"We'll always have Paris..." Casablanca

Oh my, well to start with.. the Tunnel under the English Channel is still undergoing repairs and Eurostar (the train company) is running on a revised schedule... that was news to me when we got there and found the train we thought we were on did not exist... Hum... but we were understanding and helpful customers, very different from the crowd of pissed of English and French people around us.  So impressed with our patience were they that they got a very nice French worker to help us personally.  He asked us how long we would be in England and when we said until December he gave us one way vouchers for Eurostar.. very nice of him.. he also quickly asked us how we were voting since we would be here.. we explained you can mail in your ballots.  He was very impressed, yes the french have a strange interest in American politics... Je ne sais pas pour quoi! 

Anyways once we got into the Gare du Nord we found our hotel and settled in.. We had been planning to go to the Louvre that night but since we were hours late we decided to just go to bed and get an early start the next day.  

So refreshed by sleep, what a concept, we headed to the Louvre and to conquer the French Metro system.. I stand victorious!   The Louvre is AMAZING!!!!!!!! sure seeing the things everyone sees was cool but it was infinitely more impressive to see the unknown things that are still totally Louvre worthy but much less well known.  Those you can actually feel special seeing since only you, who have been to the Louvre have seen them.  Of the Stuff everyone sees Eros and Psyche was my favorite.. of the other things.. some less well known Da Vinci were really beautiful.  On from the Louvre we walked along the Seinne to the Notre Dame.  Which was actually much smaller then i would have thought but still really beautiful.  Then we went to the Eiffel Tower and then to the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, TONS OF STEPS!!!! but the view at sunset was SOOOOO worth it.. well my legs may beg to differ but it was gorgeous!  Dinner in Montmartre and then back to the hotel and another early night since we were so tired from our fun filled day.

The next day we were up early to go the the Pere Lachaise Cemetery.. we visited with Jim Morrison, Molier, Oscar Wilde, and Proust... and marveled at all the beauties of the cemetery.. yes I love cemeteries.. something is wrong with me, i have come to terms with it :)

Then we took the metro to the Arc De Triomphe.. took a couple pictures and back on the metro to the Musee D'Orsay!  WHICH WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREAT!!!!!!!!! I never reallly liked impressonists but now i have a new appreciation.. maybe you have to see them in person!  they were great along with all the other styles and artistic works there.  

Then back to the gare du nord.. and home to england!

So much in so little time but it was really a fantastic trip!  Oh and to cap it off at the gift shop of the musee d'orsay the woman at the register and I spoke IN FRENCH.. about annoying people going to France and not knowing French... hahaha how ironic for me!  Obviously my french is good enough for that ;) although i won't be celebrating prematurely... still I navigated Paris, so please.. bring on the world!

-Teresa