Ou est mon amie Kenzie habite?

I started writing a letter to my parents about my first few hours in Paris, but I decided there’s nothing to hide, and it’s more fun to share it here! I’m also hoping that in the time it takes me to write this, my friend that arrives tomorrow can respond to me with some information I need for the next 24 hours.

So I got in this morning around 9 or so and had a couple hiccups trying to get on the RER out of the airport to the city. Those hiccups paled in comparison to my attempts to get to my friend’s apartment building and then actually get into the apartment. She lives in the 6th arrondisement, St-Germain, and is not getting back from the states until tomorrow morning. When she gave me the keys last week she gave me brief instructions which I quickly forgot; I didn’t realize this until I got into the courtyard of her building. Perfect.

The first woman told me mon amie lived on the second floor, so I spent about 10 minutes trying to get into one apartment with her keys, then I went to the 1st floor and tried to get into another apartment because I thought the description of “two doors next to eachother” sounded familiar. Wrong. Then I “introduced” myself to a sweet older women who didn’t speak english. I put “introduced” in quotes because I really rang her doorbell to see if anyone was home before I tried to get into that apartment with my friend’s keys too! I said “Je m’appelle Lindsay. Je suis amie de Kenzie, l’americaine.” She said “oh oh, elle est jeune, n’est ce pas?” (she’s young right?). This is all I could really pull off, followed with “Ou est-ce qu’elle habite?”

She told me to go to the 4th floor. There, I ran into another man, introduced myself again the same way, but he pointed to me to the wrong door and I swear, I must have scared whoever was inside when I tried to unlock that door with her keys. I ran into him again in the courtyard when I was just about to give up. He took me to see the guardian who pointed me to the correct door. When I finally got in, I was so relieved! Her apartment is spacious and airy, and partly settled the way I would expect her place to be!

So after introducing myself to the entire apartment building in my broken french I decided to get lost in Paris. In my guidebook it said that the Gay Pride parade is the last Saturday of June, so I thought this would be a great event to check out. I took the metro to Bastille, which is where the guide book said the parade ended. There was nothing. I was disappointed, but I just continued walking, and perusing.

Of course when I “get lost” I have to end up in the Jewish Quarter of Marais! It’s like there’s some centrifical force that pulled me there. Or it just so happens that I decided to follow a fabulous looking cross-dresser (thinking I’d find the gay pride parade) and ended up in Marais where there’s great shopping. On my way I walked around a crafts fair in Bastille; I bought some really great and unique cards from Noyelle that have horoscopes in french on the front.  I then stopped at the Place des Vosges, which is absolutely beautiful.
Well, she hasn’t yet responded, so I guess I’ll find out what’s going on tonight in the City of Lights for me to enjoy! Au revoir mes amis.

Related posts:

1. Il y avait un défilé!
2. Mon amie arrive!
3. Est-ce que les Français détestent les Américains?