If something's going to be interdit you really ought to have a sign

So I'm not going to write about every singular day since Wednesday, because honestly that wouldn't be very exciting to read, and it would end up as tiny little paragraphs.

I've spent an embarrassingly large chunk of time these last few days just cleaning my apartment.  It's gotten a little bit on the "eh" side and that's just not acceptable.  It seems that as soon as I clean a surface, it is immediately covered in something new.  Like tomato juice.  Or fuzz from my dark blue towel (I don't understand how there's any towel left with the amount of fuzz it puts off).  Or receipts.  Or crumbs.  Lots of crumbs.  I feel like I don't really eat that many things that would even have crumbs.  Apparently I do.

I also went to the library, like 12 different grocery stores, a church parking lot (on accident #awkward #sorry #ihadtopetadog #idontlikedogs), a bonsai tree store, and a closed stationary store.

I suppose that was an exciting amount of things.  Maybe I'll break it down.

The church parking lot was yesterday.  I put my clothes in the washing machine and decided to go for a walk while it was running.  As it was laundry day, I was wearing all my athletic clothes that were left clean the last three weeks (that says something, doesn't it), and my ballet flats because I didn't feel up to socks.

I left the building and walked randomly down Cours de la Somme.  At one point I saw a big sign that said "church something-something" and I decided to go there.  I was walking down this road trying to make sure I would get all my steps in, and they just weren't adding up like I wanted them to.  Then I all of a sudden just started running.  I like running.  But only if it's warm outside (which it is, it's way hot here like if-you-wear-a-coat-you'll-suffocate hot) because if I run in the cold I lose my breath even faster and it's really not pleasant.  I'd like to give a quick shout out to the only people who have ever ran with me outside.  I think the list is my mother, Cara, and Domenic.  Props to you.  It's not fun.

Anyways, so here I am running (still in my ballet flats) and I decided that I don't look weird because if I run fast enough no one will see my feet.  However, this only works if you don't stop.  I was running down the street and tried to run past Church Something-Something.  I ended up in a gated parking lot.  I could not get out.  This wouldn't really have been a problem because I had both the option of hopping the gate or just turning around.  However, there was a group of teenage hooligans just chillin in the parking lot with their dog.  Obviously, I look like a freak because I'm running through a church parking lot in the middle of a Friday afternoon wearing ballet flats and a shirt that Madison gave me for a present once.  I cannot at this point hop the fence (since they've all seen me) so I have to turn around.  But I can't run past them because that's weird, so I have to walk past them.  I petted their dog on the way since it came up to me and I was trying to regain my dignity.  The last thing these hoodlums want to see in their church parking lot is a dog-hating American.

Then I ran back (literally) and got my laundry.  The rest of that day was spent folding/drying laundry and then I watched Netflix with Magy.

OH and after that I went to my favorite all-night bakery and got a kebab panini, which does seem rather inception-like.  It was literally so good.  Made me really really hot though because it was already rather hot outside and I was wearing my coat just in case it was cold and then I had to zip it to keep my panini inside my coat and boy did it get toasty in there.  That's a long sentence.  You're welcome.

Today I went all over the place for no real reason to try and get my steps in.  I went to the bank and checked my balance.  I went to the post office and got some monies.  I went to a bakery and accidentally bought a vegetable pizza because they weren't labelled and the first one she picked up she said was salmon and I was like "no" but the only other option was this one which turned out to be vegetables.  Don't worry, I still ate all of it.  I also bought this cake:

It didn't turn out to be as good as it looks.  There wasn't really any part of it that was cake, it was all mousse.  And, if you didn't know (I don't really know how you could have), I don't really like mousse.  I'll eat some--especially in Operas (accent aigu e), but I don't want an entire cake's worth.  I didn't eat it all.  Sorry.

From there I went back and sat around a bit.  Did some organizing.  Thought about essays.

Then I decided that what I wanted to do was buy some cute cards.  So I decided to head out to the papeterie that I had seen in Hotel de Ville.  But on the way, I saw a flower store.  I had already been in two flower stores down on Somme, because I am looking for a very specific present for Kammie.  Apparently it does not exist.  But the guy at this flower store on Pasteur said that the Bonsai Barber would have them and he gave me the address and showed me the map on his phone.  He was very nice.

