My train arrived in the morning, and so I had most of Sunday to spend in Paris alone. My first stop: the Louvre. And one of the first things I saw? A couple posing in a kiss. Typical. What is it with these people? I have only been to Paris with girls, and it is obviously the city for lovers instead.
Specifically, the first thing I did was seek out Starbucks. Ahhhh, something familiar. Mmm, a huge "mocha blanc," a thoroughly non-French type of coffee! I relaxed and people-watched. (The Louvre is ideal for this--an international pocket full of people speaking all sorts of languages, where I heard more German, Chinese(?), and Spanish than French!) And I thought to myself, "Paris is still magical!" I didn't imagine it, I didn't only love the Paris of my sheltered study-abroad situation--I'm back, things have changed, life seems harder, circumstances are different, but I am still infatuated! Enchanting city.
Anyway, back to the Louvre. It was a good choice, because I stowed my bag for free before proceeding to the hotel to check-in. I went to one wing, the one with all of the Italian paintings and the French Neoclassic and Romantic paintings (works by David, Ingres, Géricault), some of my favorites and most-studied in art history. Most tourists go to this wing for the Italian paintings - specifically, to see the Mona Lisa.
After check-in, I wandered to my favorite part (the heart) of Paris. The Ile de la Cité, this little island in the Seine river, is the oldest part of Paris, the point from which the city spread outward until it became the huge capital of France that it still is today. I said bonjour to Notre Dame de Paris, sitting on the isle and still charming me, even after I've studied and now seen churches built on a more impressive scale (ahem, like the cathedral of Reims)! I found Shakespeare & Co., a nearby famous English bookstore plus library, and stumbled upon the small but quite old (of course) St. Julien le Pauvre while eating a galette. This was the second galette I've had, and they taste kind of funny--they are basically whole-grain crêpes with savory fillings. I also went to see Saint Sulpice, a church in the Latin quarter that I've never visited, but it was (still) undergoing restoration work. The fountain in the square was pretty though--I liked the golden rays of the setting sun on the water...
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| Me with the Raft of the Medusa, by Théodore Géricault |
After check-in, I wandered to my favorite part (the heart) of Paris. The Ile de la Cité, this little island in the Seine river, is the oldest part of Paris, the point from which the city spread outward until it became the huge capital of France that it still is today. I said bonjour to Notre Dame de Paris, sitting on the isle and still charming me, even after I've studied and now seen churches built on a more impressive scale (ahem, like the cathedral of Reims)! I found Shakespeare & Co., a nearby famous English bookstore plus library, and stumbled upon the small but quite old (of course) St. Julien le Pauvre while eating a galette. This was the second galette I've had, and they taste kind of funny--they are basically whole-grain crêpes with savory fillings. I also went to see Saint Sulpice, a church in the Latin quarter that I've never visited, but it was (still) undergoing restoration work. The fountain in the square was pretty though--I liked the golden rays of the setting sun on the water...
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| Fountain of Four Bishops, Place St-Sulpice |
Later on, I met up with HH at the train station, and, pushed for time, we dropped her stuff at the hotel and ate dinner at a café downstairs before taking the Metro to Sunday night mass at Sacré Coeur. Even though we had to eat a quick, "rien de spécial" dinner, it was great to catch up and compare our experiences as English assistants, and so nice to see her again--a familiar face and an Auburn friend! To be able to be with a real friend and someone who has known me longer than a few weeks, was something I appreciated so much! :)
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