I went back to the Carnavalet Museum this morning to do a little sketching. I'd seen a bench that you were allowed to sit on in this room with the medieval harp.
The weather in the afternoon was really beautiful, but that tends to bring out lots and lots of people. I tried walking down some of the lesser-known side streets looking for something "paint-worthy." I saw this crooked old building that looked like it was built for a Disney film. Not sure if someone was drinking the day this was built, but it's not an optical illusion. It really is this crooked. I don't think I'd want to live there.
I decided instead to paint this building - Hotel de Sens. Most of the buildings like this have plaques on the front describing the history, but all of them are in french. I guess I should start taking my dictionary with me.
While I was sketching the castle building, I noticed a huge old book sticking out of the trash receptacle on the corner. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I discovered that it was an old engineering manual. I'd been looking at these from the booksellers along the Seine, but they are usually quite expensive. So I decided that fate was calling me, and I pulled the book out of the trash to bring home with me. Luckily, antique paper doesn't weigh much.
There aren't a lot of patisseries open on Sunday afternoons, but my apartment is in a Jewish and Muslem neighborhood, so the falafel shops are packed. The sandwiches are pretty cheap (5 euros), mostly because there is no meat. Falafel reminds me a little of southern hushpuppies - fried cornbread balls.
