Exploring

So maybe I'm not as adjusted to the time difference as I thought...I woke up this morning at 6 am and knew right away I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. First thing on my mind was the time difference calculation, since it would only be 9pm in California, I thought I would have a good chance at finding my parents still awake and able skype--and I was right. Got to chat with them for about 30 minutes which was definitely a treat :) Despite the rain, I left the house around 8:45, hoping that most stores would open up around nine. I had a list of things to do: 1)inquire about a bank account 2) get an international number 3) find a good Paris map.

My experience at the bank definitely was intimidating because of the language barrier. The first two people I spoke to didn't have much of any English. They finally called in a women to help me. Embarrassing, yes, but my French will improve. I then went off to find a FNAC (French bookstore), to find a detailed map of each of Paris' Arrondisements. Unfortunately, googlemaps deceived me to a false location.

I decided to worry about finding the store and map later. Orange (the phone company) didn't open until 10 so I had some time to kill while walking back to my apartment. Today the bi-annual sales of Paris (and maybe all of France?) began. Instead of having continuous sales throughout the year, they have one huge sale in January, and another I believe near the summer (we're talking 30-75% off everything). Anyway, there were plenty of stores to keep me occupied while waiting for Orange to open.

While shopping for boots (eventually finding a pair I later went back to buy), I realized how much smaller the shoe selection is here. I'm a roomy 37 in European size and often that was the largest or second largest size they had. Mind you, I'm a 6.5-7 at home. It might just have been the boots I was looking at, but I definitely noticed a difference.

My French worked a little better with the man at Orange and I got my prepaid simcard. When I went to visit a friend last night at her apartment, I got a little lost and ended up having to call her. I'm sure I got smacked with international charges for it, but at least it motivated me to get myself to Orange today. I now have an international number that I can use with friends I meet here and since I blocked the data plan on my cousin's old IPhone, I can use wireless internet for free which I think will come in handy :)

Finally got back to my apartment around 10:30, ate, and then began devising a plan for the afternoon. I finally decided finding a FNAC and a map was pretty necessary. I found a store in the 13em (I live in the 14em) which only was about a 30-40 minute walk away. Even though the weather was a bit intimidating, I decided to brave it.

Found the shopping mall pretty easily--it was incredibly gorgeous, massive, and ridiculously packed because of the sales. I got my map pretty quickly and decided to explore more of the neighborhood and ditch the crowds.




(Candy shop inside the mall)

The 13em is home to the Buttes-Aux-Cailles neighborhood which was one of the first to resist in the 1848 Revolution and a breeding ground for activists in the 1960s. Very pretty area with cobble stone streets, old-fashioned lampposts. Also found some really awesome murals on the walls.









I decided to go back to the mall after a long time wondering around the neighborhood. All the walking I have done in the last few days in the same pair of books has left me in pain in my heel on my left foot and my baby toe on the right. Definitely needed to buy another pair of boots to make it through this cold weather. Glad I went back. Got to see more of what a Paris mall is like and a bunch of kids with their parents which I always enjoy :)

Didn't find boots at the mall after several stores. I even went to the same store I had tried in my own neighborhood this morning. Not only did they not have the same boot I had like earlier, the ones they had in the same style were more expensive and less discounted. I realized I probably found a really good deal this morning. I decided to leave the store and walk back home, hopeful that the boots were still there. They were, I had worked to strategically hide them before I left just in case haha.

At this point, I was pretty exhausted, so I made my way home--stopping first to buy my first demi baguette (demi meaning just half) which is delicious and probably won't last through the day :)



No big plans for tonight, it is about 4 pm Paris time now. Mind you, I have been up since 6 am and walked around for 3 hours, so I think I can justify taking it easy tonight :) I will be uploading more of my photos to flickr which you can check out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindseyfree. I am too lazy to add them all individually to my blog.