Monday- An Eiffel’s an Eiffel

We got off the airplane at 7 a.m. 7 a.m. Paris time that is. Yes, that’s right, we’re in Paris. To be honest, I can’t remember much of what happened that morning, except for thinking how odd it was to find pigeons in an airport! Once we found our baggage we set down trying to figure out our next move. Finally, we got on a mini-bus and set out, ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of Paris! Er- well, someone of us actually just slept for the two-hour car ride. But I’m sure that person was at least dreaming of the sight and sounds of Paris. Anywaaays, I do remember being slapped in the face. What a way to wake someone up from a peaceful dream, right? I could barely open my eyes (who  knew that eyelids could be so heavy!) but I rolled them open long enough to see…the Statue of Liberty?? Wait- what is THAT doing here? How long have I been asleep for?! ‘Gracie, there's the Eiffel!!’ I looked a little to the left and then there it was: the famous tower right before us! I remember thinking it looked smaller then what I expected, but, hey! an Eiffel’s an Eiffel is an eyeful, and I’m not going to complain! 

We got to our hotel around 11:00 and it was perfect! Our friends had a timeshare and let us use their ‘Hapimag’ rooms and it was in the most Paris-picture-like place ever! Two narrow streets crossed paths and we were right in the middle of both of them. The sidewalks were filled with parked motorcycles and a jumble of boots, leggings and coats. We were surrounded by buildings- big, think, grey, looking buildings. Little bakery stands stood on each corner. Wonderful smells of fresh breads, sweets, and crepes filled the air. The sound of bicycle bells and shuffling of feet and the fierce cold wind that slapped against our faces brought the picture to life. This was Paris.

We all decided to sleep till 3:00 p.m. then take it from there. Let the snoring begin!

At 3 we all got up, bundled up tight in jeans, scarves, gloves, tuks, and headed out on our very first Paris adventure! 

Shortly after we started our tour we found ourselves walking along a huge building that seemed to go on for miles- yes, we had reached the great Louvre! We found the bridge 'Nuef', taking in the beautiful sights and sound around us, crossed over, and passed by the grand Notre Dame. We looked into a couple souvenir shops, admired the delicious looking sandwiches, covered in fried cheese, and slowly made our way back home. The bridge we crossed over this time had hundreds and hundreds of locks- big and small- with names and hearts scratched into them, covering the chain-link wall. This was for sure the City of Love.

We found a grocery store close to out hotel, bought some frozen pizza and breakfast food for the next morning, and by 6:30 we were home. After our dinner of very interesting tasting pizza, we settled down to watch the first couple episodes of Little Dorrit. Oh, what a beautiful way to end this beautiful day!