Paris!

I've arrived in Paris! It's taken me a while to get my act together and write a blog, partly because this city is absolutely overwhelming, and partly because my internet connection at my host Mom's house blows.  Instead of a family this time, I'm with a sweet older woman, so it's a bit of a change of pace.  I'm learning to take the metro and figuring out school stuff, which won't start for another week or two...I say that because the French University system is so messed up that they haven't even decided at the Sorbonne what their class schedules are yet.  But whatever, I have plenty to occupy me meanwhile.  This weekend, my friend and I went all around the 18th, or Montmartre and Pigalle, and here are some photos:

We scoped out some open markets...

We spent some time walking around the cemetery in Montmartre.

           Emile Zola's Grave

Next, we checked out the famous landmark, Sacre-Coeur.  It's a huge tourist attraction, so it was really crowded, but spectacular nonetheless.  I even saw some guy get taken out by a vigilante crowd after stealing a purse.  The poster below is for the Pope-he was in Paris this weekend, although I didn't feel like fighting through a million French Catholics to try and see him.  

After Sacre-Coeur, we walked to the Moulin Rouge, the famous cabaret situated on a street with nothing but sex shops, strip clubs, cabarets, and the Museum of Eroticism.  It totally came out of nowhere; I was using the bathroom in a subway, and I walked out and the store next to it was a "Sex Supermarket."  I checked out the Moulin Rouge (they had a photo history of the show) and it looked really over-the-top and cool, but you have to be a high-roller to go see a performance.  It's like 145 euro for a show and a bottle of champagne.