Ils ne sont pas sportifs, hein ?

Friday, the day after "the dinner," Camille, Pat, and I went to Tennis Courcelles after work, where I FINALLY got to play tennis on Parisian ground. Granted, we didn't play on a clay court (though, I still have a wee bit of time to try and find one), but nevertheless being able to play was quite fun. Following our hour of reserved time (which, ps/ I'm definitely going to be playing more at home where the courts are free and easily accessible), Camille and I went back to my place and cooked up an impromptu dinner of baked tortellini (filled with jambon sec) and bolognaise sauce topped with cheese, and vanilla ice cream with none other than the chocolate Nutella sauce.

Yesterday, the day was full of lounging around in Paris, with the big event being a tour of Roland Garros (now that I finally know where it is, I can go back hopefully at least one more time with less difficulty). I don't know if it was because we (Camille, Pat and I) are Americans, but we more or less stayed towards the front of the group (though less me as the tour continued on for some reason). The first time we stopped, the tour guide noticed that everyone else was taking their dear old time, to which his response was "Ils ne sont pas sportifs, hein ?" (They're not very sportive/athletic, eh?); our reaction was priceless, though rather indescribable. The stadiums were still nearing preparations for the French Open, so the terre batue wasn't completely installed (for 15 € I found I could bring some of it home... hmmm....). I guess this just means I'll have to come back soon so I can witness Roland Garros in its full glory, eh? Among the many facts and stories shared with us on the tour, perhaps this left us with the greatest impression:

During the 15-day tournament, the players in total consume 4 tonnes of pasta 3 tonnes of rice. Individually, each player consumes 1 kilo of bananas (8)/[either per day or in total... either way, that's a lot of bananas!]

Following the tour, we walked through the Bois de Bologne until such a point when Camille had to go to the supermarket and make dinner. Then, it seems, we did a bit of a swap and it was now Pat's turn to come over dinner. I made a spicy chicken stir-fry, as Pat mashed some potatoes, to which we added raclette. It was surprisingly rather simple to make, and extremely filling.

Finally, today (Sunday), I spent the late morning/early afternoon with Trevor and Maya at the Bastille markets (if you ever want a way to spend your money quickly, I'd advise you to go there). After checking out the different vendors' stands, we got different things for lunch and ate in a small park at the end of the stretch of market. I had a very simple meal of comté (my favourite cheese here) and pain aux lardons which, I had assumed meant there was bacon in the bread. At the time, we decided it was actually onion, but after a bit of translation research, it turns out that my initial thought holds somewhat true. I also had a great orange, and a chocolate chip muffin for dessert. After the markets, I went back home for a bit of a nap and then headed for Mass with Pat. We went to St Germain-des-Près for the 19h-service, organised by the young adults and young professionals of the parish. I don't know why I hadn't heard of it earlier, and even if I had heard about it earlier, why I never went there more often. Being a rather distinctly younger congregation at this service, there was more music and definitely more life, and I'd say we both enjoyed it. After Mass, we went back to my place, and joined by Trevor, had dinner: rice and beans, and leftovers, with the cheese I bought at the market (the comté and gouda(!!!)... I still have yet to find smoked gouda (my absolute favourite cheese in life so far) in this country).

And with that, my friends, is my life in Paris so far. It's off to a night of sleep, while the prospects of packing hang in the air.