Two weeks already!!  Some of us are beginning to feel home-sick, other student  like me wish that program will never come to an end. There are so many things to do in Paris within the 3 weeks. That is not enough to cover all of those wonderful attractive sites. Consequently, I tried  to cover most of the sites. Today most of the student went to Disneyland, the rest of the group  seeking to discover Paris went to Le Grand  Musee du Parfum,  located in the ritzy Rue Faubourg de Saint-Honoré. The museum housed in a beautiful old building in the 8th arrondisement. The entrance fee is 9.50 euro with a student ID but I thought it was worth every penny. There is a history of perfume through the ages with interesting pictures and an unusual way of sniffing the assorted ingredients that make a perfume. This museum uses the best of modern technology to explore the cultural history and science of perfume. From ancient perfumes through the explosion of perfumes as luxury goods to the technology behind replicating and combining fragrances.

My favorite part was the large boutique on the ground floor which had a large variety of mostly niche perfumes some of which are not available in New York. I sampled my way through a lot of the bottles and placed the scented strips in a book to see how long the sillage lasted.

If you are passionate about perfume, this is a must visit museum entirely for the senses.

The entrance

The front door of the museum

group picture at the entrance

the scent room

In the right picture It is kind of similar to wine you smell it and you associate what you smell to the picture on the left.The scent room is a great experience and has multilingual handheld balls that will dispense various aromas and then tell you about their origins, replications, and usages in perfume.
It could be citrus,floral,wood etc.. it will also tells you in which kind of perfume you will find that particular fragrance.

the secret room

we also went to St Jacques it is an old church. there is a lot of restaurants in this area If you are a food lover don’t be scared to give it a try.

Église Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas,

we ended our journey with a flavorful meal

Group picture at Notre Dame

Jose-Lyne, Samantha and Cherrish presenting about Notre Dame

Centre Georges Pompidou

Torey, Robert and Samael presenting about Centre Georges Pompidou

Group picture at Centre Georges Pompidou

Fish and fries at Le Cabalier Bleu restaurant

My classmates and I heading to the hotel after shopping

Delicious Sancocho made by Professor Abreu

Today June 21st, 2018, we had a short day as a class because we only had two walking tours which were the Notre Dame tour and the Centre Georges Pompidou tour. The class met at the hotel lobby at 9:15 a.m. to first head to the Notre Dame site where Samantha, Cherrish and Jose-Lyne where going to present. From the Notre Dame presentation, I learned that the cathedral is around 855 years old and it is one of the largest churches in Paris. Since the church’s architecture is very well detailed and the fact that the church is 69 meters long, it lasted 200 years for the church to be completed.

After the Notre Dame presentation, we took our group picture and then took 15 minutes to walk around and see the church. We then walked to Centre Georges Pompidou where Samael, Robert and Torey where going to give their presentation. From this presentation, I learned that the Centre Georges Pompidou is located in a very accessible area where visitors get to enjoy the rooftop restaurant called Georges, the two libraries, the music center and acoustic research and the museum all inside the centre. After the presentation, we took another group picture, we were giving some instructions by the professors and then we were dismissed to enjoy the rest of our day.

My friends and I visited a restaurant near Centre Georges Pompidou called Le Cavalier Bleu which means the blue rider. I ordered fish and fries with passion fruit juice. I really enjoyed the meal, it was delicious. We then headed to a Primark store where I bought a lot of stuff for very good prices. We headed back to the hotel where a delicious Sancocho made by Professor Abreu was waiting for us. Today was a very productive day and I look forward to keep enjoying my stay in France with my classmates.

Street view, where to one side of the street. is district 11 and the other district 12

Day 11 at the Thomas Ahrens International Work/Study Program in Paris. Today we visited one of the oldest market place in the city dated back to the 1600s’, but officially opened in 1779. It’s opens 6 day out of the week, closed on Mondays. Marche d’Alligre is the only one with a flea market within the market, as an exception to  the rest of the markets in the city which consist of fruits, vegetable, cheeses, and meat. Flea market are only allowed by the government to be  outside the city limits. We walk around the area and familiarized ourselves with the different types of vendors and the multiples shops around the area. Also, we learn about the different types of bakeries, which mostly consist  of two; one is industrial and the other artisanal, meaning that the industrial will have their good prepared elsewhere and the artisanal will have it prepared on site. After the early hike around the area it was time for a little break. The group decided to try the different types of cheeses at the market and like a good Parisian, we had a small picnic. The group tried about 6 different types and the one that the group like the most was the Papillon cheese from Aveyron.

