Day One - Explore the neighborhood

I slept to 10am. Then, I decided it was time to get to know my neighborhood. I live in a 2nd floor (actually 3rd floor - French don't count the bottom floor - our 2nd story is their 1st) walk up. The building must be very old as the treads on the stairs are worn, but smooth, in various swales. There are 2 locks to get into the interior of the building. This is very common. The street front is non-decorous, but my apartment is very nice and functional and cold. Concerned about the lack of warmth, I checked the thermostat. There were very bold instructions telling me that in winter: AUTO; summer: OFF. It must be summer now; my heating system is off. Thank goodness for "REI" down jackets!

My neighborhood is the 3rd arrondisement. I have a set of  50 "City Walks - Paris" and I chose one that features "historic" monuments etc. close-by. Paris is huge. The streets are not on a grid so they angle in all sorts of formations. The taxis use GPS; a foreigner needs a good map. The "walks" are anywhere from 1 to  3 hours. Longer walks are so indicated on the card. This walk was relatively short; I thought it would be a nice beginning. The first point of interest was the "Memorial de la Shoah". It is a moving tribute to the French victims of the Holocaust. From 1942 - '44, jewish french citizens were rounded up and sent to prison camps. The Vichy government  silently condoned this activity. After the war, people did not speak of these unspeakable crimes until decades later. The memorial is relatively recent.

Because it is Sunday and considered a family day, some of the places and museums were closed. I did walk by the manicured tapestry gardens of the Hotel de Sens and I really enjoyed hearing the children talk to their parents. I can almost understand them! Dogs are big too. I had my breakfast (croissant and cafe au lait) with a huge mixed breed with a shaggy mane and a French bull dog. They come right into the restaurant and usually eat better than their owners. The french "brasseries" (cafes) often have seating on the sidewalk outside. I couldn't imagine sitting in the cold, but there were more outside of the restaurant than on the inside. I paid my "fracture" with coins. It was 5.10 euros. I added for good measure - "c'est correcte?" Well, it wasn't. I had included some coin from Viet Nam. Thank goodness I had asked.

Along the way, I bought, at a patisserie, the traditional baguette and a delicious looking pastry. And, I've seen strawberries so big they look like they've been plumped and so red they look like they've been dyed. The price is alarming too. One dollar/ one strawberry. They must have come from Mexico.

I have television and turn it to a French channel. I like to hear the language ... and have the company too.

Tomorrow, I leave early in the morning to go to school. I take the metro and must make a transfer. It will be an adventure to be sure.

Sally