Grand Hotel Senia Île-de-France

... finally got to the security entrance only to realize that no food or drink were allowed past that point. It was back to the family to sit on much sought after bench seats to eat, while hawkers tried to off load trinket Eiffel Towers and the children received their first introduction to persistent beggars. Joined the queues again and went all the way to the top. The Eiffel Tower was a fantastic sight at dusk and then amazingly lit when darkness ...

... to the British Museum to actually see the things I missed when I was walking around trying to find Amy on the day I arrived. The Rosetta Stone was fascinating. I have to admit that one of the reasons I went back there was to find out what it really was, because I didn't even know exactly! I'm very glad I saw it; the hieroglyphs next to the Egyptian language, next to the Greek...it was great. The other reason I went was to see the objects from the ...

... out of people and imitate them for show. He was playing for all of us, and then asked for a donation. I thought he was really funny looking (part of his gimmick) and got my picture with him. The view at the top was magnificent. I got a classic shot of the gargoyle overlooking the city of Paris. Paul and I made sure to look out for Quasimodo, but alas we had to settle for quoting the lines, "Sanctuary!" and "The bells ... the bells!" Seeing all the statues ...

... Jen, Conrad and I were there with Serena and her Mexican roommate Maria who is very pretty. Serena suggested this wine bar really close to her, because someone else suggested it to us. It was really fun, but really really hot. It was literally a hole in the ground--converted from a wine cellar. They played Spanish sounding french music and all the patrons knew the words. We were the centre of attention as the only foreigners there ...

... on this tiny pedestrian only street that was almost ridiculously picturesque! The street is really just a very wide cobblestoned sidewalk and it gradually ascends with these very wide steps. There are three cafes on the way up and of course they all had outdoor seats and there were people there all the time eating meals or having some coffe or wine. Past the cafes is a a little shop run by nuns that sells monastery products, like soaps ...

... so we just ate at a restaurant. So much for budget. We made it back to the hostel pretty early and passed out. A completely different group in the room the second night. The first night was full of a bunch of aussies that were pretty well seasoned travellers. We ended up hanging out with one of them the majority of the evening the first night. The nice part was that everyone had good hostel manners, you know like not talking with a full ...

... a dull roar of conversation in contrast to the St Severin Cathedral, which had been quiet and serene. The windows in Notre Dame are huge and incredibly intricate. I can't imagine how crowded it must be during the heavy tourist season. Crowds and noise notwithstanding, I'm glad we went there. It's truly incredible. Leaving Notre Dame we strolled over to the Ile St Louis, admiring the Seine and the architecture around it.

... Eiffel Tower. This was possibly the coolest fireworks show I have ever seen...the Eiffel Tower shut off all its glittery lights, and an amazing fireworks display went off right behind it, set to all kinds of american/french music - a little Mary Poppins, Moulin Rouge, some French songs, a little bit of everything. It was SO beautiful!!!!! It was also probably one of the longest fireworks shows I've ever seen - which made it that much better! It was very ...

No olihan se niin ku niin kivaa!!!!!!!!!! Jopa tämä ryhmä heräsi jo aamusta ja oltiin melkein jo kympiksi hisseillä. Lunta oli tullut noin 30 cm mikä teki kummasti laskunautinnon täydelliseksi. Keli oli melkein aurinkoinenkin tai ainakin kirkas mutta pakkasta oli -18C ja oli muutes tosi kylmä. Ihan sairaan siisti taas laskea ensimmäiset pyydat ja tehdä niitä omia jälkiä vuorille. Ei edes tuntunut kauheen rankalta vaikka laskup ...

... desk, and they told me approximately where to go. But I went to far and ended up in this underground mall like thing outside the museum. Finally I found it and got my card. I was supposed to meet a friend at 1, so I was pretty pressed for time. The only thing I had time to do was jump the metro. So I met my friend and we went to a lebanese place for takeout schawarma. We sat in a park and ate it there. It was damn good. Class was at 3, as it is every ...