More over, it was  time to got to out next location. A 20 min walk from the picnic was Hotel Le Boulet. Hotel Boulet, is a boutique hotel according to the company’s definition because is has less than 100 rooms. Is a 5 start hotel and the only one of its category in the 11th district when most of the luxurious hotel are located on other district. Before it became a hotel this was a wood manufacturer, and then became a chocolate factory, and finally a hotel. This hotel has 5 rooms categories and the average room rate run from 380-710 euros. Also it mostly for couples, tourist, and business men clientele since there’s not family rooms. The concept of t hotel is very modern in design and to complement the background history the hotel decided to implement the wood and chocolate scent in hotel environment. Our host Anais gave us a short tour to the main parts of the hotel and to two rooms to view their design. I have found it very chic and elegant. Really enjoy the tour. Finally, after Hotel Le Boulet it was time for the group to present and to take us to their location. We were to visiting Chateau de Vincennes. The group gave an excellent explanation of their location and the history of the Chateau. The Chateau de Vincennes originally was a hunting place for the King, became a prison for the elite prisoners of the King and eventually a Chateau for the King. The place is divided into 4 location the King and Queens chateau, the dungeon and a church. Today the Chateau is being used for different activities and exhibitions.

Marche d’Alligre

Coffee grinding machine at the Cafe Aouba

Bread tasting an Artisanal bakery

aInside the market at a cheese establishment

Picnic time….

Cheese tasting at the picnic

Street view of the entrance at Hotel Boutet

Work of art for sale at the hotel.

Hotel Boutet

Chateau entrance

Chateau de Vincennes- The Church

The Dungeon

And then we say Au revoir! jusqu’a la prochaine tournee

Today we had the opportunity to visit the Rungis Market, known to be the largest wholesale market in the world. Due to the fact that the market operates mainly between 1 and 11 AM, we made sure to be up and ready to take the bus at 3:45 AM, probably the earliest field trip I have had in my life, totally worth rising early. Rungis is composed by five huge markets within the complex, Fish, Meat, Dairy/Cheese, Fruits and Legumes, and Horticulture markets. Accompanied by our gracious tour guide Philippe, we received a very detailed tour of the fish market as well as a brief tour of the other four markets, this gentleman is very passionate about the history and logistics of his company, which made the tour a lot more interesting.

Besides having a lot to sell, this market also has a long story to tell, one full of interesting facts our tour guide was pleased to share. We split the time between the tours and the bus, which was used by Philippe as a scenario to tell us the history, fun facts, and operation processes of the Market. It was overall a great experience, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit such important food trading market.

Fish Market

Mr Philippe (Tour Guide)

Meat Market

Cheese Market

Horticulture Market

Vegetables

Today was our first day doing hotel tour at Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel. Jocelyn, the sales manager and Anne from human resources did a presentation on the hotel history and background. The Ambassador Hotel first opened in 1917 and was named the biggest hotel in Paris for having a 1,000 room, but now its only 300 room. After the presentation, they accompanied and showed us a room and the rooftop executive lounge. The view was magnificent!

After our lunch break, we did our first walking tour at Palace de la Concorde. Stephanie, Murielle, and Natasha covered a lot of information on their project from the history of the obelisk to the hotels and garden nearby.

The restaurant / kitchen tour at Assemblee Nationale led by Frank Languille was very thorough. He explained all the details on how this restaurant and kitchen operate. There were a lot of stations in different floors and three different type of restaurants (cafeteria, fast service, and fine dining). Again, the view from the restaurants was as beautiful as the hotel!