I went to the Bonsai Barber, which was a bit of a hike away, and was treated with a store completely filled with bonsai trees.  I took this picture of one corner of the greenhouse:

As it turns out, it is forbidden to take pictures.  I will have you know that there were no signs declaring this, not a single person greeted me, and no one asked me if I was looking for anything at any point until one of the THREE people that worked in the store saw me taking a photo.  "Tu peux pas prendre des photos!  C'est interdit!!!"  Well, if it's interdit you better well have a sign because otherwise, how is anyone supposed to know.  I was irritated.  If you don't want your customers taking pictures, maybe occupy them!!!  (my that sounds very angry American of me- but my presence is a service to France, remember?)

Then the man who told me I couldn't take a picture didn't even ask if I was looking for something.  I had to physically ask one of the other men.  He didn't understand.  He was like "English?" and I was like "yes" and then his English was 100000000 times worse than my French but apparently then I just look stupid when I don't understand what he's saying.  Cool beans, Bonsai Barber.

Was I irritated?  Yes.  I had gone in the complete opposite direction of the papeterie looking specifically for this store, and the store did not have what I wanted.

So then I took the tram back up to Hotel de Ville, and in my quest to the ridiculous Bonsai store, the stationary store had closed.  About 5 minutes prior.

I went to a children's book shop for quite a while because I do what I want.  And then I took the tram back home.

I met up with Magy much later that evening to go play flunky ball.  But when we got to the Miroir, absolutely no one was there.  We waited probably 10 or so minutes for them (and they're German!!  What's up with that??  Germans are on time.), and then we decided to go to the carnival at Quinconces.  We could see it from the Miroir.  It's absolutely huge.  We watched a couple rides and we walked around a bit and then I ate a crepe because I do what I want.  From there we took the tram back towards Pessac and I went home.

On the way home I got stopped by an actually very nice man named William.  I chatted with him for a couple minutes and then I left him because once again, I do what I want.  You can ask for a reason as many times as you want, but I do not actually need one to not give you my phone number.  Mwaha.

Then I watched the finals of the Great British Baking Show and may I say that I am disappointed.

I also ate some pickles and a banana (not at the same time) because I just wasn't feeling into making real food or cutting anything and I wasn't actually hungry enough to have noodles.  Ugh and washing the pot.

So what's the moral?

So what's the moral of my trip to Paris?

1.  I'm a bad traveler.  I don't make plans, and I would rather not go look at monuments with my time.  I love to go to movies (especially with my student discount).

2.  I'm easily injured.  I incurred three injuries while in Paris.

 I got this blister from trying to open my Schweppe's in the movie theatre.  This might prove that I need to work out more and not go to so many movies.  But I will tell you that I did eventually succeed.  Though I also shredded a layer of my thumb nail in this attempt.  Not pleased.

These are two of my four mysterious "hostel bites".  I suspect they are mosquito, since I physically saw one in my bunk on Monday night but we don't really know.  Here's hoping.
















Thirdly, I got a blister on my left heel that healed into a callous in the same day.  I only noticed because earlier in the day on Tuesday I remembered feeling like there was a blister on my heel but I powered through.  Later, I remembered all of this again, checked, and yes I do have a blister callous there.  I would love to show you, but honestly my calloused heel is not very photogenic.

3.  I have fully taken ownership of my apartment and the entire city of Bordeaux.  I fully appreciate it now.  I love my ridiculous bed with the sleeping bag inside the duvet cover and my single flat square pillow.  It makes me not want to leave Bordeaux, not because I want to spend more time abroad/in France/away from MURICA and Wartburg, but because I apparently become very attached to my routines and spaces.  And planes make me feel gross and I'm really not looking forward to getting on another one ever again.

I'm blaming place cells.  Maybe I have too many.  Maybe they're overactive.  Idk.

Best. Day. Evah.

So my train back to Bordeaux left Paris at 7:28 this morning, which meant in order to get down there in time to board peacefully and take two metros and check out, I had to get up at 5:45.

I was really paranoid about this, because that is the earliest I have gotten up since I left MURICA.  I set two alarms in case I missed the first one, and thought about making Kammie call me at her 11pm, but then I realized I probably wouldn't hear that either.

