After feeling like I missed half the day yesterday, by waking up so late. I was determined to make sure I was up-and-at'em early today! Set my alarm, woke up, got ready and headed out the door.
On my way to the metro, I walked by Rue de Granelle - a market was going on. So I took a gander, grabbed myself a water and a small bag of grapes and kept on my way.
As I hoped down the stairs to of the metro to the self-service machines to buy myself a ticket, I met my first language barrier. What the heck is this mumbo-jumbo?! Son-of-a...!
Alright, alright.. Recall grades 1-9 French... Click here, click there... Accept?... Sure, why not... £1.70. Cool.. Think I got the hang of this. Ticket prints, and I'm off!
Take 2, on my mission to the Louvre!
After a few subway transfers, I make it.
I follow a herd of people and my google maps in the direction of the giant glass pyramid... As I walk through a beautiful and large corridor, I spot the pyramid! Stoked!
As I trot around the enormous courtyard, take some pictures, I head to the entrance....That's funny... Why is there no line up?
A sign:
"Le musée du Louvre est fermé Le mardi."
You have GOT to be kidding me. ... For you English folk, the louvre is closed.
Well hmm.. Alright. Next idea?
I get back on the metro, take it to the Notre Dame.
The one thing I forgot to anticipate about coming during the beautiful month of May were the lines. Tourists everywhere! The line to go in the Notre Dame was probably about a solid 45mins long. Thankfully, on that good old' school trip back in the day, I had been in it before. I cruised around the area taking more pictures, when I seethes girl with bleach, bleach blonde hair... Had to have been from California, especially with the fake boobs she was sporting. Haha... Turns out I was bang on. It was Holly Madison, Hugh Hefners ex-girlfriend of many years from the Playboy mansion. Solid celebrity-spotting on my part.
I carried on, walked along Quai de Montebello and ended up finding one of the original editions, 2451/2663 of Le Petit Prince... But was soon devastated to find out that the woman wouldn't sell it to me without buying all other 6 volumes in the collection for £550. Rats!
So on my way I went, again. When I was a lot younger... Maybe 5 or 6? My dad came to Paris for a few months to teach baseball. He told me that him and his friends always used to hang out along St.Michel, which happened to be a few blocks from where I was.
As I headed that way, I ended up discovering a fantastic bookstore, which later found out was quite famous, called Shakespeare & Co. Its a two-story bookstore, with old signs above door frames, "Old Smokey Reading Room" and "Blue Oyster Tea Room", with rickety wooden ladders to high up, stocked shelves. It featured old typewriters and organ upstairs. There were little nooks with benches to sit and read all the notes left by visitors over the years that hung on the wall. The place had so much character and history it was almost overwhelming - so much to look at! After spending about a half hour or so exploring the bookstore, I felt a bit hungry... Stomach growling.. I headed to back to the street of Saint Michel and found myself a restaurant with a good looking menu and decently priced too.
Le Cloud de Paris, it was called. I ordered myself a Croque Monsieur sandwich (ham & cheese) and a creme brûlée! At the end of my lunch a couple sat next to me that spoke English. I was so excited to hear people speak English that I said hello and had a chat. It was nice, but I was brought the check, paid up, and headed to the washroom before figuring out where to go next.
Not to get so descriptive, but while I was in washroom someone tried to open the door... Thank goodness i locked it or their would've been one of those awkward moments, but when I came out the woman apologized and I told her it was alright and started to wash my hands. This is when she did the same thing I had done just shortly before, "you speak English! Hunny! Where are you from?!" I told her I was from San Diego and, what-a-freakin coincidence, so was she! From La Jolla, not just a few minutes down the road!
We chatted a for a few minutes, told her about my adventures and she told me I had to come meet her family at their table! Well long story short, they turned out to be an absolute riot!
I sat with them for about an hour, had a glass of wine or two and cracked up while chatting with them. It was fantastic! It turned out that the woman I met, her family owns Mr.A's downtown San Diego, a favorite of my parents, and her son was an editor of Celebrity Apprentice & The Amazing Race, which I'm dying to do to some day when I'm am American citizen! (haha) it was a fantastic afternoon, and so nice to sit and socialize with people that spoke English, were funny, annnnnnd from the same city!
After exchanging information, we parted ways and I headed back to my apartment. When I got back I decided to change into a good ol' tshirt and headed out to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower.
Ya, you heard me. Climb the stairs all the way up.
Well when I got to the Eiffel tower... Not only was there a line that wrapped around for days and days... There was also an enormous line just to go up the stairs! Who knew that so many people Had the same idea I did.
Once again, plan failed.
The sun was setting, and I didn't want to be out when it was really dark just as a precaution while traveling alone in Europe, so I opted for a chocolate banana crepe and a walk over to the cafe across from my apartment for a glass of champagne. Not bad, if you ask me!
Tomorrow I'm headed to the train station to pick up my next ticket to Cologne and then to Montmartre and then the Black Seeds concert tomorrow night!
Should be a nice day! :)
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| The Louvre! |
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| Closed on Tuesday |
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| Notre Dame |
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| Shakespeare & Co. |
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| Rosalie, from La Jolla! |
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| La Tour Eiffel! |
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