The combination of jetlag and high, morning-sun-blocking-buildings in an uber-urban setting lends itself to mornings wasted away in bed... luckily the "keeper of the flat", Hildi, needed to stop by at the un-Parisian hour of 0800 to pick up our cleaning deposit... hildi doesn't speak english; I don't speak french; but we both speak spanish, so it was all good: Saturday (sábado), before we leave (salir) we need to take out the trash (basura) and turn of the lights (la luz)... no worries! I feel so international....
after the effort of getting up that early (it is bed time in my native time zone so give me a break) I tried to go back and take a nap, but then Peg woke up--that woman always surprises me by doing the thing I least expect her to do!
So, off to the subway and la basilique du Sacré-Coeur... a nice big church on top of a big hill--second highest point in Paris after the tour eiffel, of course, it is no l’Alpe d’Huez, but it has an impressive view nonetheless, and a bit of history having to do with various famous artists (if you want to know more get a book and come visit!)... while in the church you can, for the small sum of €2, light a candle in support your current prayers--unfortunately, as Peg was trying to light her candle off of another already burnng candle, the wax melted prior the the wick lighting resulting in large globules of liquid hot wax that effectively put out someone elses prayers... an auspicious start to the visit I'd say.
After that we were hungry and decided we must eat, and in attempting to find a nearby guidebook-rated-cannot-miss eatery we came to realize that the guidebook may have decent recommendations, but the associated directions and map leave much to be desired--things are rarely where the guide indicates they should be... very odd...
later, after lunch, after window shopping, and after walking for miles on end, we took a well-deserved nap to prepare ourselves for the next outing--dinner! On the way we came across this recumbent fellow in the park... I went deep!
A postprandial promenade bought us to a well-known English used bookstore in the Latin Quarter--thing is, most of the books we were interested in are available for less $/€ at B&N back home, let alone the heft of a good paperback when dragging your suitcase across paris. So, we browsed, didn't buy, and then wandered home via some lovely and romantic bridges and chocalte crepes--vacation is wonderful!
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