After an incredibly rocky start zesterday, things are finally starting to look up in Paris. This city is seriously so cold. We got to our hostel yesterday at around noon and couldn’t get into our rooms until 4:00, so after waking up at 3:00 a.m., that morning we had to find something to do for four hours.
Fortunately our hostel is located in the cutest little area, called Commerce, and had a bunch of fun little cafes and frommageries (uh, and a Sephora!) to keep us entertained. Then we preceded to walk to the Eiffel tower, which really wasn#t that great, although I think that largely had to do with the weather (horrible, rainy, freezing) And also the barren gardens, and the horrific Seine (is it always that disgusting? Ew.) Afterwards, we traversed to the Arc de Triomphe, nearly passed out from exhaustion at a cafe, wondered down the Champs-Elysees, and found ourselves back at the hostel, in bed, by 7:30.
Our hostel, by the way, thinks it is summer. It is centered around this courtyard with PALM TREES and the bathrooms are outside. OUTSIDE. Outside. Think about how awful that is at 3:00 a.m. Exactly. Anyway, there was also live music and hordes of people until atleast 1:00 a.m., which is roughly when I finally fell asleep.
But, as promised, the story does get a little more uplifting! This morning we hit up the Louvre, which is probably really cool for the art history folk (erm….Leeners) but we just kind of wanted to see the Mona Lisa (and Vermeers ‘Lacemaker’….why do I love the dutch so much?) After that we went over the Seine to the Cite de Paris, which is basically an island with the Notre Dame on it, so that was cool. We (I) took pictures with a hunchback, and there was a Christmas tree out front, which automatically made me happy!
Next we went in search of Shakespeare and Co, the legendary bookstore whose original owner fostered the careers of authors such as Hemingway and James Joyce and which my english major companion Kelly is obsessed with. This bookstore is amazing. Books towering over you, floor to ceiling, and lots of used books, too. So while agonizing over which book to buy (Simone de Beavoiur or Colette?) they mentioned there was a tea party going on upstairs , in the owner’s library (he’s 95, so needless to say, he didn’t take part). So we wandered up these stairs to this apartment overlooking the Notre Dame and a woman named Pamilles (originally Pamela, but she ‘changes it every few years’ and is currently going by the Greek version because it means honey) greets us and about a dozen others with tea. We all go around sharing a bit of background (some Italian au pairs, a Portugese poet who attended the same tea Sunday tea party 30 years ago) and chat for awhile. It was bizarre. Just picture old books cascading over walls and Pamilles (who reminds me of Ruth from honors with a french accent, of course) reciting poetry she’d written. It was so cool. Easily my favorite (and most unforgetable) part of the trip.
Afterwards we grabbed the metro back to Champs-Elysees to try out Lauderee macaroons, which I’ve wanted to do forever. I don’t even know why they’re famous, but they are. And pretty. And expensive (horridly! 6 euro for four of them). And SO DELICIOUS. We sat on the Champs-Elysees looking at the Christmas lights and the Arc de Triomphe, eating chocolate macaroons, and for a moment I wasn’t even cold. Priceless.
We ended up just walking back to our hostel, via the Eiffel tower, which was so much more impressive at night. I also got some Chinese food for fear of starvation and….back to the hostel we are! We’ll probably go to bed soon, if onlz because getting a decent nights sleep is the onlz waz we’llsurvive this marathon of a trip. Tomorrow is our last day in Paris! We’re hoping to see the Cemeterie Pere Lachaise, the cemetery with a billion famous residents, and explore Montmarte in the afternoon. Hopefully another good day on the horizon–provided it doesn’t rain!
