La lecture, le vin et les escaliers…encore

It has been so long since my last post that I can’t even remember what’s happened in between…all due to one dreary reason: classes.

On Monday, we were brought out of our extended winter break slumber and returned back to school, with real classes and longer syllabi this time.  After I received my fourth syllabus, I was ready for May 15 and considered starting a greve to avoid reading and/or homework.

That’s the problem with being a double language major–you can’t really avoid reading or writing.

Right now, I’m signed up for theatre in the French tradition, which I’m really excited about because we get to go see a bunch of plays (for free!) at La Comédie Française and some other notable theatres (although I don’t remember which ones and don’t feel like looking for my syllabus).  Also at the NYU Center I’m taking Advanced Composition, purely for my unrequited love of grammar in any language.

I’m also signed up for Readings in French Literature II, and although it sounds like a ton of fun, I’m looking to drop it for a class at the University of Paris (la fac).  Unfortunately I need to take three literature classes this semester if I want to graduate on time with any degree, so I’m on a mission to find the best lit class out there.  I’m going to Paris VII on Tuesday for the most of the day, and will be sitting in classes to find mine!

Other than doing homework and complaining about doing homework, we’ve still been going on our regular adventures, though admittedly not as frequently.

Yesterday we went to L’Abbaye de Royaumont, a former abbey north of Paris.  Since its days of chanting monks, the abbey has been home to concerts and now is a “cultural center” (according to our tour guide, Parisians go there to relax all the time).

The main incentive for our trip was the free food that awaited us in the réfectoire of the abbey.  We had no idea what the food was that they were putting in front of us, we just knew it was delicious.  Did I mention it was a four-course meal?

The first course was a tartine with cheese and vegetables on a bed of arugula.  If we didn’t know we had other courses waiting for us, we would’ve been in trouble.  Next came pavé de saumon, sauce vierge et risotto crémeux au parmesan(sooo good), and lastly a hot apple with a little Madeline-like cake and la glace a la cannelle.  Pretty sure I’m never eating anywhere else in my life.

When we first sat down, we were kind of upset because there were only four of us at the table, since most of our friends were at a table that was already full.  When we realized that each table got two bottles of wine, our sorrows went away.  Most people were barely able to sneak one glass because there were so many other people at the table, but we had the luxury of changing the types of wine based on what course we were eating and still had some leftover.  We did end up sharing by the end, when people realized we had them all to ourselves.

Today, we all woke up early(relatively, for a Saturday at least) and went to Le Marché aux Puces.  Basically, a bunch of people bust out stands of handcrafted or knock-off items and form a marché out of it.  There were some good deals, but more anxious vendors than anything else.  After leaving empty-handed (this time!) we went to Anvers to go up to Sacré Cœur.  We stopped at a cafe on the corner of Rue des Trois Freres and I got onion soup…always delicious in France.

And now, still exhausted from the week and not looking forward to reading anything (Balzac, anyone?), I’m contemplating what to make for dinner…maybe I’ll make French onion soup!