Blog Abroad, Paris: Bus No. 29
Friday, November 18th, 2011Sunday afternoon, I was working on my PolEthics essay. Then I looked out my window and realized it was beautiful outside and the sun was setting. A little thought crept in my ear. I grabbed it and ran… literally. I dropped my book, grabbed my coat, and ran out the door. I was fighting the sunset! Booked it to the metro and then to station St. Lazare to catch Bus no. 29. Why? I heard that Bus 29 from St. Lazare had the most beautiful bus route in all of Paris. I also heard that this would be the sunniest day in weeks. I somehow had forgotten about both of those things and remembered them at that moment, which was why I had to drop my books and chase the sunset.
I just sat on the bus on the gorgeous fall evening, looking out the window, to see where in Paris it would take me. I soon noticed that the inside of the bus was just as interesting as the outside… in a good way. Here is my jotted-down list of the things I saw:
- Resto: Pharaon (a really cool-looking French diner)
- Musée: Fragonard (a perfume museum – my mother would get a headache)
- Resto: Café de la Paix (swanky)
- A monument
- Winding streets
- Librairie: de la Mode (ooh)
- Magasin: Y’s (really cool coats)
- Dépot Ceramique
- The staple fashionista stores: Cop-copine, Naf Naf, some Shoebizz store… all that jazz
- Magasin: Kabuko (very cool-looking coats)
- L’ethnospecialiste (huh?)
- Resto: Madame Tomate (nice couches)
- A random office that looked like it was from the future. I think there was an architect working on a blueprint inside. It looked like the guy’s desk was on a second floor with the glass showing both the first and second floor, but it was the size of a room with the bottom floor completely empty.
- Behind me: ”Il bosse. Il bosse pas énorme, mais il bosse.” ”Hmm.”
- A young woman sitting beside us: Short brown shiny bob with bangs. Big black scarf wrapped around forever, until just below her lips. Dark eyeshadow, shiny levres. Leather jacket, of course.
- A tiny girl schoolgirl with an amelie haircut, cute black-red plaid jacket, black boots tied up, and little black socks. Adorbz. I think she was playing musical chairs
- Magasin: Antoine et Lili. I’d seen it before. LOVE. so bright, so colorful!

- Magasin: Tepetto? Repetto? Lepetto? I don’t know, but a cool-looking store. The first letter of its name was a little too cool-looking, though
- Sandro. Nice stuff. Maaaaan.
- Musée Picasso. (ooh)
- Another monument. Oh, at the Bastille!
- A philosopher’s bookstore (I stopped by after getting off. So cute.)

23. No inhibitions, naked curiosity, a beautiful city.
Raha loves being the only tourist on free bus tours.
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Raha Francis is a an economics and philosophy undergraduate at the University of Toronto. She is spending her third year abroad, studying in Paris. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact her at raha.francis@utoronto.ca.

















