Back in Paris

I really do like this city. It is so nice to be able to walk around and not be so cold like last time. It makes a very big difference. (I do not like this keyboard, the keys are different and periods require a shift button. I apologize for any typos and if this sounds stilted. Stilted typing may make for stilted writing.)

Traveling here required many different modes of transportation and transfers so thank goodness we made it. The only hitch along the way was when we missed one of the train connections because the other two trains had been delayed a good bit. Thankfully, there was another train in half an hour and we had left plenty of time. On the plane I sat next to a girl who was studying architecture in Rome. In the airport we got to travel along these really cool tubes with moving ramps in them and when you looked up you could see other tubes criss-crossing the whole space. Chris remarked that it was like a modern version of the moving staircases in Harry Potter.

After taking a train to the center of Paris and settling in we went to eat and then walked around the neighborhood (the Latin Quarter) to find a grocery store and some pastisseries. We bought a crepe and walked to the Notre Dame, along the Seine, and then to the Louvre where we went inside the pyramid to check it out. Along the way we would stop and sit for a little bit, as it is a pretty far walk. The reflections in the pool of the Louvre and the pyramid were beautiful and the people walking along the small paths in the pool looked like they were walking on water. It was a very pleasant walk, and things are all the more wonderful with a warm crepe in your belly and beautiful sites.

This morning we had really delicious chocolate croissants for breakfast and I was amazed all over again at how well these Parisians can make pastries. We then took the metro to Pere LaChaise, the famous graveyard. It was really beautiful, with lots of moss on old stones, crocuses popping up, and all of that history. It was extremely big and absolutely covered with these huge stone crypts and some very large gravestones. We saw the graves of Jim Morrison, Chopin, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, and Gertrude Stein (so Alice B. Toklas as well).

We ate lunch and then went to this store that we had come across the other night called Gerard Mulot, a famous chocolate and pastry shop. We purchased a chocolate croissant and loaf of bread and I snapped a lot of pictures of the beautiful displays, which I will be sure to share later. Picture towers of colorful macaroons, a chocolate sculpture, mounds of croissants, and piles of chocolate. Heaven.

We then walked to the Notre Dame and waited in line to go to the top to see the bells (thank you Cavin for the suggestion). There was quite a bit of climbing, followed by beautiful views of the city below, gargoyles (we noticed one that they must have used as a model for the character in the Disney movie), and lots of very pretty Gothic details. The bell was very big and it was quite fun to squeeze through the tiny door (hence the hunchback, I suppose) and climb up the narrow stairs through all of the wooden beams. We then climbed more to reach the very top, there was another long wait, and then went back down again.

When leaving the area around the Notre Dame I thought I heard my name being called so after a bit looked around, very dubious that it was actually for me. I was extremely surprised to see one of the student workers that had worked at Lamont library. Since he is the Harvard student maybe he can figure out the odds of that happening. He is studying in Bologna so we had joked about running into each other in Italy and there we were, running into each other on a weekend in Paris.

After this encounter we walked to Rue Cler and went into the bakery we had frequented last time. This is probably when I should mention that I had an apple and peanut butter sandwich for lunch because we ended up buying "dinner" there, which consisted of a baguette, croissants, and chocolate croissants. We brought this to the Eiffel tower and ate there on a bench watching the sun set and the lights come on and then begin to sparkle.

We returned here and rested for a bit before going out to get a crepe (I decided before coming here that one of the things I really wanted to do was get a lot of crepes, since they are so good) and eating it in front of fountains in the square of Sorbonne University.

Now for some big news, or at least news that I am very excited about. Chris and I have decided to go to Disneyland Paris tomorrow, a spontaneous decision but one that we think will be incredibly fun and memorable. Since we both love Disney so much we decided it would be very much worth it and have been planning it ever since. Now off to bed since I need to be very well rested for a big and exciting day tomorrow!