Blonde and Abroad: The Tales of a SoCal Girl Living la Vie Parisienne: 2016-06-26

One week before the actual 4th of July, the American Ambassador to France and Monaco hosted two parties at her residence: one for those who work with the embassy and one for those who work at the embassy. The former was lavish: 3,000 of the embassy' "close contacts" were treated to Michelin-star chef prepared meals, a Carole King concert, a Disney 3-D light show, among many other attractions. The latter was more family-oriented and smaller as 200 staff members and their families came together to eat BBQ and listen to a live Americana band. Below are photos from the two parties to give you a good idea of how the two parties were wonderfully different from one another.

Party 1: the 4th of July Gala

This party was an event. It required dressing to the 9s, smiling to anyone who walked by, and helping anyone who needed help as you were in the presence of important, embassy contacts, many of which were French government officials or other foreign diplomats. And the event was designed and executed in ways that certainly impressed its guests and tended to their needs.

The Appearance:

The Outfit: Nicole Miller dress, Ines de la Fressenge jacket, vintage jewelry from the Marais, and Steve Madden shoes.
Hair: by Natalie Barbaresi (courtesy of a Target hair brush and pony tail)
Make-Up: by Natalie Barbaresi (courtesy of Target, CVS Pharmacy, and Nordstrom's)

The Residence

The Garden

Before the guests arrived

The Food: 30 Michelin-star, American chefs provided the food, drink, and dessert for the party and my oh my was it all delicious!

A tender meat in a sweet, teriyaki sauce and crepe

Cheesecakes, graham cracker and lemon meringue, among other goodies

Lobster hot dog with sweet potato chips

Popcorn-flavored macaroons

The Garden Again:

Clearly, she is a fan of modern art

Wings of Dixie performing (a band made up of Air Force officers)

The party in full swing

The Disney 3-D Light Show:

Carole King performance

Not pictured but worth mentioning:

-- Ambassador's remarks
-- Singing of the French and American national anthems
-- Honoring of the Thalys heros (the three, American soldiers who stopped the terrorist on the train from Amsterdam to Paris) --> I went up and shook their hands afterwards

It was truly a wonderful night!

Party 2: Community Party

Same place, but more relaxed and familial vibes

American-inspired picnic

The burger grills were to the right of the statue

Dancing the jive

The ambassador with the boy scouts

An original copy of the Constitution was on display for both parties

I have now spent three weeks here in Paris: at times,

it feels like it flies by and during other times, it does not. Sure, time may not pass

by quickly if I'm spending it on the metro or working, but time tends to stand still

for me when I am walking and exploring Paris. Why? On one hand, I am very familiar

with Paris and will often come across places I have already seen or visited; on the other,

my walks allow me to truly take in my surroundings and enjoy the beautiful of

each place I visit. Thus, I experience time in Paris in ebb and flows.

This mix of time passing slowly and quickly is also a theme I find very present

when watching the Euro Cup. If the match is entertaining, time flies; if it

isn't, time stalls. If your team is winning, you want the time to pass

by quickly so the game ends. If your team is losing, you want time

to pass by slowly so that your team can have more opportunities to score.

So.... what is the take-away from this musing on time?

It is that I am having a great time in Paris.

WEDNESDAY: EURO CUP MATCH, AUSTRIA VS. ICELAND

Daisy, the other international student who lives with my host family, and I were fortunate enough to have bought tickets for the Austria vs. Iceland Group Stage match at the Stade de France. From the environment and the fans to the chants and the game, it truly was a memorable experience and will remain one of this summer's highlights.

Outside the Stade de France;
we got there 2 hours early to check out the scene and avoid
the long security lines

Didn't have an Iceland nor Austrian jersey so I
decided to rep my favorite team ;)

Using my lip-stick and eye pencils, we put on both
Icelandic and Austrian flags on our faces.
It made for quite at bit of people (*cough *cough) men asking
of which team we supported, to which I smiled and responded,
"I don't care, I am American!"

If this video uploads successfully, you'll see how crowded and loud it was. Plus, it was taken right after Iceland scored the game winning goal, so it was just a pitch louder than normal.

FRIDAY

Walking around the 16e arrondissement
with my host mother and another student

SATURDAY

Walking in the park of the Ile de Saint Germain,
which is about a 5-7 minute walk from my house.
Doesn't this look like it was taken in the countryside?

Another view

SHOPPING IN THE MARAIS:

The sales have finally arrived, and I took fully advantage as I needed to complete my look for the Ambassador's lavish 4th of July gala (lots of information and photos to follow next week so stayed tuned.) Thus, I decided to stray and shop in the chicest part of Paris, and my oh my was I both successful and awed.

What I particularly liked about that day is that the self-guided tour I followed took my out of the touristy, southern Marais and more into the original and creative north Marais. In other words, I came across more stores that were unique and designer in the north Marais then the stores in the southern Marais that are nice, but are chains (i.e. Les Kooples, Maje, Claude Pierlot, etc). Also, I loved the little parks that I came across and have now resolved to visit as many little parks in Paris as possible as they remain one of my favorite places to visit.

One of the many charming streets there

An unexpected green spot between all the boutiques:
Jardin des Rosiers-Joseph Migneret in the Marais

The green park behind the Musée Cognac-Jay

Square George Cain on Rue Pavée

I loved how this street (Rue Pavée) not only gives way to
three gardens, but also has a small town, French feel

Square Leopold Achille

(Same park, different angle)

The Mayor's residence and town hall for the 3e arrondissement
(A mariage has just ended)

The park right in front of the Mairie
(pictured is a small birthday party celebration)

Same park, different angle

Marché des Enfants Rouge:
A very cute, open air market in the Marais

Definitely would like to return to eat here!

And here too!

A pretty display

And another

Canal Saint Martin in the 10e arrondissement
(which is one of Paris' best kept secrets, in my opinion)

Saturday night's "appero": wine, salmon pâté, radishes,
and rosemary garlic bread

Our dinner table

The view of the Seine from the apartment

Another view

Nicolas gave us all a wine lesson during dinner so that we
can know distinguish both in taste, texture, and color a wine
from Burgundy from a wine from Bordeaux

Dinner

The different wines we tried throughout the evening

SUNDAY: EURO CUP AT THE FAN ZONE

Daisy, I, and a co-worker decided to watch the France vs. Ireland Round of 16 game at the Eiffel Tower Fan Zone on the Champ des Mars. It was such a nice atmosphere, very lively and very pro-French, and we all thought it was worth it to withstand the crowds, dust, and standing to watch the French play and more importantly, win!