Hotel Plaza Athenee Paris

... I should be putting accents on a lot of these words, but at the moment I can't be buggered to figure out how to do it.) and then walked across the Seine to see the Sainte-Chapelle. There was something big going on at the criminal court, which shares an entry point with the Sainte-Chapelle, and one of the security screening machines broke down. We ended up waiting in line for an hour ... in the rain. It wasn't too awful, except that I was dying for some ...

I think we must be ready as Josh might cry over the departure of his friend Alex. We did let everyone sleep in this morning as it was no rush. So after a lazy morning we got ready and Josh Alex and I got down to wait for the taxi. We arrive at the airport to be told that we were 30 to early to check in. So we went to have lunch and I made sure Alex had everything he needed for the journey ...

... thick New york accent. I said "hey! what are you doing here?" he said something to the affect of "this is Paris, and I'm a waiter going to school...why would I NOT be here?" Touche. I sat down, waited quite a long time, ordered a white russian...maybe two, and made my slow descent back to the hotel room. This was a fantastic introduction to someone whose one time well-studied and honed French skills had diminished to knowing how order a white russian and buy a pack of camels. More to follow.

... from them. We got off the metro and headed towards the Tower which at this point was still hidden behind all the towering buildings around us. Then we took a corner and there it was not more than a couple hundred meters from us. I mentioned in one of my previous entries that when we went to see Big Ben I was a little disappointed as I expected it to be bigger. Well the Eiffel Tower had the opposite effect; I didn't think it was that big ...

... killed. Fortunately, my friend Karina has offered to take in the fish until Frenchie returns, so I'm bringing him over to her place tonight. She lives just a 15 min walk from where I am so that shouldn't put too much stress on the fish. The homeless guys have now officially become a tourist attraction. The other day I was walking by and saw these two girls taking their picture with them. In case you are in Paris and want to ...

... of men, all in blue uniform, who were on strike and were marching over to the left bank. We talked to one of them, who stated they were hospital workers and were protesting over their pay. We continued our walk to Place Maubert, the location of one of the roving markets in Paris. This is located on Blvd. Saint Germain right at the metro Maubert. On display were wonderful vegetables, fruits, and seafood. Also for sale were clothing, jewelry, scarfs, pâtés ...

... Orsay. Errggh. Musee was jammed (it threatened rain all day and spit now and again) but I was determined so...in I went, up to the top floor and began walking. I have to say, it was so crowded and hot and noisy that I really didn't appreciate much at all. The Musee d'Orsay is filled with some of the greatest works of art in the world- but atmosphere is everything and after about two hours I called it quits somewhere on the ground floor. No epiphanies ...

Paris, my favorite place on the planet (so far anyway). Many other people must feel the same, since it is the most visited city on earth. What's not to love? It's vibrant, it's full of energy, history, fashion, wonderful food, art, shall I go on? I like the people there too. I have often been asked what I think of the French people, since there still seems to be an idea of rudeness or something. But I have found the French people very nice and helpful. This is certainly true of ...

... find my size so..... 5 Zara shops later we still could not find the dress! Ah well another good excuse to come back shopping in paris! :) After that Matt needed a break so we stopped by the Opera at a lovely cafe and had some crepes and milkshakes. We then headed home for a rest before going out at night. We were meant to go on a Seine cruise and see the sites at might, but they stuffed up our bookings so we are going tomorrow night and instead went to ...