Heh, my morning was spent in Le Havre signing a photo collage with Kate for our friend Ieva. On the way to campus we ran into Jessy. That was fortunate, I hadn't seen him in a long time. Everyone hugged and smiled each other before we went our separate ways.
Kate and I nabbed some lunch at the Carrefour bakery and ate outside the train station together. We (mostly Kate) helped a travelling couple find the bus stop for Honfleur. They were sweet and grateful for the assistance. Apparently the teller at the station hadn't explained that the loading docks for the buses was located right outside. Language barriers audience, death of us all.
Once lunch was eaten I hugged Kate goodbye and boarded the noon train to Paris. She unfortunately had to study for a final and was unable to go with me. This Paris trip was a solo one where it would just be me, my two feet, and some sunshine.
Alright there was too much sunshine. Trying to sensible I decided to wear a long sleeved top to avoid bringing a jacket. The temperature drops rapidly after sunset and I would've been chilled without proper coverage. The black skin tight shirt plus the navy skin tight jeans did keep me warm, too bad the temperature was floating in the 70s of Fahrenheit (20s of Celsuis, 290s of Kelvin). Least it wasn't raining.
I began my day in Odéons the theater and somewhat literature district of Paris. I didn't go to the Luxembourg gardens simply because I didn't feel like it. I preferred wandering through various bookstores and staring at masquerade masks hung in shopfronts. There was a store that had lovely editions of Jules Vernes in the original French but they were ancient copies meaning expensive. Maybe when I'm older and have more room in my suitcase.
From there I walked to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore which lies right by Notre Dame. Finally I nabbed the book that had caught my eye weeks before. Audience this might be a shocker to you, so sorry. My desired text was Jim Crow American, Selected Songs and Plays. It is a fantastic collection of extremely sensitive history (for the States anyhow). I had flipped through it when I was last in Paris with Kate and Jonathan. What had caught my eye was the lyrics of the Jump Jim Crow song. They are written in a southern dialect and convey. Well. Hmm. let's say they convey ideas. Here's a sample:
Dat sour and dat sweet,
Is berry good by gum',
But de best of lemonade is,
Made by adding rum.
I also bought a hardback edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Both books are inked with the Shakespeare and Company stamp just so I'll always remember where I bought them. Let's just hope my bag isn't checked at O'Hare.
Moving on I then paid Notre Dame a visit. The line was long though completely worth it. First the cathedral was cool (compared to the damn heat) and second because of the sunlight the rose windows were gorgeous. The colors from the stained glass, breathtaking somewhat suffices.
After the lovely Notre Dame and I said our goodbyes my feet carried me parallel to the Seine towards Le Louvre. Along that road there were several florists and pet shops, strange combo but ok. The sun was starting to wear on me thus I was more than grateful to walk through the gardens of Le Louvre. Trees and precious shade embrace me! I really don't do well with high temperature sometimes.
I kept along that direction (west-ish I believe) until arriving at Champs Elysees. Now I had a mission on this street of fashion. Screw all the designer stores Mary is having muffins. Marks and Spencer I will miss you so much. Mostly your muffins of course, ah blueberry so delicious! So yes, that was my purpose on the Champs Elysees.
Not long after while I was hiding from the sun near Swarovski I met up with Jonathan. He had suggested grabbing a few drinks together since I was in the neighborhood. At first we had no idea where we were going for said alcohol. Eventually we decided on a bar near St. Lazare so that I could catch my train more easily.
Time for a confession, MareBear was slightly stupid. Lunch had been my only meal and for drinks I had two pints of Leffe. Oops. Needless to say Jonathan had to somewhat guide me to the station due to me laughing at everything. Sorry bout that babe. I said goodbye to him with a few kisses and a spine crunching hug. Dunno how he deals audience.
Once on the train I fell asleep. Surprise there. I woke up a few minutes before we arrived in Le Havre with a few yawns. I happily though sleepily walked home and collapsed upon my bed. It had been a fantastic day of Paris with an unexpected ending of pleasantries. Although next time I'll make sure to have some dinner beforehand. Silly MareBear.
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