approaching the Sorbonne

Fri 17th, 5pm.

has it only been three days?

my feet are tired from constant walking. i walk until i'm unquestionably lost, and then i check my map and walk some more. the streets are small, curved, and defy any order. paired with my sense of direction, i'm resigned to always being a bit lost.

i'm now in the 11th arrondissement, where it meets the 10th and 3rd. all three are joined by the Place de la Republique, a junction of many roads. i always feel like i'm on the right one, but i'm always not. so i walk circles for hours, until i check my map.

today i walked over several bridges, and through hoardes of tourists (on Ile de la Cité where Notre Dame is) to meet Alice, whose apartment I'll be staying in for 3 weeks, from Monday.

Alice lives in the 5th arrondissement, right fucking next to the Sorbonne! I was feeling a bit acquainted with Paris, but the 5th did something to me. It seemed obvious that I was approaching a uni hub. And then i passed more and more bookshops, including one just selling 'sciences humaine' texts. they were closed for lunch. just when i was all aflutter with a quickened pulse i walked past a fence signposted 'Square Michel Foucault'. oh my. it was next to College de France. i was early, so walked around the block. students everywhere, and more bookshops. including one with drawers protruding from the shopfront, spilling books onto the street.

Alice was nice. she's an archaeologist and studies at the College de France. she's from Italy, but has lived in Spain, US, Egypt, and now France. She speaks 4 languages, but says Italian doesn't count, as that's her native tongue. she speaks a lot, with intensity, and that was hard to digest after days of no conversation. i'll meet her again tomorrow, and this time we'll speak more French, less English.

she tells me you're not allowed to enter the Sorbonne without ID to show that you're a student. damn! and sure enough, security guards were checking everyone.

I'm eating too much cheese. this morning i woke up with a tummy ache. but then i ate chocolate for breakfast, and an apple tartlet. and just now, more cheese. and now i sink into this mattress, close to sleep.