Accordion

So Paris has been on the up and ups, mainly because it's our first weekend here and we don't have to do silly things like to go class and what not.

Friday night, Anne and I went to the Marais, ate some falafel and then went to the Louvre as I'm pretty sure it's free most of the time now for EU students under 26, which is fab. And the Louvre is absolutely stunning at night. We then left a note at the front desk of the Hotel de Louvre for Maurice as he is supposedly in Paris as I type....but I have not heard from him. We wandered then to the Notre Dame, ran into a parade of roller bladers, mind you, at 10pm at night. Our final stop was the Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore where Dave Eggars had been at 5:30! ack! We miss out on the things we do not know.

Aujourd'hui etait bon. Dave, Miro, and I went to the Marais, ate falafel, but! at a different falafel shop. I haven't decided yet which of the three I've had are my favorite. After we walked to the fixed gear bike shop in the 11th which was in a secret back alley way, we were very proud of ourselves for finding it. I'm just trying to find a used bike for 70-80 euros and I don't think it's going to happen. Hello velib. After I was carted around by the two of them to different apartment adgencies and then was scoffed at by a waiter when I just asked for a glass of water at a cafe.

For dinner we met up with some of Dave's friends from class and ate random things we bought at the supermarche. We then went to the 11th to this crazy show venue which aparently was having it's anniversaire so the place was going bat-shit crazy. We saw two bands, the first being two guys who look like they had just taken showers since they were sweating so much and played guitar and keyboards. The second band, composed of a singer, bass player, drums, and accordion, sang, of course, French hip-hop. It was glorious.

Thank goodness I didn't get beer spilled on me like Dave did, blegz. After we went to a bar down the street and hung out for a while. Katherine and I attempted to get the last train but of course missed it literally by 20 seconds; we saw it leave the station. We took a cab back to Cite Universitaire with a crazy old man who we thought we were going to approximately the same location as he said he was going to Port d'Orleans, but he had said Port de Lyon, pas bon. So the taxi was a little more expensive than I would have liked, mais ca va.

Finalement, right as I am about to go into my building a strange French boy came up to me, asked me where I was from (this transaction takes place en Francais, bien sur) and if I wanted to go for a run with him (he was wearing running clothes). I said no, it was very late and I needed to go to bed. He asked if I was going to go on the internet, I said yes? And he asked me if after I would go on the internet if I would come back down and go running with him. I had to decline again. France is very strange.