-Je suis italien-

I will admit, I lied to you, on a massive scale. But it was not entirely my fault. I commented on the beauty of the Parisian snow from behind my bedroom window, and I didn't take any photos today because my hands were clenched in my pockets for warmth. I did discover some places I will go back to on a warmer day, and then I will take the photos I promised to share.

My first voyage was to Pascal Pinaud's boulangerie. It was a little difficult to find because of the way Paris labels things. First-the street signs are attached to the sides of buildings, and are usually high up, so from my point of view on the street it took some searching to find the street names and numbers. Second- a lot of boulangeries/patisseries/cafes etc. don't put up the name of their shop prominently. Instead, they will display just the word "Boulangerie" - so large you can see it from the Mediterranean - and you have to canvas the window display for the plaque that says "Pascal Pinaud". This is why I passed the shop once before circling around the block and deciding it was the only shop I'd passed that looked as delicious as what I was supposed to find.

And success! I asked the nice woman behind the counter which of two pastries was better, purchased the Jamaïque which was a mix of passion fruit and mango mousse, and also got a baguette (too delicious for words). Of course she could tell I was not French, but it made me smile when, instead of thinking I was American, she asked, "Vous êtes italien?"
(my pastry box)

Then I commenced what I call "wandering". This is what you do without a map, somewhere you have never been before, and when you have a lot of time on your hands to appreciate everything you pass. It's easier to learn the streets this way than having to refer to your map for every excursion. I wandered for quite a while before returning to the metro and heading to my class at ACCENT.

I also made a stop at Starbucks. Let me justify this by telling you that most of the cafés in that neighborhood (Bastille) were either too expensive for my budget, or required too much time. That is why I decided to compare French and American Starbucks. Right off, the menu options were a little different, but the strangest was the stack of 3 pancakes from the bakery selection. Still, it was a place to sit down, and even though I expected Starbucks to move at a faster pace than the other cafés, everyone who was already there when I arrived was still there when I left. It was time-saving in that I didn't have to wait for (or eventually ask for) the check, which is what takes so long everywhere else.

My class was an introduction, so hopefully I will have more to tell you as it becomes more involved. Until then...I braved the frigid winds to wander longingly through the 6-story Galeries Lafayette. Beautiful, but très cher (that's fancy for expensive). Since I knew I couldn't afford so much as a button - and the salespeople seemed to pick up on this since they ignored me - I made it back in time for dinner with Mme and Alice.

I will be going back to Monsieur Pinaud's boulangerie, as it is already one of my favourite (and not quite so cher) places in Paris.