Today was a rest day. Joe and I slept in. I slept really deeply, too, with my new foam pillow. I slept with it on top of a feather pillow, which was covered in Joe's sweatshirt. I feel like if I make a little barrier between me and the feathers, I'll be all right. That's how I slept the night before, too - pillow inside a sweatshirt.

The whole feather thing is weird, anyway. I mean, I never have allergies around the birds at Little Zoo, so why would I be bothered by feathers inside a pillow? Am I only allergic to geese?? Anyway, I feel much better about having a soft, squishy Nemo pillow, and I'll be more than glad to have it on the plane as well!

When we finally woke up and got ready, it was well past breakfast time. We decided to go to the Latin Quarter to get some lunch and walk around a bit, if we felt up to it. As we began walking to the metro, we could feel we were still sore and in need of rest. But I still wanted to see the area, so off we went. On our way to the train, a band played in the hallway of the metro station. It consisted of two upright basses, a clarinet, and a few other horns. Their music was beautiful and mesmerizing! The other day, there was a man playing French horn in the hall of a metro station. There are some really talented street musicians around here! It's awesome.

We went to a cafe right outside the St. Michel metro stop, which I can't remember the name of now. We sat outside, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful cool breeze, as well as the fact that the humidity was considerably lower than it's been. Joe and I both had the same meal - a salad, steak & fries, and creme brulee for dessert. It was all really good, especially the dessert! Though, the steak from our first day here was actually much better, I thought. Anyway, it's just cool to enjoy a 3 course meal in an outdoor cafe in Paris. I loved seeing the old buildings behind Joe's beautiful smiling face. That picture was not turning out, though. I decided to relax on the picture taking for the time being and just enjoy being there.

After lunch, we walked around a bit and a teenager came up to us and asked Joe something. Joe pointed to me, and being on the spot, totally blanked on what to say. The kid said something that must have been, "Nevermind," at the same time I regained my brain and said, "Je ne comprends pas, je parle anglais, excusez-moi..." ("I don't understand, I speak English, excuse me...") as he smiled and walked off. That was awkward! I do want to come back to France again someday, and before then, I really want to learn French, at least enough to carry on simple conversations.

At least it wasn't as bad as earlier in the day when Joe was trying to tell housekeeping to come back later. We were almost ready to go, and the woman didn't speak English. I went to get something from the desk, and Joe thought I was trying to help him, so he motioned to me, at which point I completely blanked and said, "Um. We're about to leave," and pointed to us and then out the door. She said something that included what sounded like, "Dacours?", and like a total dork, I just said, "Oui," not really sure what I was agreeing to. Maybe she said, "Un heur?" which is one hour, but that's not what it sounded like, and I can't think of anything to use in the altavista translator that's turning out to be helpful. But she must have come back later, because our room was clean when we returned. Still, I couldn't help feeling dopey, when she left and Joe closed the door and said, "I thought you were going to say something in French!" See? Note to self: Learn more French.

Sadly, after lunch, I was having more problems than just an achey foot and shin. The mild headache I'd woken up with had grown worse, and I was experiencing pain in my ears, nose, head, and throat. I hated to admit it, but it seemed time to go back to the hotel. I took half an allergy pill when I got back to the room and promptly conked out.

For dinner, we decided to get the same exact thing as last night. An entire pizza each! I love that place, dude. Not only is the food amazing, but the people are so nice. I like the way the lady there says, "Bonsoir!" and smiles kindly. There's just a really nice vibe in there.

I also got to talk to my friend, Misti, today, and wish her a happy birthday, which I'm doing again right now - Happy Birthday, Misti!!!

And that was about it. As you can tell, simple, relaxed, lazy day. I feel a little better now, too. Still a little stinging in my throat, so I'm not sure what's up with me. But I'm hoping today's rest and relaxation will bode well for tomorrow, because we have lots of walking planned. I'll let you know how it goes! Bonsoir!