Another couple days in Paris!!
Trip Start
Jun 08, 2008
1
15
65
Trip End
Dec 08, 2008
Paris,
Île-de-France,
France
Friday, July 11, 2008
We got up the next morning and I took it to myself. I hit the Eiffel tower because I hadn't been up it yet and really wanted to do it!! When I got there I realized that today wasn't going to be the day either!! The line was about 3 hour wait and I had to meet Cass and Matt in 2 and a half hours. Another day for sure though. Took a whole bunch of pics and I headed over to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc was cool but I stood and watched the traffic in this roundabout for about half an hour!! I didn't see any accidents but I knew that there would be for sure! It was like 10 streets merging into one roundabout and then trying to get out again. The people in the roundabout yield to the people coming in. It was insane. Add in motorcycles, scooters, and cop cars with sirens and you have one huge mess. Fun to watch though!!
After meeting Matt and Cass we headed out for another day of shopping. I know what your thinking, you came all the way to Paris to go shopping. YUP!!! It was fun, a couple of stops for food and that was pretty much our day. Cant say it was all that exciting but after traveling for this many weeks already it was really nice to have a chilled out day for sure! I was in bed early tonight because I was still catching up from my Birthday night.
The next morning I was determined to get to the top of the Eiffel tower if I had to scale it by hand. I got up really early, around 7:30 am and decided to make my way down there. The line was just as long as the day before and there was still 30 minutes until it opened. If I wanted to see it I had to wait. I stood there and about 10 minutes before it opened. They cut the line in half and took the last half to other tower. Cool!!! I went from 300th in line to 20th. A 10 minute wait and I was flying up the tower. It was really incredible (I'm having problems with adjectives in these blogs) the view was awesome and well worth it. The weather was finally sunny and I had a clear day to look over Paris. I recommend going up at the end of your trip, because when I got up there all I did was see things that I had done earlier that week.
I headed back down and the quest was on for sleeping arrangements for that night. See, the hostel that I was staying at didn't have room in the inn for me so I had to find something else. I decided that one night in a hotel wouldn't kill me, maybe my budget but not me. I checked in and it was so nice to have a bathroom, bed and the privacy. I got lonely after about an hour so I hit the streets for a walk. There is something to be said about the companionship you get at the hostels.
The next day I was on to Brussels. The land of the chocolates! I had booked a train for that afternoon and let me tell you it was wicked (new adjective, whoo hoo) I was lucky enough to have a fist class rail pass so I got the first class treatment. Food, sandwiches, cheesecake, chocolate, coffee, beer, you name it. After I was finished eating she came around again for another round of exactly the same stuff. I just kept eating, not that often you get a free meal. The seats were so comfortable that I didn't want to get off when the train came to a halt at Brussels Central Station. Please don't make me go!!!!!!
I had arrived and what an ugly city................
