You know what’s extremely French? Besides the man literally licking a woman’s nose at the table across from me?

A croque monsieur.

A croissant, ham, emmental cheese, and mustard. Top it off with a shot of espresso and a delicious side salad, I’m having a pretty stellar lunch.

I just finished touring the gardens and the museum here at Musée Rodin. Once again, the sun is out but the temperature is absolutely perfect.

There are some very interesting characters here at the museum today. It can really only be described in quotes:

No, I’m not making any of this up.

Despite how it may sound, I’m enjoying my visit at this museum. Rodin is one of the most famous sculptors of all time. What I like most is that in the beginning, his work was criticized for its naturalism, but he refused to change his style and eventually become world-renowned.

Plus, who wouldn’t like walking through a beautiful garden on a beautiful day and looking at beautiful sculptures?

After the musee, I decided to visit the Trocadero Gardens again to get a good video in front of the Eiffel Tower for a vlog I’m working on.

Being that I’m tucked away in the more residential 4th arrondissement, it’s interesting traveling to the tower in the 7th. Not only are there a lot more tourists here, understandably, but I recognize just how much businesses in this area are just meant for the tourists, too.

Every other business was a souvenir shop, all selling damn near the same things. It’s incredible how much each shop looks like a carbon copy of the last one. The waiters and patrons are all speaking English, and all the patrons are drinking wine and ordering a steak-frites for lunch. I even saw a “No Pizza Today” sign that was, well, in English.

What I didn’t see were people drinking wine and having a cigarette for lunch, I didn’t see any chic, true-Parisien clothing stores, or stores for every day life in general — supermarket, bookstore, home goods. It’s cool having been here just long enough to recognize the difference between what’s residential and what’s not.

Not that that makes me an “insider”. More like an outsider who’s observant. And can bum her way through a conversation or two.

After I finished getting some footage for a vlog, I decided it was time for a glass of wine. I made my way back home and stopped at Le Bastille, where the waiter recommended a glass of Chablis. (After telling me my eyes are very beautiful. The French.)

I drank my wine, and read my new book A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos. Seeing as the book was originally written in French before being translated in English, I’ve had more than one Parisien tell me that the series is ‘incroyable’, incredible. A waitress at Le Pain Quotidien told me that she’s on the fourth book of the series.

I watched a group of girls across from me enjoy wine, eat a charcuterie board, smoke some cigarettes, and of course, film a Tiktok. Ever since I’ve arrived in France my algorithm on that app has shown me loads and loads of French videos. I shouldn’t be surprised at all, but at the same time, I will never again be able to deny that Tiktok is keeping tabs.

When I finished my wine I headed down to my favorite spot along the Seine to sit and sketch some more of the river and the buildings across the way. While I was there a woman just a few years older then me took a seat on the bench and later asked if I was drawing the view. We talked for awhile about where we’re from, what languages we speak, where we’ve traveled before, and what we do for work— all in French. I was really grateful for how patient she was when I asked her to repeat herself or clarify, she didn’t speak any English so I had to rely entirely on French. We exchanged instagrams and then went our separate ways when the temperature got too cool.

(And for all the wonderful people whom I love and love me— I am being careful, always.)

All in all, it was a good day.

Jusqu’à la prochaine tasse de café!

-Ken