Day 9

PHOTOS ARE HERE!! http://tinyurl.com/c4yq2an


Paris on a Sunday looks like a ghost town. The shops are all boarded up with their metal gates pulled down, and only one out of every twenty cafes shows any sign of life. Where is everyone, you might ask? Simple: at the farmer's market. Isabelle and I ventured to the giant organic market on the Boulevard Raspail this morning to check it out. I got some fantastic photos, which hopefully you'll be able to see if you click on the link.

The smells were incredible. Fresh bread, rotisserie chickens, fancy quiches, fish, crepes being made right then and there, giant rounds of cheese, soaps of all shapes and sizes, hand-knitted sweaters, fruits, vegetables and more. I bought the best red bell pepper I've ever tasted.

After lunch we took the Metro over to the Hotel de Ville (the city hall) to watch the live screening of the finals of the French Open. We got there long before the game began, but the few seats there were were already taken, and we had to sit on the ground. Gradually the square filled up with Parisians, some of whom were die-hard Nadal fans, some of whom favored Djokovic, and most of whom seemed undecided but enthusiastic.

We stayed until the end of the first set, by which time the rain was beginning to really set in and our legs were starting to fall asleep from sitting on the floor for so long. Not only were we getting wet, but each additional umbrella raised around us blocked a bit more of the screen from view-- tension was building, and we didn't want to find ourselves in the middle of an argument.

We decided to go back on foot, which wasn't the best idea because we got caught in the shower, but at least gave us the satisfaction of a good walk, and I've spent the rest of the evening sorting through photos! Time to get to work on finishing Proust though.