My fourth day was pretty busy as well with plenty of things to enjoy. I went with Camille on the Montmartre tour to get acquainted with the area. It was free, because it was unofficial and as I was a friend to Camille, it wasn't necessary to pay. So this friendly Canadian guy regaled us with stories about Montmartre including several about Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso. On the tour, we saw a Delida statue (don't have any idea who this is, other than a gay icon), the Basilique, charming streets, Vincent Van Gogh's old apartment, and other places I had seen before the tour. A couple hours into the tour, I left to meet a friend for coffee to talk about graduate school. My friend A. gave me some possibilities as to how to work and live in Paris if everything falls through with American universities. I'm intent on going to the Sorbonne if I can't get into the top programs for French literature in the States. For dinner, I went to a traditional Parisian cafe with my friends who were hosting me at Chez Prospers. Man, was the food good there! I got a steak, fries, salad, and mousse au chocolat, and felt completely satisfied and stuffed. It was wonderful! I don't typically like to stuff myself but coming to Paris, I felt like I had to spoil myself at the dinner table at least once. Totally worth it! We got there at 21h00 and left at 22h30, but I was so ready to hit the hay and sleep until morning afterwards.
Day five was also busy with meetings and such. I started my morning around 9h30 and went to the Halles to look around at their stores and shop a bit while waiting on my 11h00 appointment with Nicolas (professor at Middlebury) at the Sciences-Po. Left and got to the Rue de Bac Metro stop just in time and was waiting and got to the wrong building 226 rue Saint-Germain and spent 15-20 minutes waiting in the wrong building. I called Nicolas and finally went to the right building. Frustrating sometimes, my clumsiness. Nicolas and I talked about France, school, and graduate programs. He said if I want to study in France, the Sorbonne is likely the only institution I should be considering. It's where the best teachers are and where the most are as well. So I am strongly considering applying and hopefully end up going in that direction. (That is, if American universities are not going to accept my projects.)
After meeting with Nicolas, I went to see the play, "Le Medecin Malgre Lui" (Moliere) at a small theater at the Bonne Nouvelle metro stop. Lo and behold, the whole school group was there; kids everywhere! Kids and families; kids with their friends. It was an amusing play about a medecin perroquet (quack doctor) who beats his wife, chugs his canteen full of alcohol, poses as a doctor pretending to heal people all over. Moliere loved to poke fun at doctors of his time who were presumably questionable in their practices. It ended as all Moliere's plays end with happiness, mirth, and everything working out. Afterwards, I went shopping in the Saint Denis section of town, bought a sweater and jeans at a kind of European men's store.
I then went back to the apartment for a snack to eat (brioche and yogurt and coke). Then, I prepared to go to the Comedie francaise for another show in the evening! I was like, heck yeah, I'm going to get a seat for 6 euros at the Comedie francaise (equivalent of Broadway play in France-- but much more French and older than that). I looked online and saw the "Avare" by Moliere was playing and totally went for it. I took the Main Line 1 Metro to the Palais Royal Musee de Louvre and arrived right in front of one of the imposing edifices of the Louvre. Walked over and saw the Comedie francaise (est. 1680) and walked up to the door. I waited for about another half hour before the doors opened at 19h30 (an hour before 20h30) and saw other people my age were waiting-- students and youth. It made me feel a bit better. This was after all, bourgeois entertainment. Got my ticket and went inside and wow, it felt so amazingly comfortable, the seat red velvet, the theatre elegant. The show itself was spectacular. I couldn't have asked for a better night. The show was about an old man who is an avarice, holds his money to his heart and doesn't allow his children to marry and is completely miserable and ridiculous. He loves to dance and sing in a ludicrous, creepy way. In any case, things work out for good and the kids marry and somehow everyone is happy by the end of the Molierian comedy. At 23h20, I rode the Metro back to Nation station, went back to the apartment, talked to my friends, and then went to bed.
The next morning, I got up at 8h30, went and took the Metro to Gare Montparnasse and after walking forever through this crossroads station, I arrived at the actual station by following the signs to Trains Grandes Lignes. Went up to the automatic ticket machine, bought my ticket to Laval on the TGV and left within 35 minutes. I then took the autocar (bus) to Mayenne where I met Pascal. Home sweet home at the moment. The end of a wonderful vacation and I give courses again tomorrow at the college and lycee.
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