Busy day. First of all, last night was "nuit blanche" here in Paris where there were a lot of contemporary (and very temporary) exhibits put on around the city (in certain concentrated areas). So two flat mates were going to take the dog for a walk and decided to head down towards the festivities. So I went with them and we saw these cool very modern looking things around the city such as there was what looked like ten acrobatic bodies (like in cirque de soleil costumes) hanging from between two buildings and because of their light material and slight breeze they rotated ever so slightly. So we walked around for a bit and saw some cool temporary pieces. It was pretty neat because there were some that were placed inside plazas of really old buildings and then the art piece was made of some very modern material (like steel etc) that made it really stand out. So notwithstanding, I went to sleep pretty late after wandering the streets. But I still woke up at 7am to head out to the airport to get gabe. Except, after arriving at 9am (and seeing that the plane had even landed 10 minutes early so I wouldn't have to wait too long) I waited another hour and a half and then decided that that was long enough and, without gabe, I headed home. But, taking mama's advice, if there's something I haven't done in the city, I have to do it NOW before I run out of time. So, on the way back from the airport, I stopped at the Parc des Expos (like a convention center) and decided to check out what was there. I was also curious if getting a metro ticket from the airport to the Parc des Expos then getting off the train and getting another ticket from there to Paris would be cheaper (which by the way, it was). So I went to check it out. There were quite a few people who got off to so I figured that they must be having some kind of event. I went inside the building, got to the rather large reception area, picked up a few magazines, realized that it was a sunglass convention, and as you needed a "badge" to enter (dad: badges? We don't need no stinkin badges) and I didn't have a "code" to use to get one, I left. Plus, I had a lot scheduled already for the day. So I returned to the apartment to see that gabe had sent me an email saying that he apparently his flight switched and arrived just about the time that I left the airport. He also said that his luggage was lost and was having trouble with his ATM card and couldn't check in to his hostel till 4pm (by this point it's nearly noon). So, I sent him an email, had some lunch then headed out for my first-Sunday-of-the-month-meaning-free-museum-entrance day. So I went to TWO museums (beat that mama!) The first was where the French Romanticism painter Eugene Delacroix used to live (now converted into a museum dedicated to him). It was nice. I like seeing where artists lived, to see what was around them to give them inspiration etc. I guess that's mostly true with impressionist artists, however, because there was nothing superbly special about his house. Although, he did have a nice garden in the backyard from which, even though there is a main street about two blocks from his house, you can't hear a thing. So that was nice. The paintings weren't spectacular either, he did have a cool collection of things that he had bought while visiting Morocco, which was also pretty cool to see. Then I went to the second museum: Middle Ages museum. Not having a huge interest in the Middle Ages, I was quite interested and amazed by this museum. It had some very cool carved wood altarpieces which were so intricate that it was incredible. The museum is two floors and has lots to see. There is also a cute garden out front where people were hanging out. There were some giant tapestries which were also neat as well as some paintings, but for me, the carved altarpieces were by far the coolest. The museum gets busy on free Sundays (shocker) but other than that, it was very nice (oh but very hot inside!). Then as I had made previous engagements, I went to OPERA metro to meet the girl whose apartment I guess I'll be living in. and by "I guess I'll be living in," it sounds very bad and that I'm not happy with it. This is not the case. It is just what I should expect by the rent prices in Paris and the limited time to find a place. But, I will be talking to the owners sometime this week to figure out the paperwork. But, we are looking at how GREAT the apartment is. : ) The place is one room with a sofa/bed, a sink and 2 burners, with plenty of cupboard space for food etc as well as separate shelves for clothes. There is a small separate bathroom that has a shower and toilet. And there is a really big window that allows a lot of light in and looks into a very European square. It's small but nice. Also, I'm going to need to get all the kitchen furnishings (like pots and cutlery as the Brits would say) and it will be interesting living alone. But all in all, it's located in a nice area and compared to what other people pay (compared to say JOHN's apt -a coworker from summer study whose apartment I stayed in for a day or two) it is a pretty good deal. So we shall see what the owners say etc and then hopefully get this ball rolling. So all in all, I think (if all goes well with the owners) I could be in there by this weekend. Which may be the earliest that even I could physically move in considering that I start work tomorrow, have work Monday, Tuesday, (orientation meeting Wednesday), and Thursday. So, it looks like this is going to be a busy week. Oh yeah so after seeing the place, I walked around the neighborhood (I forgot to ask her where the nearest MARKET - MAMA is but I have NOTED IT!) and then took the metro home (thank goodness for the new month and having a pass) and made some dinner, tried to call gabe's hostel, but he wasn't it. I'll call back later.