Another free day in Paris

(I actually wrote this yesterday, but the lounge with the modem for internet closes at midnight, and I ended up going out with Dani (the guy from Mac), Izra (a Mac girl that did my program last semester) and some of her friends. We didn't get in until after midnight, at which time I found out that not only do they not have wireless here, but they also won't let you access the modem between the hours of 12am and 8am. How frustrating!)

So today I braved the metro, with the help of Allegra, who is in my program and lives on the 6^th floor of my building. We decided to go to the Jewish quarter which is across the seine, close to La Place de la Bastille. It’s Sunday, and even the major supermarkets are closed here. Only cafes seem to be open on Sundays, except for the Jewish area, which is teeming with shoppers. It was nice to walk around and window shop (in French window shopping translates to window licking, which I think is pretty funny). Most the shops were small boutiques and outrageously expensive, which is strange because January is sale time and every store has huge 50% off signs in their windows. Maybe 85 euros for a small decorative pillow seems reasonable to these Parisians, who are used to paying double that price, I don’t know. We wandered around until it got dark and even stumbled upon La Place de la Bastille, which is strangely unimpressive. It’s like a huge roundabout with tons of traffic and a really huge statue in the middle called La Gloire (Glory).

I guess I learned some valuable things today, such as if you really need to buy something, don’t wait til Sunday to do it, and if you want to buy less expensive food from a café, find one that isn’t French, like a Greek or Chinese place.

Oh, and before I go, I want to share this picture, since I find it so amusing. This is a mannequin in the window of a maternity clothing store. I think that all pregnant women should really start wearing tube tops, it’s a great look. Especially if they have legs that look like those!

Well, that picture made me laugh, anyway, even if no one else finds it amusing. Here also is a picture of the smart car (the kind that I was trying to describe to you Mike). They’re all over the place here, and just so cute. But, even though they’re extremely tiny, the French still seem to have a hard time parking them. They don’t seem to care that if you parallel park right against someone else’s bumper, that person won’t be able to get out.

I miss you all and really like hearing from you. Thanks for all your comments and keep writing me! It keeps me sane knowing that you are not that far away. Love,

Liza