Macarons
These delicious macarons were in La Chocolaterie in Chartres, which was everything it sounded like. I had a big vanilla macaron with my hot chocolate. Magnifique.
At first, I was confused — is macaron the French spelling of macaroon? But my confusion was soon cleared up. Macarons are so much taster than silly macaroon cookies. Pfffft. Plans: eat macarons from Pierre Hermé; eat macarons from Ladurée; repeat.
Guys, it's Friday the 13th! I guess there's a remake of the film coming out, because there are posters all over the Métro for a movie called Vendredi 13. French versions of American movie titles are kind of funny. Valkyrie was Walkyrie, which, while closer to the German spelling, looks 90% siller with a W. And sometimes the choice they make in the French "translation" causes the film title to mean something different. Revolutionary Road became Les Noces Rebelles, which means literally The Rebel Weddings, although noce can also mean a bad situation (heh) or an undisciplined life, according to my dictionaries. In any case, the title is much less vague than the American one.
Classes began this week. It is exhausting to listen to a professor for an hour, let alone two. I like to believe that I'm catching most of what they're saying, but it's probably more like 30%. I catch the gist when I pay close attention. And there are a surprising number of Anglophones in my classes, from Canada and Australia and the US, so I can ask them for clarification (and also make friends).
It is now time for breakfast: buttered and toasted baguette + orange juice + New Yorker fiction podcast. Perfection.