Today started with a quick train ride back to Paris. So much better than the train to Reims, minus tge assigned seating which forced ys to lug our bags to the second level and listen to loud Frenchmen the whole ride. But no matter, we were going to Paris! We took a cab to our hostel as soon as we got off the train. The woman at the front desk seemed like she would be very unfriendly but then made a remark how people were going to take Obama to replace their president because apparently he was coming to Paris next week, and not to be surprised if all of a sudden we had short white president when he returned. It was hilarious and was nice to know the staff were so friendly. Our room is really nice, surprising for a hostel! Whoever renovated gets a thumbs up from me! The best part is the large window that opens up to the whole city. You can see the towers of Notre Dame, the financial district, and smell the incredible baked goods from the patisserie down the street.
What to do now? The Eiffel Tower of course! We took the metro over, and while Michelle was creeped out by metro entrances, I loved their art nouveau style. I after this experience with the metro, I have decided that New Yorks subway suck in comparison to Paris and Londons. It is so much dirtier and much more complicated. London has the best, but only because the strong smell of pee here was horrible. Anyway, as we crossed the river on the train, the Eiffel Tower soared above. Seeing that with the train performer playing some super french song on his accordian set the mood, and i was just so happy. We walked down the river side toward the Tower and we were in awe of how big it was! Now i know why so many people are in love with this structure...it is so magnificent and beautiful. Definitely my new favorite piece of architecture. We noticed this super sketchy clown smoking and strolling around near us and I was not a happy camper. For those of you who know me well, you know that I hate, despise and am terrified of clowns. So OF COURSE as we were trying to take a picture together the clown comes over to offer to take it for us. In addition to being scared of him, i was terrified he was going to take my camera so i denied. He kept pushing and I said no, praying he would go away. He did, but just HAD to touch my arm as say au revoir. AHHH!!! He was either really French or just really creepy. I think it was a mix. We took about a million pictures and ate some delicious crepes on the lawn. Eating lunch in Central Park is nice, but there is nothing like eating and hanging out in front of the EIffel Tower...NOTHING!! We headed over to the Arc de Triumph after but couldnt go into the main area of it as you had to pay. Once again, scaffolding ruined our view of a beautiful monument. We headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner with a French friend of Michelles. We met at the Sacre Cour, a beautiful church that doesnt look like something that belongs in Paris. We went to a cute restaurant that had a perfect outdoor dining square...so Parisian. Dinner consisted of wine, bread and cheese and some yummy dessert. Once again, so Parisian. Michelle's friend did study abroad at her school so her english was very good. We had a great time chatting away and learning things about each others cultures. For instance the sterotypical phrase "Sacre Bleu!" (Which we kept repeating the entire day) is a French term....from 300 years ago! Hahaha...before we knew it it was almost 10 and it was still light outside. We went to the girls flat and hung out there for a bit, getting a taste of how the locals live. Such a nice, and oh so French evening.
It's free museum day tomorrow, ready to see some art!
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