Ligne 96

Examples A and B of how the simple pleasures are the best ones in my life:

Yesterday was the first day in two weeks that I woke up and said to myself "WOW! I don't feel sick AT ALL!" So, to celebrate being cured, and also the fact that the euro is 1.30-something to the dollar, I decided to go buy a pair of boots I had wanted and a fake leather jacket (I ended up buying a ton of things... whoops). The boots, I knew, were sold by a cheap shoe vendor next to the Grand Magasins next to THE Opera (y'know, the beautiful one). According to Google Maps, it would only take me a half an hour to walk there, so I did.

On this path I stumbled across the cheapest creperie stand I've found yet in Paris. For two euros, I purchased an apricot jam crepe and ohmygoodness it was INCREDIBLE! This was the best sweet crepe I'd had yet in Paris, and I found it randomly on a main street in the 10th, for half the price it would have been in any touristy area. It's a good 20 minute walk from my place, but I must go back.

So that was my happy, simple pleasure of yesterday-- finding a delicious crepe while shopping and walking and getting out and enjoying Paris. My simple, happy pleasure of today was taking bus line 96 back home from the Sweet Briar office after my Literature and Cinema class ended at 5. By some sort of miracle, line 96 stops 3 minutes away from Sweet Briar, and takes me to a stop literally 1 minute from my house, maybe less if I walk quickly. Oh but here's the kicker-- the bus travels through some of the most beautiful, interesting places in Paris. No Eiffel Tower or Champs Elysees, but that's ok, they're tourist traps anyway.

It begins in the Latin Quarter, where SB's office is located, and winds through Saint-Germain-des-Pres, a chic, rich neighborhood famous for its cafes that nourished the famous intellectuals and artists of years gone by.
It travels up Boulevard Saint Michel, passing the Place Saint Michel,
which I absolutely love for no particular reason. As you pass over the Seine, Notre Dame is on your right,

and a moment later, the Palais de Justice on your left. Now, you're in the Marais-- where, just like West Hollywood, "the bagels meet the fagels," (translation: filled with Jews and gay men and women). Historically, the Marais was the Jewish quarter, but then German occupation of France and the deportation of French Jews to concentration camps basically reduced the Jewish community to an ittybitty portion of what it used to be. However, I still see religious men walking the streets, and can easily find bagels, challah, and falafel on Rue de Rosiers. I can also find beautiful men... and their boyfriends.


But anyway-- through the Marais, we pass the Hotel de Ville, whose incredible beauty and detail and massive presence never fails to astound me.
Mmm just writing about it makes me want to go there right now. Eventually, we continue through the Marais along some small street covered in cafes, boulangeres, and tiny, unique boutiques, selling antique books, asian-themed children's wear, Belgian chocolates, and the likes. I keep making a mental note to walk along the street. Eventually we break free of the tiny streets of the Marais and end up in Place de la Bastille, a hip hang out filled with restaurants, cafes, bars, large chains, small boutiques, everything, including a new Opera. Back in the day, Bastille used to be a fortress. Now it's a large pillar.
We wind up Boulevard Filles de Calvaire, and 5 minutes later, I am home, content with the beautiful view I've enjoyed for the past 45 minutes. I don't care if the metro is faster-- at 5 pm on a Tuesday, there is nowhere I'd rather be than on line 96.