Paris, je t'aime

DAY 2 EN PARIS

The next morning, we took the bus back to Clo’s apartment. Taking the bus in a foreign country is always an adventure. It is a great place to people watch as well as see the sights of Paris, including the many very wealthy neighborhoods here. I had a great French experience when we got back. Clo and I were making something for lunch and we realized we needed butter. Naturally, I volunteered to go buy some. I walked into the market and asked, “Ou est le beurre?” After finding the type I was looking for, I checked out and spoke a little more French. On the way home, I was mistaken for a local by another local asking for directions. Of course I had no idea what she was saying, so sadly I had to say, “Je suis desolée. Je ne parle pas le fracais” (I’m sorry, I don’t speak French).

Clo and I hopped back on the bus after lunch and headed to the Arc de Triomph. Standing underneath the Arc, it is enormous…and swarming with tourists. We took some pictures and then walked down the Champs Élysées—an experience that falls under one of the many reasons why I love Paris so much. The Champs Élysées makes you feel somehow sophisticated and joyful in an inexplicable way.

On the way home, we stopped at a gourmet market just outside the metro. This was a French market that had many international foods and some of the loveliest fruits and vegetables I’ve ever seen. The peaches were perfectly round and red-orange and the cherry tomatoes are shine. We bought some baguette and cheese from Holland and had a quiet night inside after a tiring day. We watched “The Devil Wears Prada” and said “bonne nuit.”

DAY 3 EN PARIS

I haven’t talked much about the weather, which isn’t a particularly interesting subject except for the fact that it’s raining, windy, and very very cold here in Paris this morning. I decided that it was a good museum day. The plan was to go to both the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, however I ended up spending all of my time in the Louvre. I stopped by a café on the way to the Louvre for some delicious pain au chocolat. Walking into the Louvre courtyard to see the giant pyramids right in front of you is always an exciting moment. You feel like you’re walking into Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code. Because I was by myself, I kept asking people (in French, English, and Spanish) to take pictures of me after offering to take pictures of them. Although I don’t love being around other tourists when I travel, I do love meeting tourists who are as nice as the one’s I met today. I spent almost 4 hours in the Louvre looking at Egyptian artifacts, Greek sculptures, and Spanish, Italian, and French paintings. I don’t know why I love art museums as much as I do.

After the Louvre, I spent a few hours walking around the tourist and non-tourist parts of the area surrounding the museum. There is always something new to discover around every corner in Paris—a gorgeous church, a historic building, an outdoor market.

After spending some time getting lost in the streets of Paris, I went to Longchamp to buy my purse. I am getting a little more confident with my French as the days pass. Longchamp was busy, so I decided to be bold and ask one of the sales people to help me. I said, “Excusez-moi, parlez-vous l’anglais?” to which she responded a hesitant, “Une petite peau.” I decided it would be easier to speak French, so I showed her the bag I wanted, but asked for a smaller size and a different color—all in French. She then spoke to me as if I was fluent in French. I didn’t understand most of what she said, but I had fun trying! Paris, je t'aime.

Bonne nuit et a bientot!