I'm sooo tempted to "wag" school today and go see Paris in the snow. It stopped snowing last night and this morning the sun is shining from a perfect blue sky. Out my windows the drifts of snow are pristine white on the roofs and windowsills. But as tempting as it is, I'm committed to my course and so I dutifully rug up and set off for school :-)
Outside in the courtyard the snow covers a collection of bikes in one corner and has settled right up to the steps - that wasn't here when I got home yesterday!
The footpath in my street is treacherous this morning with trampled snow compacted to ice and very slippery. Everyone is walking tentatively and aiming for whatever clear patches are available. I'm glad I don't have far to walk.
At school we do lots of speaking French today, and Stephanie is very encouraging and helpful. We have conversations about our favourite foods and about the traditional foods and meals of our countries of origin - I refrain from describing the Aussie pie and chips ;-)
All this talking is really helpful for remembering vocabulary, getting the verb conjugations and prepositions correct, and refining our pronunciation. We make Stephanie laugh several times when our pronunciation is slightly off, giving the word, and therefore the sentence, an entirely different meaning!
By the end of class, the snow and ice on the footpaths has started to melt away, although many cars in the street are still thickly covered in white. I'm not hopeful that there will be any snow left by the time my lovely husband arrives on Saturday, unless we get another snowfall between now and then.
I decide to risk my coccyx and walk home, having missed out on a walk yesterday. A little way along I stop to make a snowball for my youngest son, who enjoyed the snow so much when we were in Europe 7 years ago. This one is for you my lovely boy :-) xoxo
l have to choose the least icy side of each street as I go (the side that's seen sun today!) but still a couple of times I feel my feet slip a little on the residual ice. I wonder if I'll have sore muscles tomorrow from having to walk so weirdly all the way home! I stop a few times to take photos of the pretty snow and ice, and having to take gloves off is no fun!
Obviously there hasn't been any crime in Paris for a couple of days........ ;-)
On the way I make a spur of the moment decision to go and see an exhibition at the Hôtel de Ville. Several times I've passed billboards advertising the exhibition, and as it's on my route home it's an easy one for me to get to. And luckily today there is almost no queue (unlike other days when I've passed by) which is a bonus! The exhibition is called Paris Haute Couture and is a presentation of the Musée Galliera's prestigious collection of 100 dresses, basically forming a chronological history of haute couture fashion from the most famous Paris fashion houses.
It's worth the visit, there are some beautiful gowns on display, dating from the late 1800s right up to the present day, and from the likes of Chanel, Dior, Gaultier, Balenciaga, Yves St Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and Lanvin, to name a few. There's also a series of drawings and photos that give a "behind the scenes" look at the making of a couture dress from initial design to production. It's just a small exhibition in the overall Paris scheme of things and only takes about half an hour to see, but I enjoy it and what better place to see such an exhibition!
I continue on my way, avoiding the icy patches as best I can and get home safely, feeling very happy with yesterday's purchase - a pair of fur-lined Goretex boots which have kept my feet both dry and warm all day. Not exactly haute couture, I admit, but I saw a lady on the Metro wearing a pair of shiny black gumboots the other day so I figure that in this weather anything goes, and hey, it's Paris, that makes me "glam" by association ;-) Besides, I'd like to see one of those emaciated models getting about in a Balenciaga gown in this weather!!!
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