Falling in Love with the City of Love

It's true. I'm falling in love! With this amazing city. And I barely even know it! I know, I know.. but it's hard to be rational in such a magical place!
I've been here for a WEEK already and there's so much to tell!
So I got here last Friday morning, and the first thing we did together as a study abroad group was take the métro that evening down to central Paris and take a tourist boat ride down the Seine. We got off at the Hotel de Ville stop and right when you walk out, this is the building you see:

You actually see it first from another angle, but this is the picture I have of the Hotel de Ville :) It's beautiful!! There's a big courtyard in front of it, as you can see! Honestly, almost every building here is beautiful, and I love going out of métro stops in the city because so many of them open right into views of the amazing buildings! We passed by Notre Dame (which is breathtaking) walking to our tour

and we saw lots of the other monuments on our little boat ride. That night I had my first French crêpe in the Latin Quarter! All in all, it was a pretty amazing first day. 

(on a bridge overlooking the Seine)

On Saturday, we went as roommate groups to our host families' houses, but before, we got to explore the little area around our hotel and also a bit of the Jewish quarter more downtown.

These pictures are both of the area around our hotel, and yes, the above picture is in fact of a patisserie, or pastry shop, window. I loved walking around and looking at all the little shops like this one! 

I get a little picture-hungry here and want to take pictures of practically everything, so I'm trying to contain myself concerning what I post. But I am just so captivated by this place! Something that has struck me strongly is the mix of old and new. You'll see centuries old buildings literally next to a brand-new modern shop. Things from the middle ages and even ancient Roman times are in the city and used right next to newer things. I love it!! I love the amazing oldness and charm. The city looks like the Pissarro painting, everything sticks out to the street at the same level and so many buildings have shuttered windows and balconies. It's so pretty!!! The feeling here is wonderful.

I will update on the rest of my week shortly!