All my worrying was for naught, because someone else got up to leave at 4:45, and I was up about the whole time until I had to get up because the lockers underneath the beds squeak something awful.  I'm sure everyone else in the room really appreciated her squeaking and then mine an hour later.

I didn't get lost in any of the stations getting back to Montparnasse, and that was awesome.  I decided I wanted to eat a sandwich, and I went to Paul within the station to get one.  Unfortunately, I didn't put it together that it was 7 in the morning, and that they had not made all the sandwiches yet.  I asked the guy for whatever sandwich was made.  I still don't really know what was on it--I think sausage--but I ate it.

I got on the train and THIS was my seat mate:

That's right--NO ONE!!!  No one sat next to me!!  And my legs are the perfect length for the seats, so I stretched out the whole time.  I read a book, took an hour long nap, ate a snack, and practiced my German all from the comfort of two seats bahahhahahahhaaha.

(dis me chillin)

Then I got back to my apartment after going out the wrong side of the station, taking the wrong road, and being so very hungry, all without looking at my map because it was not set for Bordeaux and I had no internet.  It was actually quite lucky.  Did you know the Aquitaine basketball league is based in Bordeaux right near me?  I didn't, but I walked past a building that said that today.  Looked kinda dinky for basketball players though.

ANYWAYS, I checked my mail, and I had not just a letter from Mrs. Connerly (thank you so much omg I loved it!!!!) but also a note that said I had a letter to pick up from the reception desk.

I went to the man (from whom I had just bought laundry tokens) and he handed me a package from Madisonnnnnnnnnnn!  It had a unicorn coloring book (and a new mixtape which I've listened to like 3 times now) and I spent the rest of the day coloring and recouping from my journey.  Well, and writing this.  And buying groceries.  And eating.  And doing dishes (ok I haven't done that yet).  And deleting all my old emails to clear out my Wartburg inbox.  Who realized the Juice sends out that much?

1. my presence is a service to France

Since I had actually fulfilled every single thing I wanted to do on Monday, I was hard-pressed to figure out what to do on Tuesday.

So I decided to make up some Unwritten Goals as I went along.  Around the time that I bought that cake Monday night, I also bought two bananas.

As I left the hostel (around 11 again), I saw this bridge.  I decided it was a UG (unwritten goal) to walk across a bridge, and eat my banana at the highest point because once again #unstoppable #dontstopmenowimhavingsuchagoodtime #queen

Since crossing this bridge put me in a different direction, I decided to walk to the park that my map said would be that way.  I will inform you that this park is ENTIRELY UPHILL from where I was.  Every part of it.  The streets leading there, the park itself, ugh it was horrid.  I am not a mountain goat.  My gladiator calves are not loose enough to do inclines like that forever.  It was pretty though.  I also bought a chocolatine and ate it in the park.

I went to the next closest metro stop (after I had a sit down for as long as I wanted #UG) and it had this crazy escalator.  The top was normal, and then it was like you were on a rollercoaster.  Note that this picture was taken after I had already gotten over being scared to death by the height and decided to get my phone out and take a pic.  It was that long.

I took the metro to Republique because I didn't have anything else to do.  There's a statue there.  I took a picture.  I don't know what the statue represents but I had a sit-down for a while there.

I eventually stopped sitting on the statue and wandered down the street.  I stopped in one store to try to buy some 50% off jeggings (or treggings as they called them) but they just didn't fit right and looked weird on my body, so I did not buy them.  I did really want to buy this really snuggly scarf, but it was hot out and I didn't want to carry it if I couldn't wrap it around my neck.  I know I'm going to regret this.

Then I bought another banana-nutella crepe because I cannot resist these crepe-men.  I was pretty satisfied by myself.

Then I really just wandered down the street some more.  I ended up at this World Bookstore, that--joke's on you, only had books in/about Russia.  I don't know any Russian and it was not useful, but I spent actually quite a lot of time in there.

This street eventually took me out at the Bastille.  I was actually heading here on purpose as part of an #UG, because in French III I did a project on Bastille day.  But it was super anti-climactic and I was not actually pleased, because it was like within a roundabout.

