Pretty lights, sunshine and sorbet!

So, last week I went to La Belle Ronde and ate a Bistrot:

Hot goat's cheese, lardons, salad and tomato with a yummy dressing!! Perfect winter warmer!

I went to see Trop Loin Pour Toi (I think in English it's called "Going the Distance") with Marion (the girl I met at the Palais Royal) on Saturday night and we then met up with her friend Valerie (who also studied languages and worked in England and Madrid!) and went to go to Nuit Blanche.

I think they do this in lots of major cities across Europe but for one night, places stay open all night and the city centre is turned into a massive exhibition with pieces of art put up all about. I think we failed quite spectacularly as we all neglected to look it up in detail and so didn't know what was where and just ended up wandering about but this was the town hall:

It said "love the differences" in lots of different languages!

And there was a ridiculously long queue to get into Notre Dame for what as far as I could make out was an organ concert - don't get me wrong, I was interested, just not two hour queue interested!

And Chris tells me he managed to find a car with a chandelier floating on a pond...

Everywhere was just packed out with people and they were all over the roads and everyone was moving quite slowly, there were lights and dancers and music and delicious smells and cars slowly trying to push through the crowds on the roads and as midnight approached we were tiredness began to set in and so we began to head back home.

The week at work was hard. It was dark and cold, people around me were having big arguments over ridiculously petty stuff and I felt decidedly homesick. However I went and saw Moi Moche et Mechant or "Despicable Me" with Mathilde on Wednesday for her birthday and laughed a lot and by Friday the sunshine and warmth had made a welcome reappearance and I had a spéciale:

This contained ham, emmental, onions, mushrooms, egg, salad and tomato. I ordered it with the full intention of ordering a sweet crêpe after but found that it was indeed enough!

Then Saturday I went to try and sort out a money transfer that appeared to not have worked the week before and as I stood in the queue to get to the very bored and irritated-looking clerk, Karine walked by full of sunshine and exclaimed "Sophie! Comment ça va?" greeting me warmly and leading me to her office saying she'd tried to get hold of me this week to help sort out the very thing I'd come for! She then proceeded to transfer the money in 5 seconds flat.

I love her.

Then I went to the park above the train station and sat and sunbathed and read more of my difficult book which I'm now finding easier and more interesting (nothing at all to do with the fact that a Sophie has just appeared in the story!) and then met Li and went to the art shop. (I promised I'd give her some art lessons as she never got to have any in China!) Armed with the basic tools we came out and walked past my favourite little ice-creamerie.

"Oooh! Amorino! - Is it good?" Li asked

haha... Is it good? She asked!

I let the ice cream do the talking.

I went for a small pot of cherry, mango and lemon sorbet:

(Actually I think I may have found myself there the weekend before having a pot of dark chocolate, pistachio ice creams and cherry sorbet! I DO love it there!)

Then we went back to the Atlantic gardens above the train station (not many people know about it and it's big and spacious but quieter than the other parks which are just PACKED!) There I attempted to explain how to sketch a tree, then realised I had really chosen something quite difficult so gave her my water bottle to draw, but that had loads of reflections and was also difficult so then I got my umbrella out. This was a good choice but I think she'd had enough by that point!

Anyway, the afternoon was lovely and we sat and chatted and drew and ate the best sandwiches in the world (fresh warm baguette with brique au lait cheese and saucisson and rocket!) which I'd had the foresight to make earlier! There were also these kids playing a hide and seek-type game next to us and kept trying to hide behind us - Li very obligingly moved herself and her bag better to conceal them and we were delighted when they won!

Saturday evening I went to a youth group at church that I'd been invited to, expecting teenagers but getting 20 somethings but the leaders were two hours late! We sat and chatted and sang and got to know one another (there were two girls from Mexico!!) and when Anne and Mathieu finally arrived they came with delicious lasagne and chocolate cake so I forgave them!

Then today, to make the most of the sunshine I went to Montmartre and sat on the hill in front of the Sacre Coeur writing letters all afternoon, basking in the heat and taking in the spectacular view (along with all the other tourists) and marvelling at the big blue sky (I miss big skies in this city!) and then a little mini-festival struck up with drummers and music and comedy and dancing - it was such a treat!