paris is the bollucks

okay, so i've just written a super long ass email to my family, too tired to reiterate here in a witty manner, so i'm copying and pasting.

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bonjour ma famille,

okay so let's recap yesterday, b/c we got back really late and i needed to shower and blow dry hair so alex could sleep. so no time to email or call home.

yesterday we went to two cementaries to see some famous dead peopl's graves. first we went to cimatere montaparnesse. actually this one was a mistake, i thought all the famous ppl were here, but there are two cemetaries. the other one is in pallais chaise or something lke that, basically on the opposte side of town. this first cementar was nice. very quiet, ver little people, very peaceful. we saw jean paul sartre, a poet/writer. then we saw man ray (famous graphic designer) and then alex and i were looking for oscar wilde and chopin's grave, b/c i totally touhght this was the lace that had their last resting place. i accidently fonud lacoste and longchamp's graves... we spent about 2 hrs looking thru all the graves for wilde and chopin. i thought alex was going to cry when we coudln't find it. he needed to find wilde's grave to justify that he is meant to be a writer haha. it was kind of funny seeing him lose it b/c i had given up on ever finding chopn's grave, i started eating malt balls and following him b/w all the gravestones haha. eventually i saw 2 guys etching on a grave, i guess enforcing the names on the grave and i asked him where wilde and chopin's grave was. it was in the OTHER location. basicall, we had a map and the map didn't show wilde and chopin's graves, so we had asked some ppl who had worked there but they said if it's not on the map they don't know. so i had this theory thinking that it's hidden ou of respect or something. i totally thought their graves were there. i din't knwo there were two famous-ish cemetaries. alex had even asked me 3x, but i kept insisting i was right. i was following my guidebook, but i read it totaly wrong. hahahaha it was kind of funny b/c we spent longer at that place than we had anticipated. hahaah so the two guys i had asked for directions, were very kind and gave us a map of the otehr cemetary and directions on how to get there.
we had a late morning before the cemetary b/c we needed to get ome eextra sleep, starting to burn out, so we spent about 11ish-2ish at the first cemetary, we wanted to do the catacombs, but running out of time b/c we wanted to get to the other cemetary. so we skipped the catacombs and went straight to the other cemetary. it takes awhle on the metro to get anywhere, well not a long time, but travelling b/w places all the time really eates up site seeing time and b/c the other place was across town, it took about 30 mins to get there. so when we got there, it was a lot bigger cemetary, but luckily we had a plan of who's grave we wanted to see.
we saw: oscar wilde, chopin, edith piaf, a. mogliani, jim morrison, bizet, and some movie ppl i don't remember their names, but they were film pioneers so says alex.
you know waht's digusting? tour groups who go in large groups to the 'famous' graves. it's kind of disgusting b/c it's not a tourist attraction, i mean other ppl are buried there. you can see families actually sweeping leaves off the graves, taking care of it. granted, alex and i were there to see and take pictures, but we we also made sure we reflected on why we wanted to see them and their significance. we paid respect, not to see a tourist attraction. the first cemetary was great, b/c when we happen to come upon the gravs by accident and realizing omg do u know who this is, that was a great moment. at the 2nd cementary we were more methodical b/c we had spent so much time wasted at the first place looking for oscar wilde and chopin, but they weren't even there haha.

after the cemetaries, it was close to 6pm, we headed over to the pompidou. pompidou, is a 70's style building by renzo piano and richard rogers (famous architects), it's a modernist building, comissioned by president pompidou who was a patron of the modern arts etc. so we saw a lot of modern style art. iw as happy b/c we saw smoe works by an italian industrial designer, ettore sottsass. mum , he's the one who designed that salt and pepper shaker with the oil and vinegar set i bought for myself and for cheung-ee.. anyway his silver steel one is in the museum. ya that set is quite famous, don't ever throw it out. i thnk it's in my room right now. i should use it one day... oh ya and then we saw a bunch of picasso and other modern art i had studied and learned about in school. the building looks like a building taht's been built inside out. all the pipping and steel is on the outside. i thnk it's... visually stimulating and interesting, unique, noting else lke it, but not beautiful in the traditional sense.

for dinner, we went back to the latin quarter b/c we just feel familiar with it and that is wehere a lot of restaurants are. b/c it was so late i didn' twant too much, but i had a craving for beef fondue. i thought it was iwht cheese actually it's raw beef cooed in a fondue pot of oil. kind of fun, kind of.. too much eat. it also came with a bake potato. the meat had 4 diff dipping sauces. i also had a crepe afterwards from a diff place. there are tons of crepe places all over.

okay so that was yesterday. we were so tired, we passed out on the bed.

tis morning it was a solo day. i wanted to go to roland garros, the tennis stadium and so i left alex to wonder the streets by himself haha. actually he got to sleep in so he was quite happy about that. i took the metro to the outskirts of the city to get to teh stadiun. omg i've fulfilled one of my life long dreams, of being at the stadiun. granted, it was not during the tournament, but i got a tour of the grounds, and thru one of the main courts. we go tot walk thru where the layers walk thru when they arrive. we went into the men's locker room i got to touch nadal and federer's lockers (mum the handsoe boys who play tennis that you've seen). they get their regular lockers b/c well they're at the tournament every year haha. when we were out on teh court, which is played on red clay, i took tons of photos. i'm not allowed to run onto the cout b/c i wanted to run out and touch the net and everything, so i had to settle iwht just touching the ground wiht my hands and taking photos o fmy feet on the red clay, but cuoldn't run into the court.. oh well. it was still really amazing.
the lace also has a tennis museum, it had the trophies and past videos of some tennis play, old racquets etc. they also had a tennis store... yup, you bet i bought some souvenirs!!! i got a tennis jacket and a top, and then the tennis towel from this year.

