Bon Voyage

Sorry for the delay in finishing my blogging about my trip throughout Europe, but Internet has been somewhat scarce for a while. My last couple days in Paris were a lot more relaxing than my first couple of days there. On Saturday, I slept in really late and just ended up staying in the hotel room for most of the day to recover from my marathon day. I went out in the evening and saw the Arc de Triomphe. That was amazing. It’s at the end of the Champs de Illysee and from the top you can get a really good view of the city. The sculpture work on it was really intricate. It’s one of those things where it really is better in person.



Then I went walking along the Champs de Illysee. It was pretty impressive. I ate at an Italian Restaurant that was really good. So much food! I also had the most expensive Coke that I have ever drunk before (4 Euros). After dinner I made a quick stop by the Moulin Rouge to see what that was all about. It was cool to see, but not in one of the nicer parts of town. After I got a picture I headed to a place where I could get a good view of the Eifel Tower. My friend Savannah Steele told me that it sparkles on the hour. I made it just in time. It was really pretty at night even without the sparkles, but it was really neat to see. Then it started to rain, so I ran to the Metro and headed back to the Hotel.



The next day, I got up at a reasonable hour and headed to the Chateau de Vincennes. It was a compound with a castle and chapel that you could go into. The castle was really neat because you could go into not only the rooms, but the dungeon as well. It also had a real moat which was neat to see. After that I headed back to Concorde Plaza. That was really pretty. It had a fountain and a bunch of statues. I went to the Musee de Orange which housed mainly impressionistic pieces. It was cool to see pieces by Renoir and Monet. They were amazing to say the least. Then I walked through a park by the Louvre. I had an American moment and had lunch at McDonalds. I only wish they had free refills.

Then I headed over to the Rodin museum. That was a lot of fun. I got to see “The Thinker” which was a once in a lifetime experience. It was a really nice museum set in a garden and had a lot of his work. After that I went and visited the Opera House made famous by “The Phantom of the Opera.” It was neat to see in person. I didn’t go inside because it was closed by the time I got there, but I think that will be a definite must do the next time I am in Paris. After that, I went and got a crepe and some ice cream and ate it on the banks of the River. It was a really cool time to be in the city because the cafes were filled with people watching the French Open final as Nadal won again. That guy is amazing on clay. Then I headed back to the hotel.



My last day in Paris was another relaxed one. I started out by going to see the Eifel Tower up close. It was a little bit cloudy and rainy so I didn’t go to the top. It is a really nice area. The buildings and flowers create a really nice atmosphere. I got my picture in front of it (props to my Asian friends who helped me out with that). I also had one of my thousand encounters with a gypsy asking for money. This one had a paper saying that she was deaf and dumb and working for a legitimate charity. Yeah…okay. I have a hard time believing anything is legitimate when a gypsy is involved. Then I headed to the Concierge which is where they held prisons during the French revolution. It was kind of interesting to be in a courtyard where people got their heads cut off. After that, I did some souvenir shopping. Then I had lunch at this really good restaurant and it was inexpensive as well. I got the menu, which started with a mushroom chicken crepe that was so good. Then I had a pork chop and French fries. Of course, it ended with Ice Cream. Anyway, it was really good. After that I said goodbye to Paris. I got on the underground train thing and headed to the train station. I thought I saw big train stations in Hungary, but this place was huge. I waited for my train and then headed to Brussels. The train ride was really nice and fast. I would highly recommend it!



So, some final thoughts about Paris: 1) The people aren’t nearly as stuck up as everyone thinks they are. From my very first day there they were very helpful. I never met a rude person at all. From the guy telling me to jump over the turnstile entrance into the metro when my ticket didn’t work to the lady who helped me get checked-in, they were all really nice. 2) It really is the city of love! Besides the young couples making out like crazy on the Metro, I think that saying goes deeper. When ever I walked along the Seine there was always an older couple eating lunch together which I thought was pretty cool. One of the other things I will remember most regarding love is an older couple on the metro who were clearly in love, so much so the lady took her gum and played with it all over her husband’s hair arms. You could just tell that they were in love. Way cool! Paris is definite must see!