Shopping up a storm!!!!

Well, I had to write today because I did something very special. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to paris actually. Angelina. The best chocolat chaud in Paris! (hot chocolate). It really did live up to its reputation.

So I met up with Emily after class and we took the metro to the Tuileries, which is right by the Louvre. While we waited for Joanne to show up, we walked around a bit on the Rue de Rivoli, Rue Saint Honore and Rue Cambon. Do any of those streets sound familiar? Those are the streets with all the expensive designer stores!

We stumbled upon Collette, which was pretty cool upstairs. There were mannequins set up everywhere, each dressed in a gorgeous outfit, complete down to the shoes. Emily and I wanted to take pictures, but we decided we'd come back another time when we were feeling more touristy.

We wandered through a few more stores and eventually found our way to the famed Chanel store on the Rue Cambon. I was reluctant to go inside because I didn't feel I was dressed chic enough, but we ventured inside and tiptoed around the designer purses as though we were in a museum of priceless art. And when my cell phone went off, with its tacky ringtone, I felt just as awkward as I did when it went off in the sacred Sacre Coeur.

Joanne met us there and we left and took pictures outside. We finally got to Angelinas! The decor was beautifulo inside. It looks exactly as one would imagine a Parisian salon should look! It seems like such a pleasant place to go for a cup of chocolat chaud in the middle of the day. We ordered colorful macaroons and 2 orders of hot chocolate for the 3 of us to share. Next time, we'll just get 1 order because the chocolate is so thick!

It tastes very strong and rich, sort of like a melted chocolate bar! They serve it with a dish of whipped cream and glasses of cold water. I felt very heavy and sleepy afterward. Of course, we then spent about 10 minutes working out how to split the check (one of us only had a 20, so we had to figure out who owed who what, etc...) One order is about 6.50 euros. So next time if 2 or 3 of us share 1, and we don't get the pastries, it's really not any more expensive than buying a cup of hot chocolate on the sidewalk.

Yesterday was fairly uneventful. I went to a cemetery early in the morning. I couldn't find the graves of Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, or Oscar Wilde, but after about an hour of wandering about, I gave up and was happy just to find an exit. That place is huge, like a maze!

I ended up in a really cool metro that sold makeup for 2 euros. It actually made me think of Marissa, and how fun it would be for us to pore over the makeup selection! And after class I went to Free P Star again, and this time visited their other branch which was a block away. I bought a fuzzy purple beret, which I wore today, a scarf, and a white angora cardigan (10 euros!) that I think I might give to Marissa. As I was leaving, I saw a beautiful 2 story carousel with vendors selling cotton candy for 2 euros. That is definitely on my to-do list!

I'm still on the hunt for a good, cheap touristy store where I can buy postcards and mini eiffel towers and t-shirts and the like! Oh, and I'm thinking about pursuing babysitting jobs with a family who wants a native English speaker. Nothing time consuming, just for pocket money to keep up with my shopping!