Francey Pants: "Just hand me down, give me a place to be." -Nick Drake

Cluny, Cluny, Cluny! The museum, not the actor! I did an assigned walk today which took me to the Cluny Museum of the middle ages. I thought I would hate that place, but let me tell you, I spent most of my day in there. Fascinating stuff. My favorite exhibit was that which contained the "La Dame à Licorne" tapestries (the women with the unicorn). There were six of them in a very dimly lit room, and they were beautiful. Rich colors, beautiful imagery. I read all about them and devoured their symbolism. Plus they reminded me of the Last Unicorn, and I was humming the soundtrack to that while I looked at them.
The rest of the walk took me to the Sorbonne (which can no longer be visited by outsiders), a solemn statue of Montaigne, some outdoor Roman theaters, the Pantheon--which houses the tombs of a bunch or famous french people (they really were more interesting than I am making them sound...Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Emile Zola....) and lastly, to a little cathedral called Saint-Etienne-du-Mont.
It was here that I encountered a fun moment of the day. There was a big fancy Catholic wedding going on, and since no one protested, I sat down to enjoy the show. It was pretty, there was beautiful live music, I had a great view of the bride walking in, took some nice photos. Catholic ceremonies really are quite nice.
I came home for a little break, cooked dinner for Rachel and I (some kind of fish called Merlin). As I was leaving the supermarket, a man stopped me and asked (in French, rather timidly) "Are you blonde?" I blinked several times, wondering whether his question was founded in stupidity or shock, and then responded with a very long and quizzical "Ouuuuiiiiiii?" He then asked me if I was Russian. I don't know if I have mentioned this yet, but everyone here thinks I am Russian. I'm not sure if this has to do with my appearance, or if, more likely, I speak French witha Russian accent. Which reminds me of a Chuck Norris joke: Chuck Norris can speak Russian.......in French.
After dinner I went to the Louvre! It is a special kind of night where the Louvre is free and open till 1am!!! I stayed till about 12:30 just wandering around by myself. That place is eerie and etherial at night. Most interestingly, there were hardly any guards. Because of this, I was able to touch as many statues as I wanted. I touched their toes, their hair, their fingers, their lips. Rubbed my hand along their cold, marble legs. It was really great---the Museum experience I've always wanted. Most historically, I was able to touch the Code of Hammurabi. I pressed my fingers into the engraved writing until I had cuneiform imprint on my fingers. It felt special and monumental in some way. I feel lucky to have done it. In the long gallery with all the giant French masterpieces, I sat down and stared at David's painting of Napoleon crowning Josephine for the longest time. You can't believe how big that thing is. I was mystified. As I walked past the windows and saw the infamous glass pyramids all lit up against the night sky, I felt that sweet drunkenness that only comes from realizing that one is in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.