Shopping and the Louvre

So this weekend was a little bit more relaxing, which was good because we start class tomorrow!
Yesterday Megan and I slept in, then went down to the Montparnasse area and went shopping in a lot of French chain stores-Zara (actually Spanish), Kookai, Promid, Pimkie...they actually had an H&M there that we ended up going to! I ended up getting a pair of black boots (very chic in Paris, as well as useful for when it rains). Then we met up with Amy, Hayley, and Becky near the Opera and wandered around there for awhile, checked out the old stock exchange and a flea market nearby, and had dinner in the Latin Quarter.
This morning was another late morning, and then we decided to go have lunch. However, all stores and a lot of restaurants in Paris are closed on Sunday. After wandering around our neighborhood for an hour with no luck, we decided to go to Le Marais--it's the gay and Jewish neighborhood in the center of Paris (the 4eme), and everything there is open on Sundays. So we went there, had Chinese food and a crepe each, and walked around a little. It's pretty lively on Sundays, which is unusual for France. Then we met up with Becky at the Louvre! IES gave us free passes to the Louvre for the entire semester, so we just went in for a few hours to see some of the major sights--the Mona Lisa (La Joconde in French), Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory--along with some French paintings. Last time I was in Paris you weren't allowed to take pictures of the Mona Lisa, but they've increased the glass protection and widened the area around it and now apparently you can.
After a few hours there we headed home and Megan and I watched a French film our host mom loaned us called Les Choristes...kind of like a combination between a French version of The Sound of Music and Dead Poet's Society. It was pretty cute, and watching things in French with French subtitles is always educational.
Tomorrow we start class! I have two political science classes tomorrow, from 10:45-2. Yay for class? It'll be nice to be on a schedule, though.
Here's the link to my Louvre pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052861&l=37018&id=15805278