Tuesday, March 11, 2008

le PETIT moulin rouge...

11/3/2008

i ate a croissant and had cafe in the apartment this morning. clothes were still wet so i had to wear my black pants and flats, which is fine because maybe i fit in better this way.

after getting ready i made my way to montmartre, but this time it wasn't raining! i went up the funiculaire, which was like a gondola that carries you up the hill to sacre-coeur. the view was beautiful! there was a boy dancing in the square in front of the church and people were crowded around watching, cheering him on.

the interior of the church was peaceful as it should be. despite all the people around the loudest noise was the click-clack of my heels on the marble floor. i sat for a while admiring the altar then made my way to place du tertre.

artists had stands set up everywhere, selling sketches, oil and watercolor prints. the afternoon rain came down and i slipped into a crepe cafe for a late lunch. i chose fromage et champignons with un verre du vin rouge. when i cut into the crepe i saw ham and mushrooms and started to eat it anyway, but the young waiter was so nice that when he asked how it was i sent it back for cheese instead of ham. this would have never phased me in america, but i'm still worried about pissing off the french, so it was a big step for me!

after sitting a while i decided to make my way/attempt to find le moulin rouge. of course, i got lost. this time though i had a map! as i came to the corner of one intersection a beautiful italian boy asked me if i knew where the moulin rouge was and i told him i was going there too. (he was with une belle femme though ans as it turned out she spoke better english than he did.) we walked together and sighed with disappointment as we came upon our destination...

it was soooo small! there was no magical ambiance as in the movie and ewan mcgregor did not jump out and sweep me off my feet singing ''all you need is love...'' brandt - you would have been extremely disappointed as well, but at least you can be happy i thought of you all the way here in france!

we took pictures separately and then the girl (latenia??) then i said ''ciao'' to her and pepe, sadly because they were very nice!

walking into metro blanche a man turned around and said ''vous etes tres jolie.'' he was from tunisia and also spoke english. i felt a little bad saying no to his invitation for a cup of coffee but not bad enough... he was definitely not my future french vineyard-owning husband! now i'm off to read my book at royal jussieu with some wine!
a bientot!

7 comments:

  1. wow....i just read all the way through the days and my legs are killing me!!! and i think my stomach is a little upset, too!!

    sometimes when you get lost, you find the most beautiful things!

    have a fun overnight train trip to nice!!!! make sure you lock your curtain to your berth!!!

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  2. I'm so happy you are having a great time in France. It sounds amazing. Thanks for giving me something to do while I'm at work. Daydreaming about your adventures is way better than actually doing work. Love ya Mel! Can't wait to read more.

    -Shelley

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  3. All this talk about croissants...I'm really looking forward to my post.

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  4. i just caught up with all the blogs. everything sounds amazing. i wish i could be there getting lost with you.

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  5. cupcake,
    i just typed for about 10 mins, and then it didn't go through. (note to self: copy before sending this time)

    i just read through your entire week, and i can't believe it's only been that long. i feel like we haven't seen eachother in years, and i love living vicariously through you. i am so proud of you, and i know you'll be absolutely fine on your own. (although i am happy you got to start of with cathy there)

    i am in dallas for the wedding, and it's been an outstanding week already. i am more excited for this weekend than i've been for most things, and i will share every minute of joy with you. i'm off to workout, run errands, and hang out with rachel. i will be reading as you travel, and i can't wait to see what you do next.

    all my love,
    mads

    ps. eat, pray, love is OUTSTANDING!!!

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  6. Oh my how I wish I were seeing the places you are seeing. Let me share my new adventures with you.....untape box, remove items, find a place to stash them, break down box, put it into broken down box pile, untape box.....you get the picture! Your days sound amazing! My e-mail wasn't straightened out until after you left the apartment so I couldn't get you my number in time. :( No more calls from Lanie in Paris.
    I think of you almost every time I leave my house, I recently discovered a street named Cullen. Next time you are here we will take a drive down it and see if we can find an Edward.....
    Love you

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  7. But was there a fat guy singing "Like a Virgin?"

    I reconstructing your France trip in my head from Addison, TX. Kinda odd but that's what I get for being late.

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