July 6

okay, so Helen & I had gotten wrecked the night before. we started with our now usual breakfast of eggs scrambled with cheese & tomato on toast (baguette of course) & finally got out around 1pm. I was suppossed to meet Bill in the Luxembourg Gardens for ping-pong but there was no stinking way. plus, he doesn't work & I don't want my trip to be dominated by someone that has nothing better to do than hang out. the occaisional dinner, tour, or floor to sleep on is appreciated but beyond that I'm hanging loose.

we started at the Pantheon which was cool. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my education is lacking, I don't know very much about Voltaire or Madame Curie or anyone buried there. I'm into it & I'm learning more but I think my appreciation is limited due to, well, ignorance. the building was gorgeous & I really enjoyed the pendulum that shows the rotation of the earth & the paintings. I could have spent more time there but we had lots to see & Helen is really good at focusing-something we all know I do only in my professional life.

Next it was off to the Ile St.Louis & what is rumored to be the best ice cream in Paris, Berthillion. The ice cream was really nice for our hangovers & it may very well be the best in Paris but it has nothing on Amy's .

The island was cute, very few cars, lot's and lot's of stores selling stuff no-one needs , and nice views over the Seine. The church of St. Louis was pretty non-descript on the outside but inside is one of my favorites so far. I like the more mellow stone on gold color scheme & the Cardinals logo was everywhere! Just kidding, it was only above the twin statues of St.Louis at either side of the church- & seeing as the church was built in the 1600's, the cards probably weren't around- yet.

Next stop: Shakespeare Books. It specializes in english books & also serves as home to writers during it's closed hours. It was okay, I was still very hung over & hanging out in a cramped maze of towering books with someone pushing past every 30 seconds wasn't ideal. Hellen really dug it though.

We finally drooped into a happy hour bar for hair of the dog. it was my suggestion that we start the day with this but until this late point, discussion of booze gave Helen a funny color & she would make a pained face. funny. the drink of the day was a concotion of vodka, lemon, banana, and pear blended & served frozen. again, the coldness really worked wonders on the swollen capilaries in our heads, the alcohol made us relax. we snacked on guacamole & chips which was really more like green mayonaise & grease tarts. it was fun & we wrote postcards to everyone we have addresses for. (note: if I don't have your address I can't send you a card.)

I can't remember much more happening this day. we went back to our flat, Helen started laundry & I went out looking for smokes, wine, and groceries. somehow I ended up walking an extra mile & being gone for 45 minutes. dinner was a frozen quiche we heated up & salad. that's pretty much it, we were totally beat.