we got up late -- the maid knocked around 1015 am b/c she wanted to clean the room. eventually headed off to a nearby street market. on the way there, we walked down one of the narrow, alley-like streets stuffed with cafes and shops that surround our hotel. a bunch of people were crowded in the middle of a little intersection, cellphone cameras snapping away at something. as we approached, we looked closer and saw that the object of this impromptu paparazzi fest was ... a rat. its fat brown butt was sticking up, naked pink tail and all, as though it were trying to get through the grate but was too chubbed-out to make it. as we paused to gape in horror, it pulled itself upright and sat back on its haunches, while the cell-wielding tourists went wild. (is this the fault of disney's ratatouille? were they thinking it was remy the gourmet-chef rat or something? yikes.) later we realized that there was a bunch of rotting fruit beneath the grate, so it was probably after that stuff, rather than attempting to escape.
anyway. so, i went slightly wild at the market and bought a little serpent-shaped silver ring, four silk scarves, and a medium-sized duffel bag for the return trip (b/c when i was packing i forgot to put in the one i borrowed; upon realizing this, couldn't get it into the suitcase anyway so left it behind). we came across a guy selling tons of different foie gras and other french-country delights (like jars of cassoulet) -- all made by his mother, he said -- and deb asked her usual million questions. she bought some duck pate in a jar and canned goose pate, we got some wine, and he threw in a can of wild boar (!) pate. gift with purchase! "how come clinique doesn't do it like that?," asked the squirrel. indeed.
while we were standing there, the threatening sky opened up. it began to POUR rain. luckily we had our umbrellas, but wow. le deluge, indeed.
after the market we made our way to les deux magots -- one of the famous cafes of the latin quarter -- for lunch. we sat in the glassed-in part along the side of the place, as being outside wasn't an option due to rain. the door was open, and sparrows flew in to ... not so much beg as demand handouts, fluttering in the air above people's heads in a surprisingly aggressive way for such tiny creatures. i had coffee and a croque monsieur, and deb had a green bean salad and tea. we were seduced by the gorgeous dessert tray being waved around; i had a vanilla mousse and raspberry thing, and she had an apple tart. mmmmm.
the weather cleared up, and it became sunny, though still windy and chilly. we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went back out. decided to swing by notre dame for a quick tool-around the inside. the stained glass is pretty incredible. the rose windows are impressive ... (this photo by the squirrel of -- i think -- the south one is the best of hers, and mine totally suck)
but i really liked the more abstract ones, like this (sorry, it's a crap photo and crooked to boot):
after notre dame, we went off to explore random retail stuff, like the monoprix, which is sort of like the french target, but smaller and with groceries. i needed stuff like body lotion and little packets of tissues, so it was good for that. did some more shopping and then went back to our hood. deb's feet/knees were bothering her due to chartres expedition, so we stayed in. we drank wine and ate lebanese sandwiches from the always-hopping shop down the block. it was a nice break and some good togetherness time, as the squirrel and i are gonna split up again tomorrow.
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