The Perfect Saturday Night in Paris

I woke up at around 12:30 today (which is pretty early when you consider that I went to bed at 6am), cleaned up the mess of clothes I left on the floor last night, poured myself a nice glass of orange juice and informed my parents that I was alive.

When Taylor woke up at around 2:30, we decided to pick up some groceries, make lunch, and catch up with eachother's lives. After a jaunt down to Biatrix for the usual 85 centimes Baguette Parisienne, we hopped over to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for omelettes and other things we wanted to have around the apt. We stocked up on corn, peas, tomatoes, and motzzarella (which is only 90 centimes here for a large ball, I love Paris!). Our huge bags of groceries came to only 13 EUR and Taylor picked up the tab since I got the laundry detergent, draino, and the previous round of groceries. After finishing our baguette en route as usual, we came home to make a huge lunch. I was in charge of food prep and Taylor prepared the omlettes in the pan. I think we've mastered the art of cooking in a small kitchen.

We set our beautiful lunches out on the table in my room, right next to the window that looks out onto rue Michel le Comte. It was a beautiful day and the breeze trickled in through the window. I couldn't think of a more perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon after a long Friday night. We took advantage of our beautiful surroundings and ate as if we were 2 parisiennes sitting at a local brasserie or café just down the street: we took our time and ate for 2 hours.

After feeling incredibly satisfied, I decided to take the newly draino-ed shower drain for a spin and was very, VERY satisfied that my shower did not turn into a foot bath.

Taylor was getting ready to go to a concert and I desperately wanted to take a walk along the Seine, so I skyped a bit with Jay before throwing on an echarpe and taking to the streets. I grabbed Jay's camera in hopes of capturing a few good shots.


I first trotted down to the Seine and walked along the side of the street closest to the river. Even though it was almost 7:30, the sun was just starting to set and the water looked beautiful. I hiked my way down past the local artists until I happened upon the Louvre, where the crystal pyramid was sparkling in the sunset. Pure magic surrounded me as I began to hear a cello out of one corridor. As I wandered around the Louvre's courtyard, I noticed that each corridor seemed to house the music of a different musician. I heard opera singers, a clarinet, and a cello all playing different tunes from different eras but they all seemed to combine into a magical melody that could have never come out so beautiful had it been planned.

Standing in the center of this virtual orchestra of street musicians, I looked toward the fountain and noticed that I wasn't the only one feeling the magic. Two parisians on velibs shared one of the most romantic moments I have seen thus far on my trip. To be honest, I was kind of jealous of how perfectly they looked in that instant -- just two lovers on bicycles sharing a kiss in front of a gorgeous fountain as a symphony surrounds the courtyard -- their bicycle tires even matched up.

But it wasn't before long that the sun set, the lovers parted, and a man took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and jumped feet first into the fountain. One second the city is full of romance, the next, it's full of feet. I love Paris, I thought for the 1000th time.

The sun was coming down, so I decided to head back home. As I walked home, I was greeted by the cutest little face in a window of a store: a little kitty! He was so friendly -- just came right up to the window and stuck his little face out. I played some little games with him for a little while since I felt kind of bad that the poor thing was locked up in a store all by himself all night, but then another kitty came up to him and I realized he wasn't all alone.

I continued my walk home but stopped at the rue du rambuteau to get a little snack. When I saw that I could snag a banana nutella crêpe for only 3,50 EUR, I had made up my mind. It was as fresh, oozing, and delicious as anyone could have ever hoped for. I love Paris, I thought again.

I decided to follow the sound of some music down another street where I found some street performers playing a duet on what looked like a home-made marimba. I sat down with my handful of extacy and took in more of the Parisian magic. I had music, a crêpe and the centre pompidou behind me: how can Los Angeles even compare? All I need is to get my boyfriend up here and then you'll never get me to leave!

After my mini concert and excellent dessert, I saw a Monop' (Monoprix's little convenience store) and decided to hop in for some pictures. I saw the Sirop and was enticed by the colors, so I began snapping some photos with Jay's camera until a man in a security suit came up to me and said in a very serious French voice that I was prohibited from taking photos. I apologized profusely in my best French, saying that I wasn't from here and so I didn't know the rules. I thought about it for a second and realized that I really didn't know the rules. Apparently, it's perfectly acceptable to bathe in the fountains at the Louvre and drink in public but I can't take a photo in a convenience store? Tant pis! A little slap on the wrist for being a silly tourist is probably pretty good for me and now I've learned that I shouldn't just assume I can take pictures where ever I want. At least they let me keep the shots. :)


Feeling that my big camera faux pas was probably a sign to end the night, I walked back to the apt for a glass of Cola Light from a bottle that I bought at ED a few days ago. I look out my window and see the parisians out to play but feel totally satisfied having gone to my own concert at the Louvre, having tasted my parisian delicacy, and having gotten in trouble the Monop' police. Who could ask for anything more?

See my photo albums for more photos of today:

Fickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42113654@N07/
Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/aspettami/Paris#
and http://picasaweb.google.com/aspettami/ParisOnAStudentSBudget#

Total Damage today:
Baguette: ,85 EUR
Crepe: 3,50 EUR

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