"I knew that hand when it was a nobody"

Bonjour from another crazy week in Paris! The weather's been holding up and summer is still here in full force (apart from the one thunderstorm we had this week which caused pandemonium at the school gates). Exploring my local area (read: figuring out where to buy cheap booze and pizza) is very high on my priorities list, and this week I was not disappointed. In the food capital of the world, with French haute cuisine on every boulevard and avenue, we of course took in the delights of a meal deal at a pizza place. There were generous portions of wine, pizza and tiramisu, and a good time was had by all. 

A girly lunch near the Palais Garnier got off to a weird start when Lizzy's hand was filmed for a TV segment. I hope fame doesn't go to its head. 

We also know how to take a great photo. So graceful, so composed, and the view of the opera house in the background is amazing! I get the feeling that terrible photography will be a recurring theme this year. 

The lunch was good anyway! And the opera house (and all of the cars in front of it) was looking great. This week was a week of firsts: the first time I caved and actually bought and prepared a mango, instead of just going to M+S Food, the first time I ran across Paris, far too full of cheese, in 26 degree heat, to get to the school gates on time, and the first and last time I accept an invitation to a "party" from a group of strangers on a bridge. This isn't as sinister as it sounds! But nonetheless, my idea of a fun Friday night is not sitting on a strip of grass by the Seine with a lot of stoners. Also, boomboxes still exist, apparently. Who knew? 

This weekend  is Les Journées Européennes du Patrimoine, where loads of the buildings which aren't usually open to the public open their doors. I took full advantage of this and went for a look around La Sorbonne. There will be a complete photo spam of this later because it was so great. Anyone who knows me knows that I get all excited over anything to do with oak panelling, cloisters, and Latin, so today was really something. I even went to a public lecture that was being offered on the history of the university, which was not in English and French as advertised, but solely in rapid French, and over an hour long. I'm sure what the lecturer was talking about was very interesting, and I'm also sure that I have a very detailed knowledge of the lecture theatre's ceiling now. 

In true semi-tourist/semi-local form, I got totally lost, and wandered around the Latin Quarter "exploring" when actually looking for a metro station. Somehow I managed to find my way back to one of my favourite places in Paris, Place de la Sorbonne. Which also meant I'd spent over an hour walking in a very large circle. I can't really complain when the views are like this though.