Amazing Time

I went to Paris this past weekend! YAY for me!!! It was such an amazing city. The Effiel Tower, l'Arc de Triumph, le Louvre, le Musee d'Orsay, the Opera House, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Montmarte, Moulin Rouge, the catacombs, Invalide, the Bastille area, everything was just as I imagined it would be.

We got in Friday night, found our hotel, and went to the Effiel Tower. We climbed up the steps to the first and second landing and then took the elevator to the very top. Let me tell you something, the thing that they call the Effiel Tower at Kings Island is nothing compared to the real thing. The views from the top were incredible! I could see the enitre city! There was a light show on the tower every so often during the night, with was beautiful. I got some video footage of it, plus some great pictures of the Tower all lit up at night. Also, the sunset from the Effiel Tower is one of the most romantic moments in the universe. I swear when I propose to a woman it will at the top of the Effiel Tower at sunset. Later that night we all wanted to go explore the night life. We ended up at this really nice little bar near the Place de Republique. Adam, Marianne, and I wanted to go back to the hotel at about 2 am and the metro quit running at 1 am, but we couldn't get a cab to take us. Apparently cabs some cabs won't go outside a certain area. After trying about 5 times we decided to walk. It took us an hour and a half to get back!!!!! Needless to say we were tired, sore, and pissed; but we got back so it was good. I have to say in a city like Paris having the metro stop running at 1 am is a pretty stupid thing to do, but that's just me.

On Saturday we all got up and did our own thing. I went to the Louvre and wandered around for a while. I saw the Mona Lisa (which is a lot smaller than I expected), the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samonthrace, and the apartments of Napoleon III. I also wandered around the Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian collections for a while. I wanted to go to the Italian and French painting gallery, but they were both packed and I had soooo much more to do in the city that day so I just skimmed them. After the Louvre I went to Notre Dame, which was amazing. It was one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen, not to mention the largest. After that I went to my favorite building in the city......the Opera House. I swear I was in heaven. When I stood in the grand staircase I could hear Masquarade from "Phantom of the Opera" in my head. As I wandered through I heard all of the show playing in my head the entire time! I know I'm a dork, but whatever. It was a fantstic and beautiful building and I took lots of pictures. The actual audtiorim and the chandeler is makes what you saw in the movie pale by comparison!!! Then I met up with the rest of the group a Sacre Coeur in Montmarte. Sacre Coeur rivals Notre Dame in in beauty and Montmarte gives a breaktaking view of Paris. Again lots of pictures were taken, except inside Sacre Coeur because they wouldn't let us. After that we walked down the the Moulin Rouge. It's been modernized, but it's still kind of risque. There were sex shops and Supermarche Erotiques everywhere!!!!! Then we got dinner and went to a bar. Nightlife in Paris seems centered around the Bastille area. It was a good day

Sunday I pretty much did my own thing again. Adam and I went to the catacombs in the morning. While everyone else went to watch the end of the Tour de France I went to the Musee d'Orsay. That is my second favorite place in Paris. They had an entire Van Gough room!!!!! I got picutres of every painting in that room, in perfect orientation and everything!!! There was also tons of Monet, Renoir, and Degas paintings!!! I swear that place is a dream for fans of Impressionism like me. I got two Van Gough and one Degas prints in the gift shop, for my room next year. Later I went to the Arc de Triumph, but I didn't get to go under it or up in it because of the damn Tour de France. Ohh well, at least I got to see it. We met to go back to Dijon at 7:00 pm. And that was my weekend. The only thing I'm pissed about is that I didn't get out to see Versailles, but other than that the weekend was amazing.

This coming weekend we're going the the Loire Valley to see the castles!!! YAY YAY YAY!!!!! I can't wait. The programs almost half over and I can't believe it. It feels like I've only been here a week at most!!!! I miss all my friends and wish they could be here to share in this wonderful experience. Ah well, I'll see them again in a month and then I can talk their ear off. ::Big Grin::

Okay, that about does it. I'm off to run some errands at the Carrefour, the French version of a Super Wal-Mart. My best to everyone. Miss you all!!!!