I wandered the street a little bit more, but I was getting hungry and tired of walking around, so I took the metro back to the hostel.  There wasn't anywhere else I really wanted to go (I know, I'm a bad planner/ traveler), so I bought myself a pizza and sat in my bed and ate it.  Here's a picture of me feeling pretty pleased with myself as well as a before/after of the pizza.

If you wanted to recap this, on Tuesday I ate: banana, chocolatine, banana-nutella crepe, and an entire pizza.  I say #UGaccomplished.

I really didn't have anything else I wanted to do until it got dark out (and I could go see the Eiffel Tower) so I decided to go to another movie.  The only movie on that early was Hotel Transylvania 2, so you better believe I went to it.  And to top it off, the movie ended up being the French version, because they run both versions of children's movies, so really I got a "french experience" that I couldn't have in Bordeaux because the UGC Cine Cite only runs in the original language.

I walked along the Quai and took these pics.  The second one is a man slack-lining and the third is a bunch of old men playing petanque (accent aigu first e) #UG

After the movie, which was just as good in French as I bet it would have been in English (since I honestly quite like the first one even though I only saw it that one time with Jace--props to you man for having good movies around), it was dark out, so I trucked my butt down to Trocadero which is where Amy said I would have the best luck watching the lights.

I got there with about 20 minutes until the next set of lights so I took some pics and got up closer before I tried to search out a place to sit and wait.

(obligatory selfie)

I did also have an #UG to buy a replacement gold Eiffel tower for Madison from one of those men that patrol the whole area.  I did well, I think, considering how frightened I was when I bought the first set like 4 years ago.

I tried to sit at a cafe with a view of the tower and order something to drink to wait, but the man said that seat was only for diners and I had just eaten an entire pizza, so I had to leave.

From there I tried to find a grocery store to buy something to drink to wait since I was going to have to wait for the next set of lights since this guy kicked me out of his cafe right about when they should have started and I could see nothing from anywhere else.  Poorly done, team.

I had to go really far to find a store, but I ended up in this epically huge Monoprix, which is way bigger than the one we have in Bordeaux (though it doesn't have any clothes).  I helped out an English woman and her daughter who were confused about what the sign at the register was saying about minimum payments for paying with a card.  She was very nice.

From there I decided to find the best spot to sit down alone and listen to Thomas Rhett while I waited for the lights.  By going up a driveway that said "Services Only" (which I decided was okay because 1. my presence is a service to France and 2. there was a sidewalk leading to the same place) I discovered this big building with a staircase that seemed like it would do well.

I was a little worried I was going to plummet to my death from my perch, but I didn't.

And finally, here's me chilling with my musica and my giant coat hood waiting for the lights.  I took a like 2 second video, but honestly it's not that great quality.

Then I took the metro back to the hostel and went to sleep.

Unwritten goals: I do what I want

OK so on Monday I woke up with the intention of getting out of my bed.  Instead, I didn't for quite a while.

I didn't have very many plans for my trip to Paris, so I figured staying in bed until 11 was reasonable.  I think I made the right choice.

I don't remember what I ate for breakfast, which is sketchy because I must have eaten something, right?  I can't not eat breakfast, that just doesn't work out for me.

The first thing I wanted to see was the "standard meter" on the side of a building.  It's one of the last remaining ones.  Very exciting.  Here's some pics.

It was actually deceptively tricky to find.  I had an address, but I walked around the neighborhood more than I should have trying to find it.

As I only had two things on my list of things to do in Paris (besides go see the Eiffel Tower at night *shout out to Thomas Rhett--I don't need a woman to die a happy man*), I obviously set my map to take me from number 1 -the standard meter, to number 2 -the shakespeare and company bookstore.

However, on the way, I got super lucky and came across Mundalinga (or something to that effect) that is a language museum!  I stayed there and watched all the videos and stuff for probably 2 hours, because I didn't really have anything else to do.  Here are the only things I took pictures of in the museum.

I have to align these left so I can put a caption on the next one; I'm really sorry for not being consistent with my alignments.

We are literally named after "short" just btw family.

 I don't think this is the real Enigma, but if it was I am a very lucky person.  It had a lot of locks on it and was tucked into a little cave in the corner.