after the tennis tour, i took the metro to champ elysee, yes mum, i went shopping for you and for us. i went into the LV store. it's the flagship store, the headquarter store. it's AMAZING. like design and the look of it is amazing. of couse all the bags, shoes, clothes is beatiful. but the layout of hte store is ver nice. i was only able to take a few photos of hte inside before security (which are everywwhere ) stopped me. the rproduct is out in the open not beind glass, so you can touch, but soooooooo many ppl there. had to wait a bit before i could get helped. yes mum, i bought you an LV wallet. i bought you like it b/c i really like it and i thnk i have good taste hah. and yes... yes i did get myself a wallet too. hey man, i saved up for it, don't lecture me!! hehe love you. okay so today is a sunday so almost everything was closed even on champs elysee. i'm glad LV was open, i was worried it would be closed. i didn't buy anything else, mainly b/c all the shops were closed and b/c there was nothing else on that big fancy street i wanted. i walked around, but ti was SOOO windy about 60km or over wind,s, i coudln'tw alk in a straight line. when it's windy like that i've learned that it means the rain will come soon. sure enough it did. i was getting so tired i decided to drop the bags off at the hostel before heading out again. i had to meet alex at st michel for dinner, and had about 2.5 hrs to kill. when left the hostel i figured i needed to get some sugar in me b/c as you may have guessed, i hadn't eaten anything. ihey hey i am okay, it's not lke that every day, just today i was on such an adrenaline rush i dind't feel hunger, when i shop, i don't stop, i just get things done. so by around 5ish, i stoped by a patisserie near the hostel and bought ac roissant and chocolat eclair. cafes were closed so i couldn't get a baguette sandwich. oooo my eclair fell on the ground as soon as i picked up the bag :( c'est domage. it just fell out and plop ion the ground.. the little old french lady saw what happened and was kind enough to give me anoter free of charge i've noticed in paris, despite what ppl say, ppl here are quite nice, sense of community, and are really generous at heart.

anyway, so i am eating my eclair and waking to the metro, and i decided to explore more of the latin quarter. i was going to gallerie lafayette b/c i need to buy a sweater, but it's closed, sunday, darn sunday, so i get off in the latin quarter earlier than the stop we usually get off at and start (this is where my internet just timed out and i lost 12 mins of writing!!!!!!!!!! okay i'm starting again... but it will be less story-like as i'm tired of writing now...) wondering around. this is where my true paris moment has started. as i'm wondering aronud i come upom the pantheon. this is the structure that alex and i see from our balcony into the distance. despite it being uphill, i felt like this is rigth that i should go up and see it even though i don't really knw what it's about. turns out there is a beautiful church nearby, and the pantheon is huge, larger than the one in rome. it's quiet, streets are dead, it's a sunday, everything closed. i take my photos and wonder around more. by this time i'm looking for anything to be open to kill time before i meet alex at st michel... in the distance i see a bookstore that is open, but it looks different more old, less chain-like than the other places. 5 paces away i see a book on the mkaing of paris je t'aime (the movie). at that very moment, all my paris moments with alex came flashing back. i realized this book is the one great souvenir that he and i will have as we are the only ones on this earth that realize what we've experienced was amazing adn special in paris. the book is for him it's to heavy for me to carry, alex is the film guy and loves the movie so this is perfect, and also as a gift for me to thank him for his hospitality in london. it was 10 euros, so don't freak out. okay have to hurry, but in a nutshell, the buildup to my true paris moment was inside the shop:
shop keeper, super old, offers me tea, as if we were in his home, so lke nice hospitality i look at books, shopkeeper so cute and nice, tells me stories, i take a photo with him, his friend who seems to keep in everyday given the famliarirty of it all, takes to him, his english is better, i drink a little bit of a 10 yr old whiskey with them, tells me more stories, bookstore has been around 30 yrs, shopkeeper is a poet, i leave the store feeling as though i've just had THE moment of paris that i had been wanting and it just felt wonderful.
ookay okay, you can lecture me now, i know don't take drinks from strangers, you never know what's in it. anyway i KNOW, i have no excuse other than... it was just one of those moments of like... you just go with the flow and it all felt right... okay i'm sorry i won't do ti again! appreciate my moment please.

anyway, so i meet up with alex at st michel. i've never been so happy to see someone. we both realized how lonely it is to see a city by ourselves, given how much he and i have talked and joked with each other along this journey.

we head back to the latin quarter for dinner, and i had french onion soup, rabbit, and creme bruelee... SOO good and the food was not the best part! beside me on the banquet seating was a little kitten sleeping!!!!!!! it belongs to the owner, his/her name is benelop. its' soooo cute, veyr nice, peacful, clean. didn't bother me as i ate. alex wanted to steal it and cal it picasso hehe. reminded me of blackberry but smaller. it was black and white. feet were white. very small. the waiters were teh best out of all the nights, good vibe to them, honestl friendly. i took photos with them.

kay back at hostel, need to show alex what i bought for show and tell and then sleep.

tomorrow is another chill day we're going to exploe montmarte.

love you all.

ciao
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long days, but beautiful, paris moments. no, i'm not looking thru life wiht rose color glasses, if anything, i'm starting to realize what's really important and what i truely value...