Exploration, Day 3

Etap Hotel, Paris, France

Wow, that was a long day. I'm glad we used the metro, but it was still a whole lot of walking! Here's a quick rundown of the day:

Breakfast We are staying at Etap hotel in Paris. It is located on top of a car dealership and a block away from a metro station. The rooms are very... spartan. A bed, a sink, a door with a toilet, a door with a shower, and a desk with an electrical outlet. But what more do you need if you're going to be out all day? They also serve breakfast. A French style breakfast, which involves a bunch of cold food. It was good, but the first thing I'm going to eat when I get back to the states is a real breakfast.

Eiffel Tower After breakfast, we headed off to the Eiffel Tower. It opened at 9:00, and we got there about 10:00. Pictures don't really do it justice; this thing is huge! It's hard to believe it's been standing for over 100 years. To save a little bit of time in line, we decided to walk instead of using the elevator. I think we might live to regret that. We got up to the second level and got a pretty decent view of Paris. It was slightly hazy, so visibility wasn't the best. Instead of waiting in line to get tickets to go all the way to the top, and then standing in line to actually go, we went to see more of the city.

Notre Dame One of the things my brother said I definitely had to see in Paris was Notre Dame, specifically the tower tour. We waited in line for about 80 minutes to get in. (I got some pictures of Charlemange while we were waiting, so it was all good.) Notre Dame was huge. St. Michael's was nice and all, but it just wasn't as overwhelming as Notre Dame. Even the statues on the front of the building were great. We walked up so many stairs it wasn't even funny. They had been worn smooth by centuries of use. I especially enjoyed the bell tower. Here we were, two hundred feet in the air, where a 13-ton bell was being suspended by 800-year old wooden beams. The gargoyles were fun too. There was another line to get back into the main cathedral, so we decided to go and see more of Paris instead.

Lunch on the Seine The hunger gnaws. We stopped by a sandwich shop, where I picked up a croque. It was very good, but I ate it way too quickly. We ate along the Seine river. Very impressive.

Sainte Chapelle Our next stop was Sainte Chapelle. The second floor was spectacular. You are surrounded on all sides by 50-foot stained glass windows. I got a movie of it; when I figure out how to post it, I will. Gumby picked up some classical music at their extensive gift shop.

Jardin du Luxembourg Yeah, I was thinking with so much to see in Paris, who wants to hang out in a garden? They've probably got some trees and benches. Well Jardin du Luxembourg did have trees and benches, but it was a really cool place. It probably helped that my feet really hurt at this point, and sitting down was a really good thing. There were trees and fountains and statues and trails. And a Palace. And naked men climbing trees. There was a band playing in one corner. It was just a really peaceful, relaxing place.

Arc de Triomphe Our next stop was probably Gumby's favorite: the Arc de Triomphe. First, we stepped out into the middle of Champs-Elysees to take pictures. There is nothing like taking photos on a two-foot wide swath of street as cars whiz by you in either direction. Since we weren't quite feeling suicidal, we decided not to cross the street, but walked instead underneath to the monument. We decided to go to the top. Guess how? More stairs. But the view was worth it. The arch itself is huge. Again, pictures don't give justice to it's size. It's all intricate and designed to impress.

Etap Hotel At this point, I was almost out of room on my camera, and Gumby was laden down from intermittent shopping. Going back to the hotel solved both of these problems. Moving right along to...

Sacre Coeur At the top of a hill. How do you get to the top of a hill? More steps! Sacre Coeur is a very impressive and distinct monument in Paris. Frankly I was much more impressed by the outside than the inside. However, we didn't make it in time to see the crypt or anything. We did arrive in time for mass. There is one breathtaking mosaic inside. I believe it is one of the world's largest. At this point, it was getting dark and most of my pictures didn't turn out. As we were walking around Sacre Coeur, we happened to bump into two of people in the same program Gumby is in at Georgia Tech, Michel and Monica. Neither group knew the other was going to be there. Small world, eh? No one had eaten dinner at this point, so we went searching for a restaurant. We found...

Some Pizza Place Sorry, I can't remember the name. Don't worry, it's not good enough to recommend. We each ordered a pizza. I was still longing for an American breakfast, so I ordered a ham, egg, and cheese pizza. I wasn't sure how that was going to be, but I ended up with a poached egg smack-dab in the middle of my pizza. When you're hungry, everything's good.

After that, we headed back to the hotel. More walking, of course. I got to try an Orangina for the first time. Apparently it's carbonated orange juice that's really big in France. My mouth will never be the same.

So anyway, that's today. I don't know how I'm going to get around tomorrow after so much walking. We're really hoping we both end up with sexy thighs.

It's way too late, and we're getting up way too early tomorrow. Bed is looking really good right now.