Hotel Ambassador

Hotel Ambassador’s restaurant Haussmann 16

Hotel Ambassador when it first opened in 1917

Walking tour at Palace de la Concorde

Cheese tasting

Restaurant Assemblee Nationale

Sunday fun day! My favorite day of the week, our 9th day in Paris and it is all coming along. Today was the last day of the “Programme du Salon de la Patisserie” so a few classmates and I decided to experience the world of French Pastries. The Salon was full of different booths from; “Le Macaron par Bruno Laffargue”, “French Touch” to “Le Cordon Bleu” and so much more. There was also a few competitions among the favorite local artisans as well as pastry classes. Not to mention the tasting and the goodies! It was a beautiful and amazing event.

Since it was such a beautiful day we also went to the “Palais de Doree” located at the Bois de Vincennes. The Palais offers three different attractions: ” Le Musee national de l’histoire de l’immigration” ( The National Museum of the History of immigration). The Palais history including its architectural style and the one we visited; “Aquarium Tropical”. Since it was a group of us we only paid 4.20 euro and the experience worth way more than that!

overall it was a fun and beautiful day. let’s take a look at the pictures!

long line but it was moving fast!

Ready to eat my favorite macaron colors!

Sweet Art Booth -Chef demonstration of ” Cacao and Tomate”

Very tight pastry competition!

Palace of Versailles.

Some of my peers and I decided to go to the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles is a big palace that was once the residence of the king of France Louis XIV. In order for anybody to visit this beautiful palace, tickets are needed to be brought online with a specific date and the events that you want to see. Upon arriving at the Palace of Versailles, the beauty of it is indescribable to even put into words. There was a ton of places within the palace that took up most of my memory on my phone because I couldn’t get enough of how beautiful and majestic the place is. The design and the architecture inside and outside of the palace is mind blowing. To see the craftsmanship and the details, its indescribable to put into words. There was a little hiccup on the ticket concerning the night show but it was all sorted out  in the end. Being at the Palace at night is looking with a new perspective and a whole new world. Everything inside and the outside of the palace is lit up. The fountains inside the garden was lit up with different colors along with a water show and classical music that paired up with it. At 10:50pm they had a firework display that was being held in Neptune’s fountain. Even though today was a long day for me and for some of the others, I’m glad I got to experience this breathtaking event. If you are going to the Palace of Versailles in the near future, I do recommend taking everything in and getting a ticket to the night show, it is definitely worth the wait.

Inside of the Palace of Versailles at night.

My favorite place of Versailles.

The garden.

The Palace of Versailles at night.

Night show fireworks.

Today was the fourth and last day of Culinary and Pasty classes.  Today we cook lunch for the Dir. of Lycée Des Métiers and our professors, Professor Warner and Zinder.  We all also received a Certificat de Formation. It was a happy day for some but also a sad day.  For example, I will not miss the long commute but I will miss the fun and the learning opportunities that were had in the kitchens.  Chef Sandrien and Chef Nicolas will truly be missed.  The weekend is finally here and it is time for a small break.  It seems like this trip has been non stop since we got to Paris. Each day is running into each other.  I do not know what day it is.

Yvonne, Cherish, Destiny

Table set up for Lunch

Certificates

Another day at Brunoy! Today wasn’t as dreading to get out of bed as yesterday because most of us slept-in for another 20 minutes since the meet up time was at 7:00AM instead of 6:40AM. As usual, it was a long train ride, some took naps, some stayed awake. We arrived at Saint Pierre Institute fairly early, around 8:55AM, all because the bus that gets to Saint Pierre was right there when we got off the Metro RER D (We got lucky). The class started at 9:30 (ish), and our goal was to finish cooking/baking by 12:30. and WE achieved that! We were afraid it was going to be like yesterday’s disaster and not being to eat until 1:30ish. I felt the menu was pretty straightforward and easy. The appetizer was Thai/French Style Mussels. The Entree was Fillet of Cod with mushrooms, and finally the desserts were various flavors of macarons. The meal was delicious, especially the macarons! After eating, we all cleaned up as a team, and made our way back to the hotel to relax. I went into the city (Paris) to roam around, shopped a little. Then ended the night with eating frozen food (too lazy to cook), but IT was pretty good for what it is. wasn’t that filling though.

Cleaning Mussels for the Thai/French Style Mussels

Stephanie and Joe plating the mussels!

Cherish, Murielle, Destiny, Welthy, and Sarah helping plating the Cod Fish!

Joe & his macarons!

The Paris Group!