Ten months in Tours: Update

Second term is passing so quickly! Last year the year abroad seemed infinite but this side of Christmas it's looking a lot more temporary. It's exactly a month since I travelled back here.

Last weekend Chloe, Eilish, and I went to Paris and stayed with Chloe's French friend, who generously let us stay at his making the weekend more affordable. It was Eilish's first trip so of course we went to see the Eiffel Tower light up, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur, and Champs Elysées. We also went back to the Musée D'Orsay, which I love so much, and I went to see some more of the art that I didn't get round to seeing last time. We had to shelter in the subway to the Arc de Triomphe when a thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere, but I don't expect any sympathy from anyone in England at the moment! There was also some kind of army initiation or patrol going on, I think it might have been part of a ceremony as they were all quite young and seemed quite excited as they left (in pouring rain!). On the Sunday we went to the Notre-Dame, not realising that there would still be a service at that time. But the singing added to the atmosphere even if it did mean the Cathedral was packed. We also went to Sainte-Chapelle so see the amazing stained glass.
It was a great but exhausting weekend. It still amazes me that I can just hop on a train and I'll be there, I'm definitely going to try and go again before I leave.

On Thursday we went out to celebrate my birthday, and I got an amazing '3 chocolate' birthday cake. Chloe and Eilish also got me a 'Galette des Rois', which is a seasonal pastry-type-cake with a little object hidden inside. They've been everywhere since Christmas, with paper crowns, and it was great to finally try one...it was not a let down!

I keep meaning to write a post about 'la vie quotidienne' or something cultural, but the year abroad is too exciting, there's always something else that's happened that I want to write about! In a few hours my parents are arriving for the week, I can't wait to show them around like a local.

(Here are some of Chloe's pictures from the weekend, I am very lazy)