Castle on a Cloud

I have debated whether to document the events of this weekend chronologically or start with the bits I know everyone wants.

Chronological. Why? Because I say so.

I have officially had the most American meal of my life. And yes, I had it in France.
Friday night we went to see "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" in Disney Village. It's a dinner show, much like Medieval Times. Our meal began with chili and cornbread, moved on to ribs, chicken and potatoes, and ended with a hot apple crisp topped with vanilla ice cream. To drink you had two options, coke or beer, both of which flowed endlessly all night long. Not only was the food extremely "American" but the entertainment hit the spot. Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull and his indian warriors, cowboys, Annie Oakley, horses, buffalo, rodeo games, and of course, Mickey Mouse. I am a little concerned about the portrayal of the Native Americans however. I was sitting there, watching the show, and it seemed to me like every segment with the Indian warriors was dark and quite creepy. I am a 20 year old American woman who has grown up being exposed to Native American legends and imagery, and I was was creeped out by these painted men crawling through the dark with flaming arrows and strange chants. Imagine the reaction of the poor little French, Dutch, and Italian children the room was filled with.

I spent Saturday in the city with a friend who is studying in Paris, Owen. His French host sister took us out to brunch and showed us around the 4th. Being escorted around by Paris by a true Parisian gives me a new appreciation for the city. I hope someday I can be as confident as she was, navigating through the various streets, pointing out great shops and cafes. Later, I took Owen to the English bookstore, where two Swedish guys insisted they knew me from somewhere and invited me to a tea party. I plan on attending next time I have a Sunday off.

VERSAILLES. That's right, my flatmate Maggie and I met an old childhood friend of mine in Versailles, where she, Michaela, is currently living as an au pair. We strolled through the palace and the gardens, despite the slightly rainy weather, and had a marvelous time. My favorite room in the palace is a long ballroom, lined with floor to ceiling windows and chandeliers. Maggie and I waltzed through that room with our imaginary Princes, much to the amusement of the other tourists and the palace guides. While we walked through the gardens, music came from hidden speakers and we were lightly sprinkled with rain. I can't wait to go back and spend an entire day getting lost in the gardens. Finally, it became too cold to linger in the gardens any longer, so we sought the shelter of a nearby cafe. We were just in time, because a few minutes after we ordered the skies opened up and for five minutes the rain came down in a thunderous downpour.

Maggie and I said our goodbyes and hopped back on the RER, chatted with a cute American couple, stopped by my bookstore, and then headed home. We shared a train compartment with a man in a Hello Kitty sweatshirt who thought it was ok to smoke on the RER as long as he cracked a window. Sir, I would address the smoking issue, but I'm actually more concerned about the Hello Kitty sweatshirt.