gogh exhibit in addition to many of my favorite impressionist paintings. Definitely worth visiting and purchasing the audio guide for additional interesting information about select works of art.

Fontaine de la place Saint-Michel

In one of my favorite arrondissements - Le Quartier Latin - I remember this fountain from my first ever visit to Paris when I was very young, when I fell in love with the city, country, and the language, prompting me to learn French in middle school and throughout high school. Though a very touristy area, it’s very lively and interesting in itself, so the many tourists do not detract from the experience at all.

 Fontaine Stravinski - Centre Pompidou 

So many great associations with this fountain, where many of these quirky sculptures spew water and add to the unique atmosphere of the Centre Pompidou, which is an inside-out building nearby. In middle school, we had an assignment to draw a post card depicting something famous in France and I chose to draw this exact sculpture. It’s so nice and heartwarming to see that through all these years, such a wonderful part of Paris has not changed and still brings back happy memories. 

Parisian Walkabout (France - Day 1)

Waking up on my first day in Paris was such a delight, knowing that I was about to eat a classic French breakfast consisting of coffee and baguette with jam and walk around my favorite place in the world - Le Jardin de Luxembourg!

My room and the view from it on the right

In the Jardin du Luxembourg, spring was in full bloom and my soul was bursting with joy and peace.

A countless amount of daffodils illuminated by the warm spring sun.

The Luxembourg Palace 

Not edited - that's how fresh and young these buds, flowers, and leaves are!

Walking on paths lined by luscious green trees.

Blossoms make my heart bloom.

 And of course, as I finish my stroll through the Luxembourg garden, I happen to come across the Rue de Fleurus, which isn't exactly Fleurs (flowers), but that's what I thought it said at first, so we're sticking to that.

On the Rue de "Fleurs" - a corner flower shop. Now I know where to begin my search for apartments for when I live here

Blossoms in one of the many parks I strolled through today.

Found the Tour Eiffel! Still regal as always.

 I'm squinting because the sun was shining in my eyes, but all day long I walked around with this as a bare minimum smile on my face!

And the Notre Dame is still magnanimous as usual.

My lunch in a café with the view of the Notre Dame: vegetarian salad with crudités au foie gras.

La Notre Dame de Paris

Please note that none of these photos are edited - Paris is just beaming with exceptional sun-lighting.

My favorite spot by the Notre Dame - the little park behind it. 

On the way back to my hostel, I stumbled upon a hidden church that was holding a lovely song-filled service. The old woman is seated on the stairs lead to the entrance of the church.

Inside the church - all the robed people are singing!

And to end of the most positive note in Paris, here are some gorgeous blossoms that make Paris magical in the spring, warming my heart and hopefully yours too!

Bonjour, Pareeee!

Plot twist! I'm no longer in Russia, rather, I am on a trip to France! 

The mission of arriving in Paris has been accomplished with flying colors:




Checked in ahead of schedule and enjoyed an uplifting cappuccino in the airport café. 

Pleasant surprise on LOT Polish Air! Instead of the typical peanuts or chef mix, we snacked on chocolate wafer bars!! 











Then, a very promising start to my time in Paris was that my suitcase was the first bag to come out on the luggage carousel. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but every time I have picked up my luggage after a flight, I was always jealous of those people who didn't need to wait till the end because their bags came first. Well now my little wish came true - my bag was number one!!




Found the RER train into Paris and enjoyed the views from the window. Everything was in bloom, vibrant green, as though rejuvenated from a long wintery slumber. Such a nice new picture compared to Russia, where spring has yet to arrive.







After about a thirty minute train ride, I have arrived in Paris, made my way to my hotel, walked around and took in the nightlife, and finally am ready to call it a very successful day and get some rest before tomorrow's brand new adventure. 






Until then, bonne nuit! (I'll be practicing my French in my dreams tonight.)

How to Scientifically Prevent your Husband from Cheating on You

I was just watching a morning tv show with my grandmother, who watches every day, where acclaimed doctors talk about a variety of topics that relate to health, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition. One of today's topics was: how to prevent your husband from cheating. This was directed toward women and backed by various scientific facts. …

To begin, let me dissect that statement - "how to prevent your husband from cheating":
     "prevent" - as though it's the woman's role to act in such a way that doesn't allow her husband to cheat…because obviously it's not the husband's choice to go and cheat on his wife…obviously it's the wife's fault
     "husband" - note that the word 'husband' was used - not boyfriend, lover, or friend with benefits. Rather, it's the one that swore "'till death do we part" that you should be worries about cheating on you.
     also, 100% heteronormative - as though homosexuality isn't a thing that exists…

So the host says this title and the entire studio audience (including women) react completely naturally: Duh, obviously this is something that we would talk about because it's a totally natural problem that can be solved by the actions of women that they (women) haven't learned yet. We all needed to come and watch this scientific show to find out how to lead a life, which doesn't allow the husband to cheat on his wife. Obviously. Thank goodness we came or else we would have been living in families where the wife wasn't acting according to this scientific code that maintains harmony in her relationship with her husband and doesn't make him cheat on her. Phew!

And if intro isn't enough, well don't worry, that's just the beginning. Let's get to the scientific backing of statement.

