Europe Day 2: Care free and Unconcerned

Second day in Paris, and it was delightful.

The morning began with classes, where we were taught a little more about how to live in France, by an American named Mary who married a French man, and has lived here for three years.

She was h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s. even while sharing a wealth of information about How to Walk like  French Person (as she titled her lesson).  (her very amusing blog can be found here.)

Apparently, French people converse about their bodily functions all. the. time. If you are constipated, have an upset stomach, have a sore throat, have a runny nose, or a thousand other things that could possible happen to the human body, your friends care and would love to discuss it with you. 

After lessons, we took the metro for the very first time to Mairie de Paris, a hip area of the city filled with many shops of various shapes and sizes, selling mostly shoes and clothes. It was lunch time when we arrived, so my roommate Jeanie and I purchased lunch at a bakery and ate lunch on a bench on the Seine.  It was wonderful!  Despite being in the middle of the city, the only street noise we heard were sirens as we watched the water float by.  The sandwhich-ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce on bread-was also delicious.   Even so, I am determined to eat in an actual restaurant in the very near future.

After lunch, Jeanie and I strolled down the street looking for ice cream, but were happily serenaded by a man instead.  Granted, there were twenty other individuals surrounding him, but who's to say his songs were not for me?  Though frankly, I considered his band of old men much more adorable.  They played the drums, bass (not guitar, the tall kind you slap in swing dance music), and the saxaphone. It was a welcome respite after the hustle and bustle of people in a city who have discomforting small personal bubbles.

We continued on our stroll and ended up walking around Notre Dame.  It was absolutely beautiful! The tall spires were surrounded by satutes of every shape who seemed to walk across the archways and stone ledges without a chance of falling.  Even the grounds surrounding it were beautifully adorned with orange tulips, cherry blossom trees, and magnolias, and luscious green grass. Sadly, they were having a special service and the line of people waiting to go in stretched to eternity, so we did not go in. But, it was certainly worth walking around the parameter.

Nearly every woman in France wears as scarf. Having not brought one, Jeanie and I returned across the Seine to the main shopping area, where we wandered from shop to shop on the busy street.  Guess what?  French clothing stores really aren't that different from American clothing stores, except there are a few less choices, a lot more people, and everything is crammed much more tightly together.  We soon gave up finding a decent scarf for less than 20 euro, and simply wandered around this newfound, beautiful area of the city instead.  As we walked, we came across a man under a tent selling scarves for 3 euro, so I purchased a blue one and, after putting it on, felt much more French than I had yet.

If you ever go to France, I highly recomended visiting this area.  All the buildings have the classic look seen in movies; brick walls and wrought iron fences gaurding the terraces.  We were also greated by a plethora of cafes, crepe shops, bakeries and restaurants that seem to be sprinkled around the city in heavy amounts.  Of course, they all smell delicious, and it is nearly impossible to resist stopping for a snack! I am sorry to say though, that I have yet to enjoy a crepe, but tomorrow-it's happening.

All in all, I consider day two to be a success.  It was fun to wander around without knowing where we were going, and not being concerned with getting lost.  Care free and unconcerned-it is a relaxing life to live.