Faire le Pont (a long weekend in Paris)

I've been living in France for two weeks now and continue to work towards settling in. I am hoping the last few things on my checklist will soon be crossed off! November 1 was All Saints' Day, a national holiday in Paris, allowing for a three day weekend. As Thursday was Halloween, I felt a little pull back to Sleepy Hollow and the fall season in New York. I love how into the season our town gets and how festive it becomes. That night after work I met up with Shelley, Jeannie's friend from University, at her apartment for a Halloween party. It was so nice to see her and I had such a great time!

Scenes from around home

Saturday I was able to meet up with Allie's best friend from school, Danielle, and another one of their sorority sisters, Lauren. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets, chatting about moving abroad and checking out the little stands that line the Seine. After hearing so much about Danielle, it was so great to finally meet her!

Danielle & I outside the Notre Dame & Allie's response

Sunday, was a busy day. I started off the morning with a small 5k around Paris, in an attempt to find some new running routes. I then began to work on my to-do list of the day (which I still have to finish tonight...) Mid-afternoon I took a small break and headed to the Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle, where I visited the Grande Galerie de l'évolution and the Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée.

The species represented in the Gallery of Evolution are from the former Gallery of Zoology, which opened in 1889. Therefore, they had a huge selection of animals and did a really great job of exploring the diversity of life overtime by different terrain. Over the four floors they showcased marine habitats, terrestrial habitats, man's role in evolution and the evolution of life. The museum was really easy to navigate as it is much smaller than the American Museum of Natural History and everything was quite centralized.

The Gallery of Evolution

From there I headed across the Park and into the Paleontology and Anatomy room which showcases hundreds of fossils. The room was draw-dropping (albeit a little overwhelming). There were fossils everywhere so I didn't know where to begin! The collections around the room showcased the evolution of different species, such as man-kind, and parts of the body, such as the skull. The fossils in the center aisle were all large animals and mammals that really drew your attention. The only downside was that since everything was so close together it was difficult to really get a good look at the fossils in the center.

The Paleontology & Anatomy room