If that didn't get your attention, I don't know what else will. These were the heavenly delicious lemon ricotta pancakes that Pleuve made me for my last day in Paris before rushing off to school. Imagine waking up to that and then noticing you have pancakes as well! (Teehee! I hope someone got that charming joke;)
I skyped with my parents while eating the pancakes, a sweet slice of revenge for all the times they've eaten in front of me or mentioned going to my favourite restaurants while I've been away. (Which reminds me that I need to ask Pleuve for that recipe.) Our conversation ended up lasting longer than originally planned and I decided to pack before heading out for some last-minute sightseeing to avoid future rushing.
By the time I finished packing and left it was around 11:00am. I needed to get to the bus terminal by 3:15pm to catch a 3:35pm bus back to the Paris Beauvais Airport. This meant that I was going to need to hustle.
Late last night I passed by the chalkboard bathroom door and realized that I had completely forgotten about Palais Garnier (the opera house), so my mind was doing continuous time-calculations to figure out a) if I could make it and b) if I had to choose, would I rather see the Musée D'Orsay or Palais Garnier? This decision was made all the more difficult when I arrived at the Musée D'Orsay (no photos allowed) and saw a long lineup ahead of me. I ended up waiting the 30 minutes to get in, got my free admission as an EU citizen under 26, and strategically saw all the famous works of mostly French art, including Dégas, Monet, and Manet) within an hour...which meant that I could also make it to the Palais Garnier. It was made all the more important to me when I saw sketches and miniatures of the Palais Garnier in the museum.
I rushed onto the metro to alight at Opéra for Palais Garnier and arrived around 1:15pm. I am so glad that I had enough time to go and that it was the last stop of my stay in Paris--it's so beautiful!
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| The grand stairwell at Palais Garnier |
I wandered around (quickly) for about half an hour and tried to take as many pictures as I could to make up for the scarce time I could stay.
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| Inside the theatre |
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| Exterior, Palais Garnier |
I got back to Pleuve's place by 2:15pm and had half an hour of final packing before we said our goodbyes. With my 2 backpacks strapped on, I headed onto a last ride on the metro to reach a crowded Porte Maillot for my bus. My flight left a bit past 6:30pm and I read some more Harry Potter to start switching my brain back into Italian. I took the train at Pisa for Florence, walked home, and got to my room by 11:00pm--a long day of travelling!
I am so grateful to Pleuve for letting me stay with her, showing me around her city, and, as always, for her friendship. She has really made a home and life for herself in Paris and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, whether it is to do with fashion or life in general.
And yet I have to say that my walk from the train station really felt like a walk home. Though my shoulders were weighed down by around 20kg of luggage, my steps were brisk and light. Paris made me realize how much I love Florence, and I cannot be more excited to go to school tomorrow to see my friends and teachers and to go back to the life I have created for myself here.
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