Ooh La La Paris

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  Paris, France
Saturday, March 15, 2008

So my trip to Paris was amazing and a whirlwind of sites. We saw so many things in only two days and I loved every minute of it. After running through the train station for I originally forgot my passport and getting on the train with only six minutes to spare we where finally on our way to Paris! After a three hour train ride we got there on Thursday night for a very late dinner of delicious risotto. Then it was off to bed to get some rest for the marathon Paris day we had planed. Angela, Becky, Cory, and I woke up at eight and were out of the hostel by 9:30. We started our day off by buying the wrong metro pass but having the nice guy at the station allow us to ride the metro for free anyway (We never bothered getting the right pass and simply snuck onto the public trains from then on). We took the metro to the center of Paris and walked around passing the National Academy and the Opera House. We finally found a bus that would take us to the Arc De Triumph and where jumping up and down in joy when we saw the Arch from the bus

Champs-Élysées

. The French people on the bus all laughed at our excitement, one guy thanked us for coming and gave us direction on how to get to it from where the bus had dropped us off. The Arc De Triumph is the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle the arch honors the French who have fought in wars specifically the Napoleonic Wars. We viewed the impressive arch then it was a walk down the Champs-Élysées the widest road in Paris known for its cafes and luxury shops it is second only to 5th Avenue in New York for the most expensive real-estate in the world.  It was then off to the Eiffel Tower the tallest tower in France and from 1889-1930 it was the tallest building in the world. It was originally constructed simply as an exhibition but the controversy behind its construction and shape kept it standing. We climbed the steps to the second level and the view was astounding. We then descended and walked along the Seine River. We passed the Le pont d'Iena Bridge built by Napoleon and took some pictures. Passing through the gardens at the Louvre we where headed to Notre Dame. We finally got there and the sight truly was impressive. I have to say that I've seen a lot of Cathedrals in this trip and Notre Dame is among my favorites. We went inside and took pictures. They even had a service while we where in there. We then walked outside and took the stairs all the way up the top of Notre Dame. The view was great! I love taking pictures of the city with gargoyles in them. I even saw the bell that Quasimodo rang! After getting my fill of Notre Dame we then headed to the Crypts of Paris. The crypts, in all honesty, where less than thrilling. Not much to note except if you're in Paris don't bother with the crypts. We then headed off to the Louvre once again for after 6pm it is free for those under 25! We walked right in and found our way. We bee-lined it for the Mona Lisa. As we passed the paintings my friend Cory, who is in a Renaissance Art Class, described some of the artists and their styles

The room we were in

. We found her, The Mona Lisa, and took time to admire her and take some photos. We then wandered around the Louvre for a little longer spotting some interesting paintings and looking at the Louis XIV crown jewel collection. Then came my favorite part of the day! We went off to see the Eiffel Tower at night and it was amazing! So beautiful and it even sparkled on the hour. We took the elevator to the top and Angela was freaking out the whole way up and down. The view was stunning and I now know why they call Paris "the city of lights". Getting back to the hostel from the tower was interesting. We took the wrong bus back to the hostel and ended up who knows where. A very nice Parisian man on a motorcycle who only spoke French managed to give us directions back. We ended our night with a French Kiss... the shot it mean. And it was off to bed very late to be up early the next morning to take in more of this amazing city.

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It was the Eiffel Tower Room	Our Hostel	The Opera House	The National Academy
Statues outside the National Academy	We found the right bus!	Tunnel to get to the Arch	The Arch de Triumph
Anglea and I in front of the Arch de Triumph	Looking out from inside the arch	Napoleon	The Arch close up
The Statue of Liberty Flame in France	Me in front of the Eiffel Tower	The Eiffel Tower	The base
Looking up from the ground	All the little people from the 1st story	We were bad and wrote our initials on it	View from the Eiffel Tower
Looking down on the stairs	The Seine River	Me at the observation deck	More of the view
I fit the Eiffle Tower on my finger!	Le pont d'Iena Bridge	Pretty park alone our walk	I LOVE FRANCE!
Road where a bus almost hit us	The Arch de Triumph	Walking toward the Louvre	Part of the Louvre
Minnie Arch	The Pyramid and a Foutain	Notre Dame	Me and some of the girls
Inside Notre Dame	The Bell... Remember Quasi Moto	More Inside	Tey had a Mass while we where there
Big Cross	Watching out over the City	View from the Top of Notre Dame	I like Gargoyles
Going in to see the Bell	Looking Down	Paris	The Steeple... Ahh Paris
The Crypts	Mona Lisa	The Louvre	The Pyramid looking out at night
The inverted pyramid	The Eiffel Tower at Night	Walking towards it	The Tower and The Moon
Ohh Wow!	Cory and I in Berets	Looking up at the Tower	View of the city from the very top
The Arch... soo cool	Cory and I eating a Crep	It even sparkles!

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