Metro stops and Macarons

Simply put, the metro system here in Paris is amazing. Not that I have a whole lot to compare it to (other than Washington, D.C). Even still, it gets very high marks for being user-friendly and for it's comprehensive system of stops located at all the major pulse points of Paris. The metro is also a treasure trove of hilarious ads. The movie ones are the best:

 

Bunny Scissorhands?

This ad, which is for the movie "Alice aux Pays des Merveuilles" or Alice in Wonderland, hypes up the fact that Tim Burton directed the flick by putting the poor white rabbit in Edward Scissorhands garb, a reference to an earlier Tim Burton movie of the same name.

The only downside to the metro is that it stops running at 1on weekdays and 2 on the weekend. Every night, I feel like Cinderella trying to get to her carriage before midnight, or in my case the metro stop before 12:30. I'm sure I don't have to point out to most of you that this cuts into prime partying time. Once I figure out how to use the Noctilien, or the Night bus, I'll be able to stay out longer.

***

My first macaron!

Previous to Paris, I had never had a macaron. I knew they sell them in Lemonade on USC's campus, but I didn't even really know what they were until I mistakenly called one of them a cookie in front of a friend. He looked at me, mildly horrified, and said, "Azeezah, it's a macaroon." Oooh. For those of you who, like me, are not up on your pastry knowledge, macarons (or "macaroons" if you prefer) are an outer shell of typically almond meringue filled with a typically fruit-based ganache. There are many, many different flavor combos, including a range from dark chocolate to pistachio. Pictured above, un macaron framboise or raspberry macaron.  So now I have finally eaten one, in the global capital of macarons, no less. They are more tasty, more delicious, than I could have ever predicted. I hate it when people liken food to sex, but I feel that here the comparison may just be apt. It has exceeded my expectations and more. Hello, new addiction!