Every Corner of Paris

This last weekend, I feel like I've walked or ridden through every part of Paris, and I love it. My NaviGo pass gets me on all metro,bus,tram,RER trains within the 5 zones of greater Patis, and I try to take advantage of that!

    So, last Friday morning, with blisters intact and more rain coming (have I mentioned its rained almost every dy? I love it actually, storms here are fabulous), my friend Sarah and I set off to visit the Sacre Coeur. I was hoping for minimal crowds, but was astonished to find there was literally only 20 people on the entire hillside when we arrived, we definitely lucked out. The weather was warm and only sprinkling, so we enjoyed a walk around Montmarte before tucking into the church itself. There is so much history in these old churches, I am grateful they put up placards explaining some of it (and that I can read the French!) but sometimes it can feel a bit odd walking around someone's place of worship. I realized I would love it if someone came to my church to do that, so I just try my best to remain respectful of the environment. 

Elephant love in Monmarte :)

This here is my favorite wall in the neighborhood :)

My friend Sarah and I 

Who doesn't love a foggy morning in the city?

We made our way to the cemetery in Montparnasse (after a stop for macarons; and I'm just saying, Laduree's poppy raspberry is to die for) next for a class project. We're supposed to find a famous grave and present on the person in class. I happened upon one of my favorite composers of all time, some one who's music, thanks to the talent of my high school orchestra, was the springboard for interests and passions that brought me to Paris. This man is the reason I'm even here today, I had to stop and pay my respects: 

Ps, I'm aware that says 'famille' his name, Camille, is on the inside.

Saturday! I slept. A lot. It was grand. But I also took a walk along one of the coolest trails I've ever seen. It used to be an old railway, so it's raised above the city streets, 1-3 stories off the ground. It's lined with beautiful plants of all different kinds and is spotted with parks, often on the roofs of other buildings. It's 5 miles long, but I got a bit lost in finding it, and only walked on the trail for about 1.5 miles. There were also tons of jiggers which really made me regret leaving my shoes at home! Ps, a lot of the following pictures are of interesting architecture I saw along the way, sorry, not sorry. 

Where I hopped on the trail, this park is massive and up three flights of stairs !

Selfies for days. Just cuz I can.

Only the sassiest of men for the top of this nicely 70s building!

This is all one building, can you believe it?

These pipes look like an organ! :)

I ended up at Bastille, which, if you haven't brushed up on your French history, used to be a jail, and now is a large green pole in the center of a traffic circle. I decided to walk along the canal to the river, hoping to find a sunny place to catch up on my reading. 

If you don't know, I love boats, and water, a lot! I got to watch a small boat go through the locks and it was just as cool as the first time I saw it. 

I ended up here, on this edge of a concrete quai on right bank, enjoying the sun, reading my book, and watching the boats go by. I got lots of waves from children on tour boats, and a Frenchman passing by even gave me an interesting compliment (it's only creepy if you don't appreciate it, and by golly, I appreciated it!). 

I even got a tan!