this is going to be a HUGE post: normandie + paris, day 4

salut! this is a two-part blog post. i wanted to blog yesterday, but poor hiro (my mac) died.

yesterday i observed:
- when we went to normandie yesterday, we passed through so many toll booths. if you plan to take a road trip, make sure you've got lots of change on you.
- the stopovers at l'autoroute are veeeery far in between. and because of that i missed tim horton's.
- their café à emporter do not have lids. their cars do not have coffee holders. coffee is not really meant to be taken out but to be enjoyed and savored in a cafe slowly.

at normandie we went to see:
- arramanches-les-bains
- rouen
- omaha beach
- normandy american cemetery
- mont st. michel

the fields are full of these yellow flowers.




the crosses had no names, just the numbers from their military tags.




the very imposing mont st. michel, with the abbey on the very top of the hill. those are all little stores and houses in the bottom. when the tide is high, it gets cut off from the mainland.


that is quicksand out there.

today i observed:
- the parisiens love their baguettes and they just hold it under their arms or against their chest, juste comme ça. and rightly so, because their baguettes are soooo good. i took a bite off mine and it was delicious. and i noticed that's what they do too.
- it's also good to good bye and thank you before leaving the store
- paris is still very beautiful in the rain. i think i like it cloudy in paris better.
- very chic young girls and guys (in their teens)!!! it was so awesome to see them in blazers and heels. they don't look like they're trying to look older though. it seemed very effortless.
- for tourists, it's great to walk around the city during the weekday. less busy.

today i went to see:
- village saint paul
- rue mouffetard
- le marais
compared to yesterday (crazy driving on the autoroute, getting lost, all those roundabouts, my dad driving with a manual car) today was a much more relaxing day. i loved it.

au petit bonheur la chance, 5e - a really petit and adorable store of "objets de notre memoire". for those who like ephemera and trinkets this is the perfect store.

anabela, i took this for you!

today i ate:
- croque monsieur (IT IS SO GOOD)
- baguette with goat cheese (their BAGUETTE is soooooo good. perfect combo of crunch and chewiness)
- fromage salad (for 2.50 E you get a heavenly mix of camembert, goat cheese, feta with capers, swiss, cheddar and baguette chunks)
- omelette with goat cheese
- maltesers (harhar. for walking, ya know)

my favorite boulangerie

i also went a little crazy and bought three pairs of shoes and a bag.
sigh.
paris, je t'aime. really.
have a good week everyone!