Paris sans Planning

The next morning, Elise met us at our hostel and we set out for La Defense, which none of us had been to. Unfortunately, it was rather far and a longer ride on the Metro than I had anticipated. Once we were there, however, it was quickly apparent that it was the most modern part of Paris. There was a geodesic dome and a glass sculpture ... thingy, and a gigantic thumb thrust out of the ground. Like France wanted to give the world a gigantic thumb up! Only one, though. We took some crazy pictures outside before going into the mall and starting our day of shopping. I looked but didn't find too much. Matt had a pretzel and we looked at a bunch of stores before Elise showed us Auchan, which is the best all-round grocery store ever. I went crazy and bought all of the treats, cheese, and novelties that I wanted to bring back home, including olives, and then lunch for that day. On the way out, we stopped at Zara and I bought my black and white striped tunic for 9,99 euros.

We took the Metro to Concorde, which has a lovely fairground that we watched from a shaded wall. We ate our lunch and I scarfed down my three part sandwich slowly. My juice was made of clouds. It said so on the bottle. We walked in the sunshine for a bit, then opted to sit in the shade and chat. Elise told us of the most common English phrases taught to every French student who is learning English. What's his face is in the kitchen and what's her face is in the bathroom. It can be made very dramatic, actually. We then attempted to shop in the district, but found even the chocolate stores intimidating. We contemplated heading to the Latin Quarter, but our plans were quashed when we started buying wine and realized we would be rather bogged down by so many bottles when walking around the Latin Quarter. I guess that district and the Sorbonne were left for my next time in Paris.

Elise helped me select wines to make Kir and Matt bought wine for his parents from a fancy wine cellar. Elise bought a bottle for her parents and we promised to deliver it. Which I did. Eventually. We went back to our hostel to drop off our purchases then bought macarons at the bakery just around the corner from Caulaincourt. Elise promised us that we would not regret trying the Millefeuilles, which were just what they sound like - thousands of layers of pastry and alternating custard with delicious chocolate and almonds spread thickly on top. We walked to a nearby cemetery, where what appeared to be an independent film was being shot on the stairs, and we settled on a stairway in the shade to eat. I could not finish my millefeuilles - it was too hot and too large. I wrapped it for tomorrow. We got up then, and walked farther down from Montmartre, where we stopped at a corner cafe for a drink. We were seated directly in the sun, which was uncomfortable. The bartender said it was okay to sit inside, so we switched tables. I finally had a bright red Kir Royale and a Coke Zero. Just outside of the cafe and across the street was Chicken Corner and an adorable diner called Flunch. The French are so quirky. Before taking a picture in front of Chicken Corner, I went to the bathroom, which was posh and clean. In fact, it was the cleanest bathroom I had seen in a while, minus Elise's apartment toilet. Everything was automated, including the lights and the air freshener, which turned on automatically when you entered and ... well, shut off while I was on the toilet. But energy saving is worth it, I tell you.

We stopped inside Castorama to see if anything interesting might be around, but no such luck. We walked back near our hostel, searching for places to eat. Elise picked up some grapes, which were special to her. We do the same thing - freeze them and eat them frozen because they are a real treat that way. We eventually found a place to eat and the waiter agreed to bring Elise's food out quickly. Matt and I wanted to treat her to dinner for being such a lovely hostess to us in Paris and she ate and ran for her train. We had a more leisurely dinner, which I enjoyed very very much. The dessert was the best part, even if it meant stuffing myself beyond recognition with frozen slabs of chocolate drizzled in raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Matt and I walked up the hill to burn off some of these calories and around Montmartre before settling in our hostel room and holing up for one last night in Paris. It was dark and the night was still warm and, for once, I was happy to be going home tomorrow. It was not that I disliked Europe, but more that being home would mean not feeling guilty for sitting at home, drinking tea, and reading a book. I had seen much. Now, I would sleep much.