Midnight in Paris

It's Friday night, and I am in Boston.

 The past month has been a whirlwind, including trips to sing in Dallas, New York, Birmingham, Chicago, with stops in Atlanta and St. Louis.  And now I'm back in Boston for the weekend, only to head out to New York on Sunday and back to Atlanta on Tuesday.

I seriously love my life.

I must admit that I am currently in one of the most nostalgic states I've experienced in a very long time.  This is handy at the moment, seeing as my current series of blogs is supposed to be focused on recording stories from trips of the past.

I just saw the new Woody Allen Movie Midnight in Paris, and I feel as though I've been swept away to a time when I, myself, lived in Paris.  If you've ever been to that city, lived in that city, or even read about that city, I highly recommend this movie.  It is one of the most charming, surprisingly romantic movies I have seen in a very long time, and in only an hour and a half, it made me fall in love with Paris all over again....

It's been almost 6 years now since I lived in Paris, and seeing all of the sights of that beautiful city took me back to a time that only seems like a dream of my own with every year that passes in which I don't revisit that town.  And with every year that goes by, it seems harder and harder to remember that, yes, I was actually there, and, yes, I do speak French.  It's sad, really, to think that my time there is becoming more and more of a fading memory...such a dream.  I guess that means I should go back :)

So as a tribute to my time in Paris, I recently went back and read my journal, and I would like to include in this post an entry from 6 years ago:

OCTOBER 9, 2005


What a fantastic weekend in Paris. The weather was simply perfect: clear skies with a slight chill. This is the last weekend in October that I will be in Paris, so we totally lived it up Parisian-style and had the best time. Friday night, Messay, Regina, and I went to this contemporary dance thing...I didn't particularly enjoy the first piece, but altogether it was an enjoyable evening. On Saturday, the beautiful weather hit. After a couple of weeks of cloudy, rainy, cold weather, this was MUCH appreciated. Messay, Brittany, and I basically walked around town for the afternoon. We stopped at the Centre Pompidou, went to the flea market, sat at the Stravinsky fountain at the Modern Art Museum, and people-watched at Hotel de Ville. We just couldn't keep ourselves from the outside weather...it was grand.

Saturday night, Regina, Messay, Brittany, Chris, Mase (in town for the weekend to see Chris), and I went to the Opera Bastille to see Hindemith's "Cardillac"....wow. What a great show. That opera was pretty mind-blowing. Set in Paris in the 1920s, it has some pretty astounding sets, and the chorus was dynamite. Not to mention the absolutely astounding lead characters. Those Europeans can sing! It was great. After the opera, went to Montmartre (where the Moulin Rouge is, by the way) for a wine festival at Sacre Coeur. Again, tons of fun enjoying Parisian life.

Today, another awesome day, Messay and I went to Parc du Monceau and just chilled outside in the beautiful weather...it was awesome. We then moved to Cite de la Musique to meet Regina and Brittany. We ended up just sitting in the grass all afternoon talking. Oh the Parisian life is for me.

On another note, let me now emphasize my total "I-can't-wait-ness" for the next couple of weeks. Next weekend, we are going for another study group, this time to the South of France. We will be staying in Nice, Marseille, and the Cote d'Azur...sweeeet. 5 day trip = getting out of class!! After we get back, we have 3 days of class, and then Jackson, Laura, and I are off to Prague for the weekend....YES!!!!!!!! I have wanted to go there forever, and I'm finally getting the chance. I just can't wait. The day we get back from Prague, Jackson and I have about 5 hours to pack for Turkey! This is going to be the most amazing Fall Break ever...in the world....the end. 


Ha, and that was just a weekend in Paris!  I'm in such a Parisian mood that I decided to take my blog to the next level and add a couple of my favorite pictures:

Eiffel Tower on a sunny day :)

This one is me at Versailles...love my SMU pride 

Me, the Francophile in Normandy

I could seriously add dozens more pictures, but these are just a few that caught my eye.  I'll have to save a nostalgic post from my trip to Turkey for another day...pictures included, of course.  Now that will be a blog you won't want to miss.  

So to sum it up, I love Paris.  

I miss Paris. 

Go see Midnight in Paris.  

And if you are interested in seeing more pictures, here is an old website that should take you away to a beautiful country I once lived in for just a little while.  

http://community.webshots.com/user/adaminparis05 

Until next time!