The evening that Grandma arrived, we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and walked back from there along the Avenue des Champs Elysees. We ate at a small cafe (Jessie had snails! Delicious!) and then returned home, owing the short day to Grandma's delayed flight and Jessie's small nap.
The next day we'd intended to see the palaces in daylight (we'd seen them during our walk the night before), but ended up devoting a considerable amount of time to a last-minute scramble, on my part, to secure a location in the on-campus apartments for senior year, an endeavor that involved much internet, faxing, printing, and fare too much money expended in order to do so. At least it worked (I don't know any of my 3 roommates very well, but hey - we've got a year).
After that hassle, we went to the Louvre, starting from the bottom floor at a leisurely pace, viewing all the displays, but soon getting tired partway through the 2nd floor, changing course to hit the Venus d'Milo, the Mona Lisa, and then hurrying up, away from the crowds.
Having no interest in the portraits upstairs (and feeling a strong urge to write and rest my feet), I sat and wrote while Grandma saw a few rooms in this section.
After the Louvre, we ate at a restaurant near our hotel, and I received a phone call from my parents. Although I had to yell over the noise of traffic (I'd left the restaurant to take the call), it was nice to chat with them. It also made me a bit homesick... But hey, nothing half a day on a train through the French countryside won't cure, right?
Before that though, we had one more night to sleep in Paris. Apparently we had neighbors who came home late and then ordered room service, because I woke up in the middle of the night to Grandma sitting straight up and calling "Who is it?! Who's there?!" before turning to me and asking if I'd heard the knocking - someone was trying to get in! In actuality, the knocking was at our neighbor's door, but it sounded like it was at ours. I don't remember my half-awake response; I believe it was something along the lines of mfmslflllmsl. Apparently it happened again an hour later (waiter coming to pick up the tray?), but that time I slept through it.
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