We got to bed last night at about 10:30 p.m. When I woke it felt like I had slept for hours and hours, yet when I looked at the clock it said 1:30 a.m. The rest of the night did not go so well. I kept waking up and it would take me a long time to fall back asleep. I had a Wham! song running through my head. "Somebody tell me… why I work so hard for you…oh, to give you money… If my best isn’t good enough then how can it be good enough for two." It was driving me crazy! It went through my head for days after that.

            Morning came and I had a hot shower – yes! I was worried from my previous experience in Paris that cold showers were the norm. But I guess you only have to worry about that at hostels. It is a good thing I had hot water in the shower because there was a large clear glass window in the shower that looked out into the little walled garden out back. Taller buildings encircled this garden and their windows looked down on the back of our little house, including this very large clear window in the shower. There was no helping it, I had to get in and start showering. But after a couple minutes the peep show ended as the steam from the shower "frosted" over the window.

            We ate our croissants and yogurt at a little table in the salon looking out into the garden. Then it was off to Montmartre with the tripod to photo the stairs. On our way there we were serenaded in the Metro by a man singing French folk songs and playing the guitar. At the stairs people would come by in waves. So we would have to wait for it to clear, snap a few frames and then another wave of people would flood the stairs. When we had filled my compact flash card with RAW images we went back to our room briefly to download the photos and were soon off again to explore the city.

            We intended to visit the Louvre this day and boarded a bus heading that direction. We opted for a bus instead of the Metro so we could see more of the city. When we reached the Opéra Garnier we just had to jump off to take some photos. The wind was blowing and it was freezing! I suddenly had to go to the bathroom really bad. I looked all around and the only promising thing was a bustling restaurant right next to the opéra. I knew from experience that the bathrooms were either upstairs or down in the basement level. I entered the restaurant. It was packed with people and it was warm! But it was also filled with cigarette smoke – ugh! I looked for stairs leading down but only found the kitchen door and came face to face with a waiter who looked at me like he was about to question what I was doing. I just looked at him unconcerned, turned and went up the stairs like I owned the place and got away from him. I found the bathrooms immediately and was soon back out in the freezing cold with Jayné.

            While we had been on the bus I kept seeing places with food passing by outside the window – yummy baguette sandwiches and quiches – and I kept saying to Jayné "Ooh, did you see that?" Now after going into the restaurant and seeing all these people eating and smelling the food I realized I was very hungry. We decided to eat first and then if there was still time to go to the Louvre. I had researched a tea salon called Mariage Frères that I wanted to take Jayné to so we got back on the Metro and headed that direction.

            Our progress to the tea salon was very slow. Every ten feet Jayné would see another building that she just had to photograph. So we would stop. The wind was blowing and it was very cold! Moving on she would see another one and we would stop for more photos. When I complained about it she said, "But look at it! It’s so cute!"

            "They all look like that Jayné. We’re in Paris! Are you going to take a photo of every building in Paris?!" I told her I wasn’t going to photo any more architecture since she obviously had that aspect covered. But later on this day her camera battery died and she was urging me to take all these photos for her. Curse that dead battery!

            The tea house was on Rue des Grands Augustins in the Left Bank. When we found the street it was on I was enchanted. It was a narrow one lane, one way alley with typical Parisian buildings towering over you. We rounded the corner and found the salon de thé. It was incredible. In the window display were beautiful curved glass teapots from Nepal. The ground floor was a shop selling tea, teapots, and miscellaneous tea utensils, books and items. There was a tiny tea museum in the basement and the tea salon was on the second floor. It was a small, intimate space which held about 9 or 10 tables for two, a dessert table and the "tea bar" lined with tins where the tea "chef" brewed the tea. The walls were painted a cheery yellow and it was warm! I loved it! It felt so good to get out of the cold and into this cozy spot. It took us a while to semi-decipher the menu and order. When the food came it was not only dazzling to the eyes, but to the palate. The flavors were well chosen and purposeful, even down to the garnishes.

            We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The waiters were cute and efficient, yet we never felt rushed – just as I had read about French culture. It was so quiet, relaxing, peaceful and warm. From where I was sitting I could watch the tea "chef" brew each pot of tea. It was quite an exacting process and he tasted each pot to make sure it had been brewed properly before serving it. Then, when it came time to choose our dessert we were presented with a scrumptious display of delights. I did not even hesitate. It was the crème bruleé for me. I had never tasted crème bruleé before today and it was on my list of "to eat" foods while in France. I was not disappointed. Our waiter said it was their specialty. It was not quite like a typical crème bruleé. It had a bottom crust and a layer of strawberries. One bite and I was speechless. Two bites, I was in heaven. Three bites, four… I could die this day and my life would be fulfilled. I sat in a dazed enrapture as I ate, my eyes gazing off across the room but not really seeing anything. My entire being was captured with each bite!

