Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain. It seems to never stop here. This is the third or fourth straight day of the stff, and it shows no sign of letting up any time soon.

But that of course didn't stop us from actually leaving the hostel and doing the obligatory touristy stuff along the Seine, specifically the left bank, and even more specifically the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame on Isle de la Cite. Most of the time between these landmarks was spent wandering not-so-touristy areas filled with stores, offices, and restaurants on the inner left bank. One particularly beautiful area we found was Luxembourg Gardens.

The rain and gloom really worked Alex's and my nerves, but Michael, as usual, remained vigilent and optimistic the whole time including when a curb-hugging bus soaked him and his camera even more with gutter water. Paris certainly still has done nothing to enchant or capture either me or Alex.

After a lunch of bread, chorizo, and Gouda with cumin, Alex and I left Michael in the gardens so he could listen to the music of a nearby band while we went down the road to get a cup of espresso from a croissanterie. Surprisingly, we were completely energized with renewed vigor and excitement and we returned to Michael to further our rainy explorations.

At Notre Dame, the rain came in spurts of torrential downpour followed by blue skies and sunshine. It provided for some very interesting lighting effects which made photographing the cathedral infinitely more interesting.

The incredible 180 degree effect a simple cup of coffee had on our outlook toward the wet adventure led us to decide to purchase a large container of instant coffee to bring with us everywhere so we would never be without. Who came up with that stupid idea to stop coffee consumption? Certainly not me...