Parisian Grey Day

I was lucky enough join my roommate and our friend Troy yesterday to go out, walk around the city, and take some photos. Troy also does photography, and he texted me as I was leaving school to see if I knew of any good places to get photos on a grey, rainy Friday, when all the museums in Paris are closed. Not knowing of any, we were hoping to get a break in the rain. Fortunately, by the time I got home, got my camera, and Petry and I left, the rain had mostly stopped.

Troy and Petry in front of Notre-Dame. Troy stole Petry's glasses.

Troy needed to pick up some books, so we decided to meet up at one of the massive bookstores in the center of Paris. Gibert Joseph and Gibert Jeune are major sellers and buyers of new and used books, spread out across 8 buildings in the 5e arrondissement. I could get lost for hours in their rows and rows of bookshelves, and for a while, we had all lost each other, haha. They also have sidewalk sales under their large awnings, which most people were using to escape from the slight drizzle of rain.

This woman was browsing through the vast array of
cookbooks available at the sidewalk sale. Most of them
were under 5€

Troy couldn't find the book he needed. Well, he found the French translation, but he was looking for it in English. So we headed down to this little English bookstore tucked away on the bank of the Seine: Shakespeare and Co. This famous little store is almost packed to explosion with books, new and used. They scale the walls, touching the ceiling. They're displayed in the archways over doors. They're everywhere. Unfortunately, the store doesn't allow you to take photos in the cramped, crowded inside, but the outside proved to be just as interesting.

This young lady from Poland was enjoying her new book outside the store.

Afterwards, we crossed the Seine over to Île de la Cité, and headed towards Notre-Dame. The rain was starting to pick up again, and while my D7000 has an excellent weather resistant sealing, Troy's camera does not, so we decided to check out the cathedral.

The cathedral doesn't allow flash, both out of respect and for preservation. They also don't allow tripods. That makes it difficult to get good pictures, but the lighting that they do have in the cathedral is irresistibly dramatic, and there are plenty of columns and railings to give some extra stability for the shot.

Two of the side chapels of the cathedral:

By the time we had made it around the chapels, the mass that was in progress was coming to a close. We left amongst the worshippers, many of whom were still crossing themselves, and walked out into the 1e. We quickly found one of the many squares that are reserved only for pedestrians and bicyclists, crowded with street cafés and little souvenir shops, and decided it would be a great place for some photos.

Petry found a sweater in one of the little thrift stores.

Troy looking very dapper in the main square.

We continued our way around the city, stopping every once in a while to snap a photo, but mostly just talking and enjoying each other's company.

A grafitti-ed sign on a one way street.

The evening closed up with us finding a great little falafel stand that served overflowing pitas of veggies, hummus, and falafel fresh from the fryer. Overall, a fun night in the city's center.

I'm working on some new posts that are more centered on my experiences here instead of my photos. I think I'll be adding them as series of posts to the blog. I know I've tried it before, but it's always been one right after the other. I think I'm going to try and sprinkle these ones throughout, so that I can keep incorporating new experiences into them. The first one should be getting posted sometime soon, so keep your eyes peeled!