Updates

So much is going on! Lately I have pretty much been waking up, heading to class at 9:30 or 10, and then not coming home until dinner. Between all the sites, classes, and homework I've barely had time to update on here. But here are a few highlights:

-I went to a museum in the Tuileries called l'Orangerie with my art history class. It was a lot smaller than the other ones, way less trafficked by tourists, and entirely worth it.  Monet's water lilies are housed here, as are a bunch of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. It's in a great area right next to the Place de la Concord and I could easily spend a few more afternoons there.
-My Sorbonne class has started to pick up. I wish we did more speaking, but it's serving as a nice grammar class regardless. There are a lot of international students (Japan, Spain, Sweden, China, etc) and so the entire course is conducted only in French.
-Chantilly! Yesterday was another CEA excursion to the Chantilly castle. We walked the grounds and garden, got to peak at the chapel and large art collection lining the walls, and attended a horse show in the stables. I haven't updated any pictures yet, but I'll get on that soon. Everything was beautiful per usual, despite the cold.
-We stumbled upon a great hookah bar last night called La One. I'm getting sick (super congested and all that good stuff) so I skipped out on actually trying it, but I managed to gather from my girlfriends that the tobacco was good but a little harsh; the apple flavor tasted like black licorice; and the mint was great along with nutella crepes. It's a Turkish place and the decor and music are traditional and really pretty--engraved wooden wall pieces, comfy couches, etc.  They don't serve alcohol because of their religious beliefs, but they have a small food selection at reasonable prices for the big portions (8 euro for a large chicken and cheese galette with a big side salad//12 euro per hookah pack).

That's it for now. Pictures to come soon!