Bones

   Guess where we went??  Hint: See above picture. If you guessed the Catacombs you would be right.  A friend from school, J, and I visited the Catacombs this past week. It was quite an interesting tour and by Paris standards a pretty good value.  I should have taken a picture of the line, it really never ends!  We got there an hour before they opened and there was a small line already forming.  By the time they opened the line was already 3 hours long.  There were literally people being dropped of by the tour busload.  So, pro tip: get there early.

 The Catacombs basically came about because the rotting bodies in the sub-par cemeteries inside of Paris were infiltrating the water system and overflowing into unsuspecting basements around town.  So, they decided to haul 6 million remains to the old quarry system underground Paris.  At some point the workman decided to arrange the bones into interesting designs.

  Overall, it was a nice way to spend a morning, especially a hot one.  There were lots of steps and slippery paths, so I would recommend only for the sure-footed.  Also, according to the French warning sings, people with a "nervous disposition" should take caution and stay away!  I'm not exactly sure what that means and why, but it sounds so adorable.  The French really do have a way with words.
~L

Je parle francais?

  I guess an apology is due to all my loyal followers (you know, those related to me) for not posting more regularly these past few weeks.  Je suis vraiment desolée.  I guess I have been a little tied up having the French language crush my soul.  Seriously!  French is not an easy language.  I fumble and stumble, hum and haw, just to make a barely understandable sentence.  There are SIXTEEN vowels in french!  For those keeping count, that's 12 more than English (8 more if you consider the different sounds available to make).  Good gravy!  They all start sounding the same, but a mispronunciation is evidently very confusing to the french.  I really should get a necklace or sign of some sort that apologizes up front for my shotty language skills.  For my defense, I wouldn't really say I am that great at English. 

  Though, I must say I have learned beaucoup since starting at my school.  You should of heard me thoroughly destroy the language before I arrived.  I have also had the immense pleasure of meeting some truly great people who can relate to all the same things that I feel, frustrations mostly, but the good as well!  I never thought I would have such an international group of friends.  As I close up my time at school I thought I might show you some of the things we have been up to these past few months.

  My school is actually in a beautiful old building, go figure right?

  If you didn't catch on, I go to Alliance Française.  I'm taking the intensive classes, 4 hours each morning, Monday through Friday.  It's 100% in french and each of my teachers have been very helpful and help take the edge off learning by injecting some fun.  I still have lots more to learn, but I am going to take a break until the new year.  J and I have lots of upcoming traveling plans and I would miss too much school for my own good.  Of our few French friends they all seem to have faith that I will be communicating like a pro in no time.  Bets are on.