So that's why the French make such a big deal about la flanerie !

This morning, I had a difficult time leaving my apartment precisely because I so anticipated going out and seeing what was outside of my apartment. Yesterday, I'd seen my neighborhood and willed my jetlag to go away. Today, I was so excited that I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. Where should I start? It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning, and I was in Paris! The choices were overwhelming: the Louvre, the Musee du quai Branly, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee de l'Homme, the Musee Dapper...and those are just a few of the museums! What about the Eiffel Tower, the shops, the cafes, the Arc de Triomphe?

I decided that I would not do any of these things, but that I would start at the Eiffel Tower and walk around to see what else I could see.

That turned out to be the perfect plan for my day. I walked for most of eight hours today, and after passing through six or seven of the city's districts (arrondissements) and seeing many of the places listed above, I arrived home tired, happy, and smelling of some kind of Dior perfume that they sprayed on me at Sephora.

The day began with a metro ride to the Eiffel Tower. The area was packed with tourists, and I did not feel like spending any of today in a long line, so I took photographs and walked along the Champs de Mars before moving along. I've been thinking quite a bit about the Eiffel Tower since April or so, because it was key to the work of Sonia and Robert Delaunay, and I just wrote a paper on Sonia Delaunay, whose work I recommend that you check out.

Next, I walked around the Musee du quai Branly, the new museum that was key to the research proposal that I wrote to come here (www.quaibranly.fr). It was thrilling to see in person the building that I've been studying in photographs all semester! But I didn't go inside yet, because I was giddy with walking around.

I had thought that I would just walk along the Seine for as long as I could, but I became distracted by various sights across the river, and soon crossed over to see the Obélisque de Luxor, and then I walked up to the Louvre. It was so gorgeous outside that I just couldn't bear to go inside anywhere, so I didn't. I wandered around, just walking up streets if I saw something that interested me up ahead. Without intending to go there at all (I stopped consulting my maps for a little while there...), I found myself in Montmartre. I then pulled out my little book of maps again, and plotted a route home that would take me by the Moulin Rouge, the Champs d'Elysee, the Arc de Triomphe, and Trocadero. Basically, I had a sight-seeing binge on foot.

Biking and walking around semi-aimlessly is one of my favorite activities, anyway, and the longer that I walked, the more appropriate a way it seemed to acquaint myself with the city of Baudelaire's flaneur. I definitely look forward to biking around, too, although I'm glad that I walked today.

I don't have many exciting specifics to report, except that Paris is as breathtakingly gorgeous as all of the cliches indicate. I am having a terrible time trying to decide on a few photographs to share with you, because they are mostly the usual tourist shots--but perhaps I'll organize them around a few different views of the Eiffel Tower. If you're interested in seeing more photographs, I'm going to post them on my Yahoo photos. If you don't have that address, and would like to see them, please let me know via email. I also have more from Helen and Charles' wedding there.



Yes, that's me at the Eiffel Tower! I'm sorry that there was no warning of cheesy pictures at the beginning of this post. I'm sure that you'll manage.



Here, you can see the Musee du quai Branly on the right.



This is another view from near the Musee du quai Branly. Notice the gardens and the cantilevers, or the boxes that stick out from the museum. As I've told you, I haven't been inside yet, but according to what I've read, there are special exhibits in each of those.



View from the Trocadero.



There were some capoeiristas outside of the Musee de l'Homme (capoeira is a Brazilian martial art). You can see the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.