Bike tour and Free Museum Day!!

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Trip Start Jul 28, 2008 Previous
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  Paris, France
Sunday, August 3, 2008

SO... My life is basically amazing.  I mean, how many people get to take a bike tour through the City of Lights?  I know it was rather cold and rainy, but I got to see a lot of Paris that I never would have seen if I rely only on my two poor feet.  I do a lot of walking here, but after a while, you stop exploring the random tiny side streets because you either expect them to be sketchy, dull, or residential.  This bike tour let us fully explore the tiny side streets (steering us away from cars, buses, and pedestrians thank goodness) and discover "vintage" Paris.  One street that we stopped at is exactly as I imagined Paris would be- there are fruit, vegetable, chocolate, tea, and meat markets all lined up in a row for shoppers to get the best item from each store and move on.  The only storefront that didn't fit with my image was a sushi place...  On the bike, we toured past the glass pyramids in the Louvre courtyard, across Pont Neuf, past Notre Dame, and through Centre Pompidou.  The whole city was open to us and we would not let a little rain get in our way

Beginning of the tour.. and rain

!  I was so tempted to consider renting a bike, but I don't really understand the road rules at all and a goal of mine on this trip is to return home alive, so I'm going to count that one out.

After the bike tour, a few friends and I thought it would be fun to check out a free cooking class the the BHV, the french version of Macys.  However, sadly, they are no longer offering these classes so we shopped instead.  I am not too adventurous so I ended up with a folder because school is starting tomorrow!

I decided to stay in for the night because I was feeling really drained and thought rest might be good, so I read a bit, relaxed and fell asleep early because the first sunday of the month is...

FREE MUSEUM DAY!!! 

However, there was a catch.  Because it was free museum day, everyone goes to museums. Obviously.  And because everyone goes to museums, not only are the museums claustrophobic once you get inside, but you have to wait in long lines to even enter.  Yeah.  So the 8 museums I had in mind for today didn't work out and I had to limit myself to Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and any other impressionists and post-impressionists that you might have heard of

I took this picture while riding on the bike

.  Oh, and pointilism.  I love Seurat :).

It was a fun day with lots of walking around and exploring the metro and relaxing a bit with the artwork so it was well worth the wait to get in. 

Also, side-note- I do not understand the way they do milk here, because I was very confused by the drink that I ordered today.  I ordered milk.  I got something white, yet frothy, and very sweet.  They even gave me sugar to put into it.  I am going to make an effort to ask someone next time.

That's all of my excitement.  I start school tomorrow so I might have to start thinking of more domestic tasks- homework, grocery shopping, laundry.  I just have to remember that whatever I do, I'm doing it in Paris!  In my humble opinion, they certainly don't lack for culture here.

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palais royal	where Tolstoy worked!	Gaughin	Musee D'Orsay
I love the clocks	I'm in love with Van Gogh	Water Lilies	I can't get enough of them
Monet's studies of light	a Degas ballerina	Whistler's mother made famous by Mr Bean

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