DAY 11: Flat le Connolly

Sausages, sausages, sausages...

You know that dog food commercial where the guy is talking to his dog, but all the dog hears is "sausages"? I feel like that, not only because I have no idea what people are saying, but also because there are sausages EVERYWHERE!

After about an hour of sleep on a heinous children's bunk bed, I literally fell out onto Romanian roomie's suitcase. I went to brush my teeth and the bathroom floor was flooded. Lovely. With my keen acrobatic skills, I turned the faucet on with my toes, brushed, and tried to heave/spit into the sink. Landed a little short into the pool of multi-cultural bath water. I just threw up in my mouth when I wrote that...

I immediately went on the Internet to find a different place to stay- sometimes you can't depend on people's word (numerous people flaking on letting me stay with them), you just have to matters into your own hands. So after an hour, the cheapest/most decent place I could find was a flat. It was a last minute deal and looked perfect. And it was.

I checked out of the hell-hole, grabbed a taxi and let myself into my new home for the next 10 days. Right in the center of St. Germain where one of the most famous markets takes place daily- on Rue de Buci and Rue de Sienne- I am on Bourbon le Chateau. My small, one room space includes a bathroom with a great, tall shower, a kitchen and a big comfy queen size bed. I'm in heaven. I took a HOT shower and actually felt clean for the first time in a week. Luigi and Roo will be safe and sound here too.

Off to the Eiffel Tower I went, via the subway. P.S. I was wrong when I thought I had it all figured out... I took a little detour to the South of Paris on the C train... an hour and a half later I was standing in front of the Tower with 400 camera-happy Japanese people. I was really excited to see it, but when I got there, disappointed by how touristy it felt. Maybe I'll go back at night and go up to the top. It really is quite an engineering feat, but all the people made me feel like I was at Disneyland on Christmas Day.

I took in a Nicoise salad and headed back to St. Germain to do a little grocery shopping... on my way, I was stopped by a FABULOUS candy shop called Masmundi- with a painted ceiling, walls and silver platters of sweets, I felt like I was in Willy Wonka's gourmet chocolate factory! The candies are made in Tunisienne, North Africa and are pieces of art. I sampled a honey and pistachio filling wrapped in thin pasta, drizzled with fruit and pistachio pieces... almost too beautiful to eat, until I tasted it... heaven in my mouth.

Just walking through the market is enough to make your nostrils melt. The aromas of fresh baked croissants, flowers, fruit stands- I grabbed a clementine and ate it as I perused. Women with their dogs stand in line at the meat shops. Children sword fight in line with baguettes. But the cheese shops are my favorite: 50 varieties of goat cheese, stinky, nutty unpronounceable French wedges, and wheels of Brie the size of bicycle tires, so soft they're bulging at the sides with ripeness. I picked up a baguette, salami, Camembert, figs, a bottle of red wine, pears... and Corn Flakes.

A few random thoughts and impressions:

-What is the big deal about Egg Mayonnaise? Well apparently it is the emblem of bistro cooking. The perfect, crispy lettuce leaf, with egg and mayo involving the same, equally perfect consistency as one another. Mmmmmm

-France's pooper-scoopers are motor bikes with vacuums- motocrottes- oh the French and their muts in their designer Longchamp jackets...

- It cracked me up while at lunch, two French twigs donning fox fur scarves at the table next to me look at me pityingly like I've just been stood up. They whispered over the latest lettuce leaf, espresso and cigarettes. "Tall American writing in her book... how sad..."

-Unfortunately there are several "Le McDo's" polluting the city streets, ruining the fresh-baked aroma with greasy fries.

- This city really does ENCOURAGE public kissing... its like they multiply over the bridges and in front of landmarks.

-Museums= Enrichment
 Shopping= Impoverished
But I want it all!!!

Off to bed in my peaceful little sanctuary with only the sounds of  door bell jingles, jazz from a nightclub in the distance and men whistling tunes as the walk down the street...