Paris Still

We expected to wake up again with gusto and exuberance, but then we all wanted to slightly sleep in after the long day before. It probably didn’t help that it was pouring buckets outside and the weatherman said it wasn’t going to clear up. So we hung out in the hotel room for a while after breakfast and watched some news (the only TV that was in English, although my mom has a new fondness for the Italian channel). Then we decided to just go to museums, because that would be indoors and out of the rain. But once we got outside and started walking towards our metro station, it was clearing up and there was a slightest hint of sun in the sky. So we dumped the museum plan and went to the Eiffel Tower!
When we got there, there were so many lines weaving this way and that way, with men hawking fake Eiffel Towers all over the place. We eventually found the line to walk up to the first and second floor and got in line behind a bunch of Russians. They did not move for several minutes, and we could see the rest of the line moving. It was then that we realized they were just hanging out so we skipped around them and got into the real line. What a place to hang out! Once we got tickets, went through metal detectors and started walking up the tower, the views were amazing. It was a little scary at first to be able to look down while you were climbing up! Finally we made it to the first floor (the equivalent of a building’s 23rd floor) and we were walking around. This is the point my mom got chicken and decided to stay inside and me and the boys went up to the second floor (the equivalent of a building’s 43rd floor!). Once up there we discovered the views were pretty much the same, once you were over the roof tops of Paris nothing changes much. So we went back down to find my mom.
It being afternoon, we decided to wander towards Napoleon’s grave and also find some lunch on the way! We started out along the seine, but being bored with the scenery we turned down some side streets and continued walking in the general direction of the grave site. We found a small Chinese restaurant where we decided to pop our heads in. It seemed like a very local’s only place, and was very fun. After way too much good food and some hot tea, we set out again for the grave site. We passed by several car show rooms where the boys drooled, and several top designers of clothes where my mom and I drooled. We eventually found the cutest little street which was lined with food markets and cafes, the thing you expect to see everywhere in Paris! So we bought some cheese (from my region of course!) and some bread and continued walking in order to find a place to eat. We eventually got to the grave site and sat on the wall around the outside of the building and ate our bread and cheese. It was deliciously unpasteurized! Then we went into the building, walked around for a little bit, decided against the museum and left again.
We then took the metro up to Montmartre (the artist district back from the early 1900s). I had the bright idea of walking up the main street (which is very touristy) but it has the best upcoming views of the place, so that we could walk up to the Scare Coeur (which is a huge white basilica). Unfortunately several con men were there to try and get some money from the tourists. The idea is that they would say they have a bracelet where the donations will go towards the church, but really it’s a thug scam where they try and rob you of all your money. They were trying to get the pieces of yarn around the boy’s wrists, but we were all able to get away without much harm done, just some scariness. Then we got into the church, wandered around, saw enough and got over to the artist square. Now this is my favorite part of Montmartre. Everyone enjoyed walked around looking at the paintings and also who was being sketched in the square. My mom had me get my profile cut out of paper, which was pretty cool. Then I bargained for two paintings for my cousin. After wards we decided to walk back to the metro station, drop off our things at the hotel then return to the cute market street for dinner that night.
The market street really became quiet without the fruit stands and other things being sold on the street, but there were still several cafes open and we chose one and sat down to order. Strangely enough, our waiter was from Miami and could speak perfect English, so everyone was speaking English and I didn’t have to be a translator for our last night in Paris! I ordered a delicious goat cheese salad with spinach and olive oil dressing. But my cousin decided to try out the hamburger in Paris. It apparently wasn’t as bad as he had expected! So he came to Paris, only to eat a hamburger and French fries, oh well, you can’t convert them all!
After dinner we took the metro back up to the hotel, wandered around the quarter a little more until it was a little after midnight. At this point when we wanted to reenter the hotel, we needed to show our hotel cards. Finally we got up to our rooms and crashed so that we would be all ready to take the Eurostar over to London in the morning.