The crackle of a croissant

On Tuesday we headed out to see the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I wanted to buy all the books, but ended up settling on two and had them shipped. At this point in time, my backpack was pretty much saddled to capacity (or so I thought). We then took a cab to the Musee d'Orsay with the friendliest cab driver we'd encountered in Paris. I enjoyed the museum, but not as much as the Louvre. Obviously it's much smaller, and it was really cool to see some of the most famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings (Van Gogh really didn't skimp on the paint). I think my favorites were all of the Renoirs. I could've stared at the Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette for an hour. I also loved the little man at the coat check who out of the blue said to me, "I love Obama!" The best part of our late morning was sinking my teeth into a crunchy-on-the-outside-but-oh-so-soft-on-the-inside croissant from a random boulangerie near the museum. Heaven.in.a.pastry.

Our next stop was what I'd come to Paris for - which oddly enough isn't even in Paris - Versailles. I felt like a kid receiving presents for Christmas, Hannukah, and Eid all at the same time as soon as the palace was in plain view. I mean, this was the court of Louis XIV. LOUIS THE FREAKIN' FOURTEENTH. This was the mac daddy of all imperial palaces. This was where the revolutionaries overran the palace guards and accosted Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This was where the treaty to end the Great War was signed in 1919. I just couldn't even. I still can't. We saw room after room of (some only historical recreations) of the opulence of the French monarchy. I lost track of how many portraits and sculptures there were of Louis XIV and how many battle scenes there were of Napoleon. We would've taken a tour of the gardens, but there was some construction happening and it was pretty cold.

Words of advice to international travelers: do something about that expensive smartphone that's always in your hands. Being without any texting or calling capabilities (unless you have WiFi) is problematic, especially when your train doors shut before everyone you're traveling with has gotten onto the platform. It may take a long time to be reunited. And it may involve your friend finding a cafe with wifi to send your sister back home a Facebook message so that she can text message you in Paris, because yours is the only phone that can receive and send them.

We had just enough time to take a nighttime cruise along the Sienne. As nice as it was, it was ridiculously cold. And to be honest, I know several people said it was a "must" in Paris, I felt like it was just "okay". Yes, we got great views of the Eiffel and Notre Dame all lit up at night, but if one doesn't have time to take a cruise, it's not the end of the world.

We then headed back to Gare du Nord and I made two observations.
French customs worker: Bounjour! Come back and see us!
English customs worker: Where are you going? Why? For how long? What is your departing flight? Who are you really? What's your favorite color?

I'm exaggerating slightly, but not all that much.

And some general observations:

• There's a 50% chance you'll run into someone in the service industry who doesn't speak much or any English. Some signing works.
• The trains aren't as easy to understand as the Tube in London. They don't announce stops to you either...you just have to be on the lookout. Also, see the aforementioned premature door closing situation.
• There's no concept of saying "excuse me" to get by or to apologize to someone for a wrong. This may be something that's common outside of the U.S. though.
• You have to pay to use the bathroom, even if you're a paying customer. But I think that's a continental thing.
• Finding other Americans in a sea of mostly Asian tourists is like a breath of fresh air. You'll exchange pleasantries like, "Oh, you're American too!" or "Where are you from?"
• I can pass for different races...I was asked if I was French and Brazilian(?).
• You'll end up saying merci so much that you'll feel the need to say it even when you're back in an English-speaking country.
• The seagulls are nuts. They dive bomb at you and kaw like it's the End of Days. Hitchcock would be so proud.
• French men are really attractive. Like really. And tall.
• Despite what most people said, I found most of the Parisians we encountered to be very friendly.