Quelle belle journée!

"...Because on and off/the clouds have fought for control over the sky/and
lately the weather has been so bipolar/and consequently so have I...Now I'm
sunny with a high of 75 since you took my heavy heart, and made it light/and
it's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be
alive..."--Relient K, who else?

So those lyrics basically put my day into a few concise phrases. If you skimmed over them, read them again, because that's almost a perfect description of my frame of mind today. Not just my frame of mind--it really was sunny with a high of 75 today (24 celsius). Perfect. So, to compliment this perfect weather, I met a few friends at Notre Dame for lunch, and we made our way up to Montmartre for the afternoon. I don't really know what to tell you about this day. Nothing super-amazing happened, it was just a beautiful, spirit-lifting day.

After climbing up the hill (quite a climb, but not too much), we were met with the sight of the pristine, majestic Basilique du Sacré Cœur drawing the tourists, the faithful, and those in search of an afternoon repose. It was just below this church that we found a little spot of soft, fragrant grass to rest on. The grass was one of the best parts of the day--my first chance to enjoy that familiar pleasure since I was last in the States. Not to mention that this little spot of grass faced a panoramic view of the entire city below us. You know...Paris isn't cool, or anything. *winks*

I even got to see the carousel some steps below that is in Amélie. The steps up the hill, Sacre Coeur, the carousel...I even walked past the Video Palace where Nino worked in the movie...So that was fun. I felt quite touristy, and enjoyed every minute of it. After leaving Montmartre, the four of us went back towards the middle of the city, to kill time sitting on a bridge spanning the Seine until leaving for our respective host families and dinners.

Beautiful, beautiful day. The kind of day that makes you glad to be alive, and even think you might just make it through this crazy, challenging thing that I am realizing is my life. Bon soir, mes chers!

Oh, yes--pictures are still coming...As soon as I have a chance!

:::edit:::

Pictures from Montmartre!!

I actually took this in front of Notre Dame, waiting on some friends that we were meeting before heading up to Montmartre. If you don't think about how disgusting those pigeons are, it's really quite a sweet picture. I wish it was a better picture, honestly, but it was a hard one to get, and it captures enough of the scene to satisfy me. Hope you think it's fun, too.

The famous steps up to the top of the hill--Montmartre. There are quite a few of these steps, but they are absolutely worth the climb! If you ever come to Paris, and you are physically able, I would tell you to skip the funiculaire and work for the reward that awaits you at the top--Sacre Coeur and a view of the city! I think you'll appreciate it all more--and you'll get to look behind and before you in this pretty, tree-lined ascent!

This is one (right) of my favorite pictures from the afternoon in Montmartre. It's the same old Sacre Coeur, but upside down. While we were all just sitting around on some grass facing the view of Paris laid out in front, I lay all the way back, tilted my head and camera, and took this just for the sake of a moment's entertainment. I was surprised that it actually came out pretty well, and like that I have an upside-down picture of this place. Every time I look at it, my brain gets confused, and slightly concerned for the guy sitting on the grass--I always feel like he's going to fall!

Ok, ok--the obligatory picture of something cool with me in the foreground--proving that I was actually there. It's not a very good picture, because of the shade where we were standing, and how bright it was up on the hill with the white Basilique. Nonetheless, there stand I, Amy, and a friend of ours through the organization, Courtney. Just as a side note, off to the left, behind us, is the carousel that's in Amélie. The church is in it, too, of course. Did I mention to those of you who don't know, that being in Montmartre is being in Amélie's neighborhood? I think that's cool. Well, that's all you get for today!