Only 9 more days to go...

...And I'm off to Paris! I'm super excited about this trip, especially after the hours and hours of research I put into it. Here's my rough sketch so far of what I'm doing:

• Saturday, Oct. 31: Early morning train ride, 5 and 1/2 hours to Paris. Pick up keys and go to my apartment right on the border of the 3rd and 10th arrondissement. I'm near a major Metro hub, Republique, and there is a Monoprix (the French equivalent to Target) nearby! First day, relax, enjoy the area, possibly head down to the Seine.
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Free museum day! I'm heading to the Louvre first thing in the morning with my game face on! From there, I'll probably go to Notre-Dame and Saint-Chapelle.
• Monday, Nov. 2: Free tour day! There is a tour company that uses university graduates to do excellent 3.5 hour tours of big cities. They are paid totally by tips and everyone I know who's gone on these tours has loved them. That evening I'll be going to the ballet as well! I'll be seeing Joyaux at the Palais Garnier(THE original Paris Opera House...Phantom of the Opera, anyone?). The costumes are by Christian Lecroix and the music is Faure, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
• Tuesday-Friday...all a bit fuzzy. Don't have any specifics planned.

I guess that will be the nice thing about being in Paris for almost a week. I'll be able to figure out during the first few days what I really want to see and do. Of course I'll need a day for shopping, maybe wander around Marais or Montemadre, time to go to the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore, perhaps see the D'Orsay, see the documentary about the Paris Ballet in English (ironic, no?), see the amazing, but little known St. Denis Basilique...*sigh*

Good thing I have some major things to do next week at school. Otherwise, I might have just floated through the week thinking happy Paris thoughts...