Paris Day 3: Movin and Groovin

So Folks: I apologize for the mixup, my internet connection has been really spotty, so I added the wrong pictures to the wrong days... So I am fixing that, but it will read "day 3, day 2, day 4...." because it takes about 10 minutes to load each picture here so I can't start from scratch haha. Sorry for the confusion!

       The third day started cloudy before moving into a strong drizzle. We had made plans to meet with Marguax and her friend Pauline, and leave our stuff at Pauline’s apartment while we explored a bit. In the meantime, Donna and I had a hearty breakfast (and I had some strong coffee to fight the jet lag), and set out to the Montparnasse area of Paris. This area is famous for being home to poets, artists, and musicians. It also houses the Moulin Rouge, and the Cathedral of Sacre Coeur. We finally made it up the hill to the cathedral (all in the rain), which looms over the city like a grey guardian, and enjoyed the view of Paris laid out before us. After a brief respite, we headed for the metro station on the other side of the hill and made our way to Pauline’s. We wandered around the city for a bit, then we were invited by Pauline to attend a local playhouse who was putting on a production of various scenes. Although it was all in French (with the exception of one, which I can only assume was depressing, in Russian), it was nice to escape the throngs of tourists which choke the center of the city in the summer. We left half way, and celebrated our escape with some drinks at a local bar, before heading back to Pauline’s for the night. We did end up going out one more time after that, but everyone was so beat from a day of walking that we ended our half hearted attempt at bar hopping early, and retreated to the apartment for a good night's sleep.

The city of Paris laid out before me.

The steps down the Montparnasse hill

The Sacre Coeur Cathedral

So I just missed the major legal battle over gay marriage in France, right before we made some landmark changes in America. It was a huge deal here apparently.

A windmill near the famous Moulin Rouge, on a nice and rainy day.