First off, let's take a man who comes back home from work tired and hungry, and he decides to sit on the couch. Warning! When a man is immobile, sitting on the couch, his levels of testosterone decrease due to his inactivity. Lower levels of testosterone make him feel less manly and more inadequate. So attention all women! If you see your man sitting on the couch, go up to him and cuddle him. Make him feel like a man again and remind him that you are his. Then, his testosterone levels will increase and stabilize not only his manliness but your relationship.
        Thank goodness! Now all women know what to do when they see their husbands sitting on the couch. It's not the husband's fault that he (apparently) feels less manly when immobile; it's obviously the women's job to know that this hormone-decrease naturally happens(?) and in that instance, to go and make those levels rise.
       Warning! Women: don't let your husbands sit on the couch… because then he will cheat on you…and that will be your fault for not cuddling with him… basic knowledge…

Second instance: the most obvious reason a husband cheats on his wife is because the wife is getting older and therefore uglier.
       Ah! The truth is finally revealed!
       We all know that there is no other reason for which a man gets married other than the youthful beauty of his wife. He doesn't care about her personality at all! The one and only thing that matter is that she looks good. Because looks are forever and the soul is just an appetizer to the whole woman. But then, this strange thing happens (that is not a natural process and we take every measure to prevent it from occurring) called aging. Noooo! Once you (the woman) starts aging, that's the end of your relationship. You start getting wrinkles, your youthful beauty disappears, and all you turn into is an old hag that is not attractive to your man. Then what do you think happens? Well since he married you for your beauty, he obviously becomes uninterested in you and naturally goes and cheats on you! Once again, it's your(!) (the woman's) fault! The woman is the one that is to blame. She should have stepped back, looked at herself, and said: "Ew! I am so old and ugly looking! If I don't start looking more youthful, my husband is going to cheat on me." Ah, the enlightenment. The woman realizes that she needs to start growing young, and the scientific way to do that is…hormones! So women, when you starts noticing your old age being reflected on your face, go take some hormones, restore that youthful beauty, and then you won't have to worry about your husband cheating on you. You're welcome.

I am so glad that I spent an hour in the morning watching such an enlightening tv program. Now I know all the measures to take in order to prevent my future husband from cheating on me. I know that if my husband cheat's on me, it's my fault, and I should have prevented that from happening. Thanks, Doctors, you just helped me save my marriage!

(Still Drinking) Tea in Russia

It has been more than two months since I've arrived in Russia, and every single day without fail that I have lived here, I have drank at least one cup of tea. That makes for a lot of tea, caffeine, cups, and needless to say…sweets that accompany all of that!

There is always a reason to drink tea be it for a birthday celebration, a relaxing time at home, a chat with a friend, or a wake up call during breakfast. And to make it more fun, the more varying the tea cups are, the better! Here is a continued list of tea cups I have encountered so far.

This cup comes from a hand-drawn set. It wasn't lacquered like nearly all other porcelain cups, which made it really interesting to hold and feel every single paint-bump and matte, grainy texture.
As you can tell from the heart-shaped cake in the background, tea was served in these cups for the occasion of one of my distant relative's birthday celebrations.

At the apartment where my cousin lives, we have a gorgeous double-basin glass tea pot that is perfect to use when the tea leaves are unusually pretty and flowers open up to beautiful blossoms. Observing that 'flowering' process makes the whole process of drinking tea exponentially more pleasant and interesting.







Oh this? No big deal…just the casual tea pot that I have the privilege of making tea in EVERY SINGLE DAY!
This beauty was a present to my cousin from her mother and sister on her wedding day.









The accompanying tea cups are equally exuberant, rococo-esque, light, and delicate.
They seem to make the tea taste significantly better than plain mugs I'm used to drinking out of. Or maybe that's just the aesthetic aspect getting to my taste buds ;)








Occasionally, I go to a Russian class to evolve my knowledge and comprehension of the language and literature. Even there, in the teacher's home, we (the students) are served tea half way into the lesson in order to maintain our Russian-ness and for an extra boost of energy to get through the three-hour lesson.
Just looking at this fun tea cup gives me the necessary burst of energy to keep paying attention and learning.






At the birthday dinner of my godmother's mother's house - I was one of the few 'honorary guests' who was served tea in this luxurious, minimalistic, lovely tea cup.
Definitely felt like I needed to drink with my pinky up!










At my Grandmother Galia's house, celebrating March 8th - International Women's Day, which is a very important and respected holiday. On that day, I was congratulated many times by men I wasn't acquainted with - a typical custom here.
Don't worry, men - on March 23rd is your day and all the women will congratulate you too!








Turns out March is a very popular birthday month!

At my birthday dinner! These simplistic cups look very fancy and neat when they are all placed on the table together. My grandmother has had these her whole life - even when my dad was a boy living in this very house, these were the tea cups he and his friends used.

And finally, though not exactly tea cups, I couldn't not include a picture of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Russian travel mugs.
Very similar to the ones in the US, this place also has their own doughnut-making conveyor belt, which you can watch as the deliciousness is created. Though I have to say, the American doughnuts taste better…
ALL: actually bought a doughnut - can you believe it? Couldn't find the correct dumpster ;) 




Phew! That was a long post! Don't you want to make yourself a nice cup of tea now and enjoy with a doughnut in hand? I sure do, so that's what I'm off to do now. Until next time! :)

Double Birthday (and MORE FLOWERS!!!)

I'm 20! And my grandmother is 82! Together, we celebrated 102 years of life on March 14th.

This birthday was the most unique one out of all the 19 previous birthdays that I have had. First, for the first time ever, I was outside of the US. Second, it was a double birthday - I've never had to share this day with anyone else before! Also, none of my best friends were there to celebrate with me, which was sad; but thanks to Skype, I was able to talk to them from many miles away, which was the best birthday present I could have asked for. And finally, what birthday would be complete without bunches and bunches of flowers? Our birthday was certainly complete:

From Babushka Galia to me :)

One large branch of orchids (from Thailand!)

Roses all the way from Washington DC!

Beautiful tulips (and a bow)

More exotic flowers "for an exotic birthday girl" according to my grandmother

Can't get enough of these flowers!

My favorite shot

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!!! Here's to no longer being a teenager! :)