Paris--Day One, Part II

After signing off, I packed up my purse and headed out to the Metro. It was much easier now that I wasn't strapped down with a backpack and my 26" luggage (no elevators). I made my way down to the Seine and decided to stop in at Shakespeare and Company, the famous English bookstore across the river from Notre Dame.

Oh, my goodness. It was heaven! It's completely cramped with bookcases from floor to ceiling just bursting with books. There are books in stacks on the floor, books on tables, books everywhere! It was completely surreal. I climbed the spiral wooden steps up to the second floor where they had a little children's section (along with a reading nook with a curtain!). Also upstairs are more bookshelves filled with books to just read for fun, like a little library. In one room, they have a booth where you can write the next great American novel using a red, shiny typewriter. Next to that room was a meeting room, a really small meeting room. This is where I felt like I had walked into the middle of a movie. A young man was reading from his novel that he is writing. I have to say, I've never in real life heard someone this pretentious. I had to leave the area before I burst out laughing.

I decided that I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower light show at 8PM so I had two hours to kill. Instead of taking the Metro, I thought I'd walk since on the map it was a straight shot. An hour and a half later I made it to the Eiffel Tower. This seems to always be an issue with me. On the map it looks close, but in reality, it's much farther.

Anyway, I plopped down on the grass to watch the light show and give my poor feet a break. The lights flashed on and off for a good three minutes. I was done so that I thought I'd start walking back to the nearest Metro station. Right when I was underneath the tower was when the real light show started. I hurried to the other side and creaked my neck to watch the rest of the show (which was amazing!).

I managed to make my way back to Republique station, but at this point, I realized my dilemma. The door code was sitting on the couch...in my apartment. As I was standing there frantically trying to figure out what to do, a woman about my mom's age walks up to me and says, "You locked out too?"

It was a lovely British couple, Hilary and Nigel, who were also staying in a Centre Paris apartment, but had also forgotten their code. We tried everything. Our keys, our cell phones...nothing worked. Hilary then thought of the brilliant idea of finding an internet cafe and accessing our emails. Nigel thought there was one "just little ways" up the street from us...seven blocks later we found one on a side street.

Thank God we found each other because they couldn't access their email accounts, but I could access mine. We got the code and hustled back to the flat.

So that was my first day in Paris. Hopefully, tomorrow will not be as eventful!