            Up to this point my money belt had been really comfortable. Jayné had been taking hers on and off periodically on the plane because it was hurting her stomach, yet I couldn’t even feel mine on. But suddenly, after the crème bruleé it was jabbing into me. I said "I think my pants are expanding." I guess I should have said "I think my stomach is expanding!" Jayné found it rather amusing and we laughed so hard that we cried.

            As we were sitting there with our tea and food two other girls came in and sat down. We overheard them speaking English and realized they were also Americans. One of them had a camera and they were passing it back and forth between them, taking pictures of each other and their food. Now I thought I was the only one who took pictures of my food and I pointed this out to Jayné. "See, I’m not so unusual after all!"

            "We found our twins!" Jayné said and then asked "Which one are you?"

            "The one with the camera of course!" I replied. We met them later in the shop downstairs.

            We lingered as long as we possibly could in the salon and adjoining shop and museum. But eventually we had seen and done all there was to see and do there so we bundled ourselves up and went back out into the cold streets of Paris with warm, full bellies and merry hearts. We wandered the riverfront where a few street vendors were displaying their array of prints and used books and ended up at Notre Dame Cathedral. After communing with the pigeons and taking many photos we saw people going inside and realized it was open. We wandered in and discovered that they were having Mass. A number of tourists were wandering through the back and side wings and we joined them, admiring the immensity of the cloister and pondering the history and many people that the building had seen over the years.

            We made our way closer to the front where people were taking communion and listening to the services in Latin. Then they began to sing. I have to admit it was really beautiful the way their voices carried and filled the cathedral. I whispered to Jayné "I wonder if they will say ‘Jehovah’?" We began to listen closely and almost immediately we heard it. Although they were singing in Latin we could hear Jehovah’s name unmistakably!

            Upon leaving the cathedral we were back out in the cold wind and realized immediately that we both had to go to the bathroom. It was worse for me than it was for Jayné and it was getting to the desperation point. Up near where we were staying we kept seeing public toilets on almost every street corner, but now there were none to be seen. Where is an acés gratuit outhouse when you really need one! Then, we rounded a corner and Voila! There was one!

            We approached cautiously and attempted to read the instructions. There were a couple of sentences and the number 10. Was there a 10 minute time limit? I wondered. We pushed the button. Nothing happened. I heard a flushing water sound. "Maybe someone is already inside." I thought. The indicator switched from "occupied" to "free". We pushed the button again and this time the door glided smoothly open. It was empty. I stepped inside. Everything was wet – the walls, the floor, the toilet – everything except a small cubby hole which housed the traditional pink toilet paper. The door began to glide shut again. I started to panic. "Aaaah! How do I stop it?"

            "Goodbye!" Jayné said. I quickly pulled on the handle just as the door was almost closed and it slid open again. I jumped out as quickly as I could. "Whew! That was a close call!" The toilet door closed again and it began to sanitize itself – that was the flushing water sound I had heard – with us safely outside. I decided to brave it once again. After unloading all my stuff onto Jayné I went in and the door closed behind me automatically. There was no lock on the door so I had to trust that I was secure and began to do my business. This toilet was way too automated for my comfort and as I was squatted there I was afraid that it would begin to spray sanitizer over me or that the door would suddenly open of its own accord and expose me to all of Paris with my pants down. I tried to hurry but I really had to go! Thankfully, I managed to get my pants back up and exit safely. Then it was Jayné’s turn.

            After relieving ourselves we began walking again and soon came upon a brightly lit store window. It appeared to contain modern looking furniture and house wares. It was crowded with smartly dressed Parisians who were all carrying what appeared to be cosmopolitans in mini martini glasses. Two men behind a counter were pouring the drinks and handing them out. "What is this? Some kind of exclusive party?" I wondered. The free drinks looked enticing. I had to find out more.

            We rounded the corner to the entrance which appeared to be guarded by two very big men, bouncers no doubt. Jayné was in front of me and as she approached the door one of the men opened it for her. But then she stopped and in a quiet voice asked "Is this a store?" The man did not understand English and neither did the other "bouncer". They said a few things in French and kind of shrugged so Jayné backed out of the doorway and it closed again. Well, I was not about to give up that easily, not with free drinks on the line. I figured there had to be some catch though. Maybe you had to show a ticket or special invitation to get in. We stepped to the side and waited and watched. Someone else went in without showing any sort of ticket. Another couple went in. "All right Jayné. Let me show you the fine art of walking in like you own the place." I walked back up to the door with Jayné right behind me and he opened it for us. We quickly walked in without saying anything. He kind of smiled and chuckled at us but at least we were inside.

            It was indeed a furniture and home furnishings store. We wandered around for a minute, admiring the modern lines and sleek appearance of everything, then headed to the drink counter. The young man greeted us as "mademoiselle", then he may have asked if I wanted to try a sample of their cosmopolitan but I couldn’t understand exactly what he said. I just stood there, expectantly grinning, until he poured me a mini glass full of the pretty pink liquid and listed the ingredients for me. I said "Merci" hoping my accent was not too strong and walked away. I took a sip. Yum. It was mixed strong and was very tasty. After browsing the store some more we went back for another. Then eventually left and made our way back to our room.