it was an amazing trip, and one i meant to write about over a week ago (slippery little suckers, still). any amazing trip must have an element of self-discovery, and i learned that even in Paris and even with the best company along for the fun, i am not much of a shopper. throw a little jetlag into the mix, and it becomes an epic struggle. but i prevailed! with T's unwaivering help, i bought a lovely designer leather purse-bag-thing that was wildly marked down. 
(strangely, my mood took a dramatic turn for the better just after i plunked down my credit card.) this is my first real purse. between that an my new pea coat (with sleeves! my friend Mike noted), i feel like it's my true entry into womanhood. (though i still wear a vest and carry my cell phone and wallet in my back pockets most of the time.)
what i did love about the shopping was where it took us. we explored the small alleys on the left and right banks of the Siene, and i must have walked through the courtyard of the Louvre at least five times. 
we went into some of the high-end boutiques where we had no business shopping, like Yves St. Laurent and Louis Vuitton (Golddigger kept going through my head the whole time we were in there). those stores were pretty intense---the doorman at the Louis Vuitton store had an ear piece like a secret service agent. but while i'm sure they could size us up in a split-second, the sales people were still very pleasant, offering a sing-song "bonjour!" when we entered. and then there was, of course, the food. amazing macaroons, amazing chocolates, amazing baguette and pate, amazing cafe au laits, and a couple meals that knocked my socks off. 
it did rain one day, but even that was a blessing because Notre Dame is so much more dramatic in the rain, and i got to see the gargoyles spitting rainwater.i've been to Paris a couple times before, but this is the first time i felt a deep appreciation for it, and now i can't wait to get back.
still, i was so delighted to stumble back into my apartment after the 10 hour flight and half a day at work. Paris is wonderful, but there's no place like home. (p.s., i also bought a pair of shoes.)
