When I was a senior in high school, my government teacher told me that boys are like buses–another one will be around in five minutes.
This would be reassuring, if I were better at finding the bus stops.
Before Tuesday, the only public bus I had ever ridden was the Fred. The Fred is not exactly a prime example of public transit…it’s more like a sketchy shuttle used by poor college freshmen and townies who want to strike up conversation with these freshmen…or in my case, stroke their hair on the bus. Needless to say, I walked everywhere after that.
However, I think the bus in Paris has become my new favorite form of transportation. I get to see so much for free (prepaid in my mind translates to free) and I get to learn where things actually are. C’est super! Too bad the only double deckers are tour buses.
On Thursday night, Emily and I decided to venture out of our respective neighborhoods and go to dinner near the Louvre. 
We wandered around for a little bit, but on our way to Rue de Rivoli through the Louvre courtyard there was a man playing a viola. Probably the smartest street performer I’ve ever seen, and he was really good. Usually I don’t give money to street performers but I decided to make an exception for him and he looked SO happy. It was great.
We ended up finding a restaurant along the Seine near Hôtel de Ville. We got steak and frites and Beaujolais, probably the perfect combination. Afterwards we (for some reason) decided we hadn’t eaten enough and got Nutella crepes from a street vendor.
Finding a bus stop after this, however, proved to be quite a task. We walked around for a little bit but then suddenly saw my bus! I ran to go catch it and then was home in 10 minutes, it was awesome. And free!
Yesterday, I met up with Amanda and Emily in the Marais for breakfast/lunch. Falafel? No. We went to Breakfast in America and I don’t feel bad about it. We got cheeseburgers and I got a milkshake and I will probably never eat again, but that’s ok because it was delicious.
Afterwards, Emily and I tried to find some vintage stores in the area with no luck. We ended up back down on Rue de Rivoli near the Louvre, where we found a few but nothing earth-shattering. So, we parted ways and I searched for a bus stop.
An hour later, I was finally on a bus. Streets are not as complicated as I make them. I did, however, accidentally run into the Centre Pompidou, a museum/library. I was expecting classic architecture (clearly I do not know much about this building), so seeing the more modern façade was definitely anticlimactic. I debated whether or not to go in, but then I decided to save that for another day when I wasn’t already tired of walking.
When I got home, I worked on some flashcards for a test I have on Monday, then went out to dinner with my roommates who don’t want me to blog about them. But one of them told me to say she’s really pretty and cool and smart, and the other is hiding like Tupac and can’t be in the public eye right now.
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