So I get stuck in Madrid (instead of being in Barcelona right now), but y'all get lucky and get a double-helping of blogposts today. I (hopefully) won't be able to update until Monday night because our boarding house won't have internet. So enjoy.
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Day 2: Our first real day in Paris began bright and early at around 8 AM. We were planning on meeting the rest of our group under the Eiffel Tower and decided that we would take the scenic route and walk there as opposed to just hopping on a metro. This would allow for some excellend p
hotos as well. Our route took us straight down an amazingly beautiful street between Paris districts 8 and 1. We saw an old library, at least one old church, a gold-covered bridge, the River Seine, the Louvre gardens, an obelisk, and the Eiffel Tower from afar. It was a lot of fun.
hotos as well. Our route took us straight down an amazingly beautiful street between Paris districts 8 and 1. We saw an old library, at least one old church, a gold-covered bridge, the River Seine, the Louvre gardens, an obelisk, and the Eiffel Tower from afar. It was a lot of fun.Our only hope was to get breakfast along the way, we had crepes in mind. Sadly, after strolling and taking photos for an hour and a half, we didn't have time for crepes. Oops, my bad. I was starving so I bailed and bought a hot dog at a tourist stand underneath the Eiffel. Our friends who went to Paris last month told us to get the hotdogs, that they were awesome in Paris. I sacrificed my 5 euros, which really wasn't a bad deal in Paris, for a great foot-long baguette that was hollowed out and filled
with a great tasting hot dog, tomato sauce, and onions. It was very good, one of the best hotdogs ever. I seem to be having good luck finding good hotdogs in Europe. I think Mr. Ikoniak would be jealous! Oh, and another thing: the gypsies at the Eiffel Tower are bold enough to present you a random sign in English, if you say no, they attempt to take your food out of your hands. Seriously, I'm hungry and I want my breakfast so bug off gypsy ladies! Plus, they don't do any good wearing the same style skirts and having long dark hair. They should diversify their attempts. But I digress.
with a great tasting hot dog, tomato sauce, and onions. It was very good, one of the best hotdogs ever. I seem to be having good luck finding good hotdogs in Europe. I think Mr. Ikoniak would be jealous! Oh, and another thing: the gypsies at the Eiffel Tower are bold enough to present you a random sign in English, if you say no, they attempt to take your food out of your hands. Seriously, I'm hungry and I want my breakfast so bug off gypsy ladies! Plus, they don't do any good wearing the same style skirts and having long dark hair. They should diversify their attempts. But I digress.Our whole group met up and we were originally going to go on a boat tour down the Seine, but it was pretty expensive and only an hour, so we figured we'd just walk it. In the end we figured we walked about 8 miles during the day and my feet were sore for at least 4 days afterwards. Anyways, during our extended adventures it was a positively beautiful day with complete sunshine so we all managed 
to get a nice tan and enjoyed the weather. First stop was a semi-circle of museums/plaza to the west of the Eiffel. From there we got great views of the Tower. we continued up to the Arc du Triomfe which sits in 
the middle of a massive, never-ending traffic circle. To get to the Arc you actually have to go under the road and pop out in the middle! The Arc was cool and is the location of France's version of the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". Not as cool as ours in Arlington, but hey, it works.
to get a nice tan and enjoyed the weather. First stop was a semi-circle of museums/plaza to the west of the Eiffel. From there we got great views of the Tower. we continued up to the Arc du Triomfe which sits in 
the middle of a massive, never-ending traffic circle. To get to the Arc you actually have to go under the road and pop out in the middle! The Arc was cool and is the location of France's version of the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". Not as cool as ours in Arlington, but hey, it works.The Arc sits at the top of the longest street in the world, Champs Elysees. And walking down it, we realized how long it was! It's lined with all the major world brands: Cartier, Luis Vitton, Gucci, Mont Blanc, etc etc etc. Not good for college shopping, but still fun. Next quick stop was the Gran Palais du Artes (I may indeed have butchered the spelling on that). There was a Warhol exhibit that several in the group wanted to visit, but I wasn't in the mood to fork over the money. We kept going, passing by the gilded bridge and heading towards the Louvre. I was convinced that my life wouldn't be complete without a trip inside the Louvre. I l
ove how the major museums of the world have no student discount. Maybe I'll just become a senior citizen and get their discount.... Anyways, the Louvre was incredible. Seeing the Mona Lisa was worth however much I ended up paying to get in that place. We also went through the Italian and Greek sculptures collection (saw Venus de Milo, famous sculpture, but she has no arms or head), saw the original foundation of the castle that sat where the Louvre now sits, saw the ancient Egypt collection, and saw the Code of Hamurabi which is a huge chunk of stone with ancient civil and criminal legal codes written on every available space.
ove how the major museums of the world have no student discount. Maybe I'll just become a senior citizen and get their discount.... Anyways, the Louvre was incredible. Seeing the Mona Lisa was worth however much I ended up paying to get in that place. We also went through the Italian and Greek sculptures collection (saw Venus de Milo, famous sculpture, but she has no arms or head), saw the original foundation of the castle that sat where the Louvre now sits, saw the ancient Egypt collection, and saw the Code of Hamurabi which is a huge chunk of stone with ancient civil and criminal legal codes written on every available space.After the Louvre we were exhausted, tired and hungry. Knowing that it was going to be cranky, I decided to walk back to the hotel and along the way I stopped to pick up some fresh fruit and other groceries to try to save some money and be healthy. I also picked up a fresh croque 
monssieur which is a really snazzy grilled cheese in my opinion. I ate my feast on my balcony and then took a nap with the breeze wafting through the windows.
monssieur which is a really snazzy grilled cheese in my opinion. I ate my feast on my balcony and then took a nap with the breeze wafting through the windows.After my nap I met up with friends to see the nighttime lightshow at the Eiffel Tower. We stopped to get another hotdog along the way and 
this one was even better: a 15-inch baguette with fresh sausage inside and broiled gruyere cheese on top. Not your average ball-game hotdog! The lightshow was pretty cool, looked like tons of paparazzi taking your picture from all over the tower. Random event: we happened to run into a BYX alum from Sam Houston State who was traveling on his spring break (he's a choir teacher outside Houston). Very small world, indeed.
this one was even better: a 15-inch baguette with fresh sausage inside and broiled gruyere cheese on top. Not your average ball-game hotdog! The lightshow was pretty cool, looked like tons of paparazzi taking your picture from all over the tower. Random event: we happened to run into a BYX alum from Sam Houston State who was traveling on his spring break (he's a choir teacher outside Houston). Very small world, indeed.It was a good night and I tried to come back early to get some shut eye before our early morning train to Amsterdam!
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