Hotel de Roubaix Paris

... to make sure that you knew you were in Paris the terminal was stuffed with high-end boutique shops and 2 cafes that served $8 coffees and a number expensive cheese sandwiches. DH spent most of the time reminiscing about our trip here a couple of years ago- I think she was trying to convince me to bail on West Africa and relive Paris- no such luck.

... the building occured over a long peroid from 1,000 Ad to 1700. It is built around the rocks with lots of different rooms and connecting tunnels, some massive and some small with a new room discovered as recently as last year. Unfortunately like most buildings it fell into disrepair so a fair bit of restoration had to take place for it to be open to public. Still plenty of atmosphere there and in the old village with quaint ...

... company.

Nick, I should explain is a first class botherer. In his adolescence he perfected the art of kicking the underside of his kid sisters' feet when we were walking, but he has since learned the new trick of not quite stepping on the back of my flip-flops so that I am constantly afraid of tripping. Guiding me into posts, unexpectedly grabbing my purse and pulling, nudging me into walls, and stopping right in front of me on the ...

... spinich tortallini in her adorable little kitchen. After dinner, Kaitlin's friend came over to use her internet (apparently it's extremely difficult to get internet in Paris) and we headed out to catch the Eiffel Tower light show at 11:00 as seen from Trocadero. It was lovely as always, and so good to see a friend from Mhead. We went back to the flat, had vanilla ice cream while chatting with her friend and then crashed on the pullout couch in her living room (which usually ...

... Moulin Rouge. It was definitely interesting. I was surprised how clean the area was considering the things that were in the shop windows. After walking through there the guys bought some French wine and enjoyed in on the streets. An interesting concept. They convinced me to try some and it wasn't too terrible. We continued up to the Sacre Coeur because the view was supposed to be amazing at night. Sacre Coeur looked awesome but it was foggy so you couldn't see the city very ...

... that is almost diminished by the volume. We hope to see Musee D'Orsay (the impressionist museum) and Musee Rodin (sculptor) today. The Lido was quite an experience. It was a Parisian Vegas experience and mom was a bit surprised at the topless dancers, but a good sport about it. We met the former director of the show, who now directs a show in Southern France ...

... or Bach. And there were still parts of the old Jewish district where Jews had lived for centuries sadly interrupted by WW2 (Jews were gathered here before being sent off to the camps) but managed to continue thereafter until the present day. We also came across the cloisters that contains a monastery in another part of the Marais. Apart from shopping and exploring the left bank, I got to visit with some friends of Trish's as well on Friday and Sunday and ...

... his backpack, and there was just a blackout in that district. No big deal. Dinner was good, I had turkey with blue cheese, fries, french onion soup, and chocolate mousse for dessert. Everything was so good, but because we arrived so late to meet Tyler, we were late eating, and then missed the last metro home at midnight. We had to walk. This was when Jen decided to have her allergic reaction to beef. Cold. Dark. *Almost* Lost. Allergic? (Suck.) Home. Sleep. The next day was the relaxing ...

... views of Paris. We made our way back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. After our active weekend we were all pretty exhausted. The next day our experience at the embassy actually wasn't too bad. I think it was extra crowded because of the holiday the previous day, but since we were scheduled to travel at the 3 o'clock that afternoon, I think they expedited my passport. Also when you get there you're suddenly surrounded by other Americans who have also had their passports lost or ...