On our third day in Paris, we started with a cooking class. This is the first day we have to travel to our activities on our own, without a guide. A few of us gathered in the lobby after breakfast to tackle public transportation together. We arrived at the class early, so we stopped in at a Starbucks and decided to try it and see if it tasted the same as at home. I found that the drink was less sugary as they are at home.

We started the cooking class by washing our hands, tying up our hair, and putting on aprons to protect our clothes! We made Salmon fillet with white wine sauce and braised carrots.  We started with the chef showing us how to cut carrots, green onions, and shallots correctly, then we did it for ourselves. After that, we put the carrots and green onions together in a pan with olive oil and some spices, and occasionally mixed them. For the white wine sauce, we put the shallots in a pan with white wine and sautéed them until there was no liquid left. Once that was accomplished, we added whole cream to the pan with more spices. We then fried the salmon for 5 minutes and then put it in the oven to finish cooking. While waiting, we went back to cutting up the garnish. Once it was finished, we plated our food and then headed to the dining room. The meal was delicious! My favorite part was the white wine sauce. 

Following the cooking class, we had a street art tour of the largest murals in Paris. We met our tour guide, Thom, who started with a quick lesson on how all the murals got onto the buildings. The city commissioned many international artists to create murals throughout the 13th arrondissement of Paris. 

Once the tour was finished, a few of us went back to the hotel to rest for a little while and to work on some of our classwork. Once rested and ready to go, Jessie, Emma, and I went to dinner at Bartolino’s. A gourmet restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine, an Italian bar, and a Neapolitan-style osteria in Saint-Germain! I ordered the Penne all’Arrabbiata, and it was delicious!

After dinner, the three of us took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower to take some pictures and enjoy the view. We even met some very kind locals! We then headed back to the hotel, went to sleep, and prepared for our next day abroad!