Why do I even have a Metro navigo?

Kind of peeved about my whole bank account situation, I decided to head down to the Seine for some sure to be gorgeous sites. I headed out at about 5pm and just returned now at at beautiful 8:42 pm because, as you might have guessed, you can't just walk down to the seine, say "ok, that was nice" and then just walk back. I walked from my apt. in the 3rd, down rue de beaubourg until I hit the Seine, at which point I let out a girlish scream because I could see Notre Dame de Paris like 2ft away from me. I could literally feel the anger of all the commuting parisians breathing down my neck as I stopped dead in my tracks after crossing the river. It was so big I had to step back 50 feet to see it all at once. If I had a crash mat behind me, or one of those cute fainting couches from back in the days of corsets, I would have sighed and fell backwards smiling.

Well now I couldn't just stop there. I kept going. I saw the church of st. julien le pauvre and almost kissed the bald head of the man who I assumed was the abbot waiting next to the door because everything about the church was just so cute. It was like a lost puppy situated so close to the grandeur of Notre Dame yet so deserted and plain looking. I was completely in love with it's charm.

I walked slightly past the cathedral only to find that there were nearly 4 Manga stores all around me -- and not only was I in the center of Manga-town, Paris, but this was a Manga-town unlike any other. They had Soul Eater posters in the windows. Yes, folks, I have found the store to which I will lose my boyfriend, who is a big Manga adict. And best of all, there were several others just like it right next door. Across the street were American comic book stores boasting some action figures that must date back to the '60s. I snapped some photos of all of this since I am supposed to be keeping up with my Japanese while I'm here and decided I would return one of these days to see if I couldn't practice my conversational Japanese with some of the proprietors.

Then I strolled around the latin quarter and and past the Musée d'Orsay before returning to a walk along the seine. I have now decided where I need to go if I want to go bar hopping in Paris. They are EVERYWHERE in the latin quarter and come in all shapes and sizes. Also, happy hour mojitos for 3EUR? Don't mind if I do!

After a nice walk, I stoped in my tracks yet again because yes, there it was, the louvre. As I walked over the bridge toward the entrance I stopped in my tracks yet again (see a pattern here?) because the sun had peaked just over the Tour Eiffel and created this perfect silhouette that made even this iron beast of a monument look like a little key chain the tourists were buying for way too much money about 20ft away from me. Picture me, in my red jacket, literally twirling around in circles beaming like a little girl in the middle of a crowded bridge in Paris. Yes. People stared. No, I didn't care that I looked like a matador's cape gone mad. I was standing in between two of the most iconic monuments in Paris -- like them or not, you would have been excited too.

So I trotted over the cobblestones that lead to the Jardin de Tuileries and began snapping some photos when off to my left I hear a woman scream. I look to find a small older woman bent over an enormous puddle. I walked over and asked in my very best French if I could help her with something, and she told me that she dropped her metro ticket in the puddle. I used my umbrella to help her pick it up and she thanked me profusely. She reminded me so much of one of my French professors, Mme. Saigal, in that once she started talking to me, she just didn't want to stop. Wasn't this lovely and isn't that fantastic and oh don't you love Paris? Well it is a bit cold but still isn't it lovely and do you know about this little museum called "musée de cluny" yes well it's actually an old monastery and it has art from the middle ages and it's spelled c-l-u-n-y, you can't miss it take this metro and while you're there...

I loved her. Instantly. I half expected her to break out into an Edith Piaf song like Mme Saigal used to but before we could get to that point she went into the louvre and we exchanged "bonne soirée!"s.

As I made my way back toward my apartment I took in all the sights and smells I could. The river air was crisp, the trees smelled like fall, and the cobblestones under my feet felt like a little mouse under the streets was trying to press morse code into my feet as I walked. Every brasserie and patisserie I passed looked gorgeous. I thought of my friend, Sarah, the "lady chocolatier," every time I passed another gorgeous chocolatier's creation.

I picked up a pain au chocolat at the local boulangerie where I purchased my baguette yesterday. I'm really enjoying the convenience of being surrounded by fresh baked everything.

I raise my glass to a day well spent, and a lot of money saved in a bank account that still perplexes me.

Total damages:

Pain au chocolat: ,95 EUR