Paris V

A VERY long day! Got up at ten past seven and got something to eat and all pretty and dressed and eventually, with much prompting, Teddy got up and got ready for class. Phillipe drove us to the train station and we got on and went to La Defénse, the business district where Teddy goes to school. From there I got on a metro and, after getting on the wrong one and getting confused and asking random people for help and trying not to get run down by fast-paced business suits I got to Châtelet, the stop I was told to get off at. Unfortunately, I came out in some weirdo mall area and got completely turned around again, but my main concern was how badly I had to pee!!! So I spent a good portion of an hour running in circles trying to find a bathroom. I stopped in a beautiful old church (there are a LOT of those in Paris), looked around, but alas, no toilet. Finally I found a little café that had a toilet...with no seat. I could have gone into a nice place, but I felt awkward about it cause most places look too fancy and like they'd say very complex things in French and turn me away.
Outside the café I sat down and tried to figure out where the hell I had ended up, and I must have looked severely confused, because a man came over and said something in French, and in response to my even more confused face, he said, "oh, I said 'do you need help?'" He spoke English very well and gave me the simplest directions to Notre Dame: go two streets down, turn right, go straight to the Seine and turn left and follow it until you see big bell towers. So I did, and I found the place. But before I went to Notre Dame I walked past Saint Chappelle, a really famous 13th century church. I was told I had to see it, so I bought a ticket and went in and DANG it was the most incredible church I've ever seen. 15 20 meter high stained glass windows tell the story of the Bible from start to finish, and one giant Rose window depicts a prediction of the apocolypse.

So then I went to Notre Dame, and after the stained glass I'd just seen, nothing seemed quite so impressive. But it was still really cool, and there was a service going on while I walked around inside. Then I bought a sandwhich and some water and gave it to a homeless guy and his two dogs I'd seen on the way there. I took their picture as well. Figured it wasn't rude since I'd just given them a meal. Then I walked back to the Louvre and lazed about in the sunshine in the Toullerie gardens. I fell asleep...and got sunburned. :-/

Then I walked back across the river to the Musée d'Orsay, a 19th century art museum, but it was closed. I met two ladies from Texas and Oregon who had grown up in Pittsburgh and have friends in State College--what a small world! So I walked back the the Champs Elysèes and up to the Grande Palais. After waiting in line for at least 45 minutes I got into the Andy Warhol exhibit. It was really good. I remember going to the AW museum in Pittsburgh in middle school, but it was great to see it again.
So then I was completely knackered, but still had to get home. Feeding that guy must have given my karma a real boost, cuz I had no trouble getting to Saint-Germain en Laye where Maguy picked me up.

We had gluten free pasta for supper and I am stuffed and tired and sunburned and getting up at eight tomorrow, so I gotta go to bed!

Love to all.