Back on my normal schedule (a Spanish one), I left the house around 11:30 to begin site seeing. What terrible weather I found! It was in the mid-40s (7C), rainy and windy. I started my touring at Notre Dame, using Rick Steve's Paris tour.
overlooking the Seine from Rue d'Arcole.
see how dreary of a day?
Notre Dame (pronounced dahm, not dame).
the garden and back of Notre Dame
After about thirty minutes, I was cold and ready for something hot to drink. So I found a nice pastry shop and stopped in for a cup of coffee and a pastry. From there I headed to Shakespeare and Co., a well-known English bookshop. I was, am amazed. The bookshop offers hundreds of books, on innumerable topics. Upstairs it has a special collection of books, many signed by the authors, and great spots for visitors to sit and read.
I probably could spend a few days in this room. And it has views of Notre Dame; what else does one need? After warming up, I drudged onward, not very happily, and decided to stop in a cafe for some lunch - I didn't make a sandwich after all. I was going to order the set 10€ meal with soup, an entree and dessert, but the soup bowl was so big, that I cancelled the rest of my order. French onion with cheese and bread crust. Wow. Delicious. One thing that I noticed is how hot (with heat) everything is here. In Italy, coffee isn't served very hot, as Italians usually stop in for a quick shot or drink on the go. In France, I have already burned my tongue three times: twice on coffee, once on soup. I had a mini-revelation which may or may not be true. Could it be that the French like things piping hot, so that they have more time to sit and talk over their snack or meal? Paris is known as a city where all good business is done in a restaurant or cafe - Parisian intellectuals and businessmen work this way. Seems to make sense to me.
Now that I was warmed up for the third time, I gave up on the city tour and headed for the department stores, a nice place to get out of the weather (and search for a warmer jacket), but even this didn't lift my spirits. So (Faeh this is for you) I went to a creperie for fresh crepes. I ordered the banana, almond, Nutella and cream crepe. I can still feel the sugar eight hours later, but it was worth it.
Faeh - you owe me about 3000 calories.
Next, I headed to the Eiffel Tower.. I had already been in Paris for 30 hours, visiting it was a requirement. On the way, I was distracted though. I have been wanting to buy a moka since enjoying coffee with Marco in Milan. At home, I usually do not drink coffee, so I have never wanted a coffee machine. However, when visitors complained about this, I bought a French press, but have never mastered it. Watching Marco use the moka seemed fool proof - there is a set amount of water and coffee, the only error can be heating it for too long. I splurged today and bought one. (It was made in Italy, hah.)
it's big enough for 2 or 3 shots of espresso.
After my purchase, I began looking for the Eiffel Tower. I kept walking straight, but still didn't see it peeking above the buildings. I checked my map, and sure enough I was heading the wrong way. Right then and there, I turned my head left, and BAM! Eiffel Tower!
guess I wasn't looking around much.
from below.
Ecole Militare - SE of the Tower.
Today was not the best day to go to the top (low visibility), but I am waiting for Mom to join me before I go to the top. I headed back home as I was ready to get warm after this - the wind was terrible, and it was still raining. I stopped by the store for fresh bread, a tomato, cheese, and coffee, of course. What a nice meal I had:
I bought and downloaded an episode of Glee for my entertainment (I am many, many weeks behind) and used Skype to catch up with some friends. I also enjoyed decaf coffee, compliments of my moka, and some macaroons. To do honest, I didn't have very high expectations for these little macaroons. Boy, was I wrong. They were delicious. I bought five: vanilla, caramel, strawberry, chocolate, and lemon. I think lemon was my favorite, very tart and sweet. I ate all five. I didn't mean to.. hah.
If it is still nasty weather tomorrow, I will spend my day in the Louvre and/or Pompidou - no more braving the weather for this girl. If it's nice, I'll try to explore more of the city!
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