After I left the museum I had every intention of going to the pizza place the woman recommended when I asked her where the best place to eat was.  But then I saw a crepe-man on the street and I was so hungry (maybe I didn't eat breakfast?) that I bought a crepe from him.  Unfortunately, it took forever because he had to stir up new batter, but I had a nice chat with him about what I was doing in Paris and what kinds of things I'm studying and my career goals.  #french

Here's a selfie of me eating that crepe walking down the street.  It's center-aligned because I'm trying to ruin your life.

From there I walked actually quite a ways to make it to the rive gauche to go to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore.  Though I won't deny that I stopped in like 20 different stores on the way there, because I do what I want, and literally no one could stop me.

I will say that I was very disappointed in the bookstore.  Buzzfeed made it sound awesome, but it was actually just so crowded that you couldn't look at anything.  And you weren't allowed to take pictures inside.

At this point, I just kind of wandered aimlessly for a while around the rive(s) until I thought maybe it would be fun to eat some food again.  So I bought a gyro out of a window (which was actually an unwritten goal of mine).  Though honestly, I went inside, but I could have ordered through the window.

It was good, but I would have gone to that man with the shich tawouk on St. Catherine if he existed in Paris too.  He doesn't.  Here's me trying to be nonchalant about taking a selfie with this guy's restaurant.  Not the most flattering, and you can't really see my gyro, but then I got so busy eating it that I didn't take any more.

Here's some aimless wandering pics.  I saw a bridge with locks on it.  I didn't lock anything to it.  Obvs because my lock was otherwise occupied protecting my valuables.

I then wandered aimlessly toward the Centre Pompidou because it was on my map and why not.  The front looks really cool, but I got distracted by this guy doing some epic dancing so I only took a picture of the back of the building.  Please find them both below:

After I left the Centre, I wandered around some more.  I was tired of walking and all I wanted to do was go to a movie.  But I was like "no Sara, you can't just go to a movie, you're in paris" then I remembered that I do what I want.  And I took myself to see The Martian and I drank and Schweppe's.  I had every good intention to go see the Eiffel Tower afterwards, but I didn't want to.  So I bought this chocolate fondant:

and I sat in my bed and ate it.  Then I went to sleep.  Oh, I took a shower first and it was surprisingly excellent.  I would replace my ridiculous non-draining apartment shower for this hostel shower that you had to press the water button every 30 seconds in a heartbeat.  That's a complex sentence, you might have to read it a few times.  I did.  But note that I'm leaving it.

Omg how many sweaters are you wearing, dude?

Alright, so I went to Paris this week, Sunday through Wednesday super early in the morning.  I took lots of pictures so I could share them with you (and also so I could remember what I did).

I left Bordeaux at 12:18 on the TGV on Sunday.

I sat next to this guy:  (I was trying to be inconspicuous but I couldn't fit us both in a selfie that way)

He was real sleepy.  He slept pretty much the entire way.  And omg he was wearing like 10 sweaters when he got on the train.  I stood up when he arrived because he was by the window, but then I had to keep standing for the duration that it took him to take off all 10 sweaters and it was super awkward.

It takes three hours by Very Speedy Train to get to Paris from Bordeaux, so I arrived around 3:30pm.

From there I took the metro (lines 4 and 7 just if you were wondering) to get to the hostel I was staying at.  I got super lost in the second station, which is not my fault because France has not standardized the "forward" arrow.  Sometimes it points up, sometimes down, and if you're not prepared you will turn around thinking it means "backwards" (it never does, don't do that).

I met Amy (my mother's friend's daughter--which is a word pattern that exists very rarely in other languages apparently [I learned this in Anthropology of Parenting the one time I went--most other languages work out from the person you're referencing instead of from yourself]) at 5pm at the hostel and we walked down the canal and down like 12 other places and really quite a far distance to get to a creperie further downtown.

By the point that we got there I was literally so hungry so I had egg and ham and cheese and I was not hungry anymore after that if you were wondering.  We had to eat fast because the table we were at was reserved for someone else half an hour later.

Then we took another metro (and bought me a "carnet" of tickets --thank you French V for that word) and had dessert crepes at another place.

All this walking and crepe eating and metro riding put me back at the hostel around like 10/11ish.

Here are some pictures of my 8 person female dorm that I actually took the last day.  I was sitting in my upper bunk so the angles are "artistic".  You're welcome.

That's it.  That's all I did on Sunday.