Bon Soir,

Having chosen to begin a blog for the first time, and having been in Paris for 6 weeks and counting, it seems like forever since I moved here and things that seemed so new and odd to me are no longer quite so foreign. However, I'm constantly exploring and experiencing the French way of life and so will continue to post my impressions of them on here. It also has to be said that there are some things a non-Frenchie will always find strange. I will elaborate where appropriate.

Paris is beautiful. It truly was built to fall in love with. Working as an au pair allows me to travel in and out of Paris with a home to come back to. And a French home at that, which is oh so different to English life. They are also very healthy; everything is in moderation, but they enjoy life and adore their children which is great to see.

Being under 26 grants me free access to many expensive places in Paris, such as Le Louvre and St Madeleine. On an Au Pair's budget this is extremely useful! Walking along Rue de Rivoli is also free although it tends to leave one with a certain longing for a ridiculous financial income which quickly evaporates when leaving the area and remembering that Paris has also been home to some of the most radical political and literary revolutions fighting against the exclusive bourgoisie depicted there. I love both sides of Paris, although I have to admit I love the poet's version better!

Today I stayed in Le Vesinet, recovering from the events of last night and embarked on a two hour bike ride avec mon ami Stephanie. Elle est au pair aussi. We rode along the river Seine and it was beautiful, the sun was shining and reflected itself fantastically on the river, and the path was long but relatively easy going. Apparently Claude Monet sat by the river here whilst creating some of his most famous paintings. Pretty savvy; hey?

It's getting pretty late and I have French homework to do, le professeur will be very angry if I don't do it hehe so I better go, I will write again tomorrow with a bit more detail of things I've done so far.

Bonne Nuit xx