|
  | |  |
WE ACTUALLY DID STUFF!
Entry 9 of 11 | show all | print this entry |
So much for getting up early! I didn't get out of bed until 10:45. Oops. That's when I took a shower and had my, what is now typical, French breakfast of Les Frosties aka Snowy Cornflakes or whatever they're called in the USA. You know the ones; they're GRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!
The plan was to go to the d'Orsay. Blech, but- OH GREEEEAT STORY. So, I'm walking a ways behind Jeff and mom and some women leans over and picks up something (or so it looks) and goes to them, "OH you dropped zis sir!." It was a gold ring and it wasn't Jeff's. She walked away but then turned around and was like, "Oh here! It's your lucky day. Keep it!" At least that was the gist of it; she was speaking in French mostly. She then walked away again but came back and I think asked for money for a croissant or something. Jeff gave her like 5 euros, with is over 7 bucks and she insisted on more. Ended up getting 15 euros out of it. I just stood by watching, thinking, wow what a scammer! And yeah, she was. It was well planned. The ring even fit him perfectly. She claimed to think it was gold, too. But whatever, it bought us a good story.
Then, to the Orsay! When we arrived there around 1 pm the line was freakishly long. That was after a super long walk, but it was along the Seine so t'was not to bad. Big surprise, my mom was hungry so we went into a little Brasserie across the alley like street behind the museum. I had a pretty good sandwich. Turns out, France's food = a billion times better than most British food.
After bitching and arguing about what to, do we ended up crossing over the seine and walking through the Jardin des Tuileries and across the Place de la Concorde. There was a lot of setting up for Bastille Day, which is in a little over a week; I think there's a parade or something down the Champs Elysees. That was our next area of focus.
After a super long walk up through the park like area along most of the Champs Elysees, we reached the area with all the shops. I was planning on shopping there until we went into a restaurant, people watched, and discovered that shit was very expensive there (10 dollar diet coke -_-)
My mom wasn't feeling well, so she went to sit in another café and Jeff and I had been planning on continuing up to the Arc de Triomphe. We ended up going to McDonald's. Well, at least I got that out of the way. By this time, we were sure my mom was like dead or something, so we went and stuck her in a cab headed to the flat. THEN we walked to the Arc de Triomphe and; I must say, it was quite spectacular. Much larger than I expected. Though we didn't go up in it, it was still cool taking pictures and seeing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
My feet hurt, so we took a cab back to the flat. Well, actually to the Musee du Quai Branly, which is across the street. It was free; I think because it was the first Sunday of the month. Jeff and I got separated being the geniuses we are and explored alone. Didn't run into each other until we were leaving! It was a pretty cool museum. Tons of stuff from ancient Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. Unfortunately, the exhibits were only in French, so I couldn't tell when they were made, though some looked really really old. There were little maps, so I could tell at least where they were form. I especially enjoyed the old weapons of the Middle East and the freaky masks from the Oceanic Islands. There was also a good collection of clothes, rugs, tools, and statues. It's worth seeing, though it'd help drag someone along who speaks French. I wasn't able to fully explore, but it appears that the Branly also has, at times, performances, shows, and special exhibitions. Check it out!
Because we only had one key, my mom had to come let us in to the flat. We then took a note out of her book and rested, me reading and them napping. I had a sandwich for dinner around 7, but of course we were hungry again later. Around 9 we went out and found a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. Chelsea's hotel was right there so I walked over and called her room from the lobby. She was asleep, so I only talked to her father and arranged to possibly meet them at the Louvre tomorrow. I know going to their hotel sounds slightly stalkery, but every time I tried to call it didn't work and I really think she wouldn't appreciate me not getting in contact with her at all.
On the walk back we decided (I was forced) to look for a store. The old ones couldn't find it again so we didn't go to the store. That sucked because I NEED LAUNDRY DETERGENT! Eventually, we made it back. TV was watched, and it is now 1130. Hopefully I will go to sleep before 2...
Something I learned today: Don't take rings from strangers.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by mferrand, from France or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
