Friday, September 30, 2005

Paris, day two

It is going to take me awhile to write this email. I am using a French keyboard today which, surprise, is different than English ones, at least in placement of the letters. So excuse any mistakes.

Today is rather gloomy, threatening to rain. I took the Metro and was so proud of myself to get the hang of it right away...pretty easy really. My only screwup was that I couldn't figure out how to open the door at one stop (they don't automatically open), so I had to ride one more stop then go back. Nothing too tragic. I saw Saint Sulpice, which is famous for the Rose Line...the first meridian of the earth. It was featured in The DaVinci Code. It was beautiful...let me say they build churches in a whole different scale here...they all rival sports arenas. Then I went to the Palais de Luxembourg, which now houses the Senate, and the Jardins de Luxembourg, which were huge and breathtakingly beautiful. I think it was all originally built for Catherine de Medicis, who was the mother of one of the Louis' and who ruled as a regent of France for awhile. Then I saw the Pantheon, which I think was also in the book (another church) and the
Sorbonne. Now I will probably walk along the Seine to the Tour d'Eiffel, then go to the Louvre. It's cheaper after 3pm.

I ate lunch at Creperie St. Germain, which was AWESOME. I had a galette for lunch...a buckwheat batter crepe filled with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. Then I had a dessert crepe with raspberries, pear ice cream, chocolate and chantilly cream. The best ever.

I am getting a lot of good pictures...yesterday I had great timing...ran out of memory and batteries just after Notre Dame.

I am getting sick of the squat toilets....it's very humiliating-feeling, especially when you're already sick to your stomach. Oh well, I'll get over it.

I may write more later as it's only 2pm here....just needed a break...not pushing myself as hard as yesterday.

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