Rule #1 about surviving the Paris Ice Age: Don't Lick Your Lips. It's just not a risk you should be willing to take - what with the freezing arctic winds whistling around every corner. I'm not sure if people in SA can really fathom how cold it is here at the moment. This week has been all minus 0, all the time. The fact that it isn't snowing just makes you miserable that it's so effing icy all the time - some snow would at least make it pretty. No snow. Just cold. But despite that complaint, we haven't let it get to us. Basically, every square meter of Paris is either below zero (if you're outside) or over 30℃ (if you're inside). Sometimes it's so cold, you'll pop into a store (we usually pick a pharmacy - they're everywhere) and pretend to browse for 5 minutes while you thaw out. It's a good strategy, and we're sticking to it.
Yesterday was a blog-worthy day, so here's the breakdown. Tash has class on a Friday morning (there should be a blog about it soon, considering how she raved about it - check http://omelettedufromage.posterous.com/), so I took the metro at 12 to meet her. Listening to needtobreathe's 'the outsiders' made my journey seem so epic, and put a smile right on my face. RIGHT ON MY FACE! What a great way to start a day. Seriously, get that album.
Tash (also smiling) I met at our usual spot: UNESCO. There, Wendy The Wonderful Women Whom We Wuv, met us for a hand-packed-by-her-amazing-husband lunch. She really is like our Paris Mom. We really appreciate everything she does for us, and how she looks after us so well! Good to know someone would notice if we were sold into the European Sex Slave Trade. That was a joke. We're perfectly safe. Stop freaking out.
We decided to stop by Sacré Cœur on the way home. It was a freezing day, so we figured there'd be a severe lack of tourists. We were right! It's such a beautiful place - huge white domes overlook the city from the hill of Monmarte (yes, the dodgy suburb with all the sex shops). We climbed the hill and, panting, were rewarded with a terrifyingly beautiful view. What a place. What a great way to spend an afternoon. We went around to Place de Tertre, had a nuttela crêpe, and went on our merry way.
My dad had suggested that we go see this jazz musician, Robin McKelle, at a FNAC music store (they have these exibition spaces - so cool). Since it was only 3km away, we decided to walk. It was freezing, but it was so lovely. Paris really is a walking city. Apart from the icy wind and angry cyclists (we have blind spots when it comes to walking in bike lanes. what the hell are bike lanes?), we arrived at FNAC in time to see the wonderful Robin and her MORE THAN AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL band, The Flytones. The brass sections looked like they stepped out of a 90s sitcom - super quirky and loads of fun.
After THAT adventure, we decided to go find an Asian restaurant to eat at. Beacause I have two Asian History classes on a Thursday (Colonial India and Democratic Reform in China), we decided to make Thursdays (in this case, Friday) Asian Food Night. We ended up stepping into this tiny Korean restaurant down the road from us. What a place. No one spoke English (our waiter barely spoke French, and we DON'T speak French) and the menu was IN KOREAN. We were in for a treat. Tash ordered something with fish, and I ordered something with beef. After unexpected tofu soup (so yum), suddenly (and I mean suddenly - our waiter was like a ninja) half a dozen tiny bowls full of condiments, a beef stir fry, a grilled fish, and two pots of rice were before us. It was DELCIOUS. What a cool find.
That was Friday. Saturday consisted of cleaning, an epic adventure at the laundromat, and rasperries in Rose. Beautiful Paris is still wonderful. We're happy and rosey-cheeked (mostly because of the cold, but also beacause we're full of life).
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