Happy Halloween from Paris!

 

Today was amazing.We woke up on the later side after some great and much needed sleep. Grace slept on the floor of the airport before coming here because of a big storm. We slept and then woke up and headed out. Got breakfast at a cafe close by and then headed for the catacombs. The line was super long because of it being Halloween so we waked to a close by cemetery where we saw Samuel becketts grave. I kind if hate his stuff though so that was lame that he was the only famous person I actually recognized there. Then we went to the Notre dam cathedral. Got a little turned around finding it. We saw the palace of justice and conciergerie buildings.

After Notre dame we got lunch at a cafe I had lasagna and grace had soup. Then we went and walked around past a bridge with a cool little band performing on it until we found the louvre seeing some cool buildings/ public parts/ church buildings. We passed the hotel de ville and some bridges and walked along the Seine river. Walked in the louvre, and saw the glass pyramid.

 We went to the Italian paintings section and saw the Mona Lisa, ( both kind of unimpressed) I didn't know nearly as many painting as I thought I would with it being the louvre. Saw the Spanish paintings and some sculptures  as well. Then we went and found a Starbucks in the main area of the louvre. It was heavenly and both of ours first Starbucks since Oregon. We then walked through the gift shop and past the postcards from each section and based on what we saw decided to go to the Egyptian part. It was so awesome! We saw a mummy and mummy cats and really old stuff over 6000 years old, ancient hieroglyphics and everything! It was awesome. Took a selfie in a room tomb thing of heiroglyphics. Then we had to leave because it was 6 and closing so we left. It was dark out so we took pictures of it lot up. We also got a picture with some Cambodian Buddhist monks randomly. They wanted a picture with us after they asked if they could take out picture.

Then we went and walked through the Tulleries Gardens towards the main road and under a big arc but not the arc du triumphe. The road was the champs élysées with the real arc du triomphe! We saw it but didn't go down it. Then we took the metro toward where we thought the lock bridge/ lovers bridge was. We went into a shop to ask if we were close and found locks we could buy. I bought one and wrote Thad and Kacy on it. With keys. We went and found the bridge. I counted 25 rungs (day of anniversary) and then went half way down and locked the lock. :-) Always wanted to go to the lock bridge. It is gorgeous!

Then we went to a Thai restaurant to get dinner. It was really good and not too expensive. Then we went and bought breakfast for tomorrow and a bottle of wine from a carrefour. Then we took that and walked some more through a really lively part of the city. We saw a cool spray paint artist. Then we got ice cream at a place and headed back to the hotel where we internetted and realized we hadn't eaten any candy on Halloween but did see lots of halloweeny stuff. I found a gummy smurf in my bag and we split it. We laughed. I booked our wine tasting tomorrow for 3o clock. We are really having a blast here. Grace makes a really great travel buddy too! No complaints here!

And then Kacy saw the Eiffel Tower

I am so tired I will hit the highlights and come back.

So I got to the bus stop at 5 and waited for the bus for twenty minutes. I met these two guys who spoke English. They were cool but smoking so that was sucky to be around. Then I got to the tgv and my train was half an hour late. So I stood around for over an hour. Then I slept / listened to music on the way here. I looked out the window and it was gorgeous green hills around Paris. When we got there we got envelopes to get maybe a refund or something for the train because it was late? I will have to see.

I took the metro after buying a one time pass to the station where I was to meet grace and pick up our Paris passes. It was a bit crazy. We met there and I was already late but she wasn't there so I got worried and bought a crepe and then saw her standing by the metro looking lost so I called out to her. She came over and gave me a hug and then we picked up our passes. The first thing we did was a chocolate museum with lots of free samples. It was the miser du gourmand du chocolat. It was just around the corner but we had bad maps and didn't know which way was which yet so we got lost a bit. We found it though. After that we went to our hotel and got off at the wrong metro stop and accidentally had to walk a mile to the hotel after getting a bit lost.

Then we learned there is a train that is close by an RER which our passes work for. Good to know. We took that into Paris again and some guy was nice and talking to us and showed us the best way to get to montparnasse which we went to the more direct way not the way the guy told us. Then we up the Montparnasse Tower to the 56th floor for a panoramic view. This was my first view of the Eiffel Tower. It was so pretty to look out over all of Paris! Great second thing to do because then we saw things that looked like they would be cool!

Then we went to take a river cruise in the Seine. It was really fun because we got to see and learn about lots of the monuments. We also go on right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower so that was awesome again. We saw lots of stuff from the boat and then we got off and went to see the Eiffel Tower at night because then it sparkles on the hour. During the day it is a lot more brown than silver but I really like it. At night it is also a lot more orange than yellow like it is in the pictures. I like yet though. It was really awesome to see it and you can't help but take like 50 pictures of it! After that we walked around to find a place to eat dinner. We went to the metro to a different stop that didn't have a view of the tower so it would be cheaper. I had pizza and grace had an omelette because she is allergic to gluten. I downloaded a gluten app so she can eat more places with variety. Then we took the train home and slept because we are so exhausted! Sorry if I am not online a lot. I am so busy!

 

In short Paris is awesome.

Sangrada Familia or really the Sagrada Familia

Today I woke up with the rest of my room at four. They were getting ready to leave to go to the airport. Unluckily for them it started raining really hard just as they were about to leave. Sucked to be them! They had to walk like thirty minutes to the bus in the rain! I said bye to them and they told me the showers didn't have working hot water and that my shower would be ruined. They said bye to me as well and told me that they would miss me.

Once they left I aired out the room once again with cold air from outside and then closed the doors so it would be quieter and easier to sleep.  I slept until my alarm woke me up at eight. I tried to take a shower anyways and did get the hot water to work for about two minutes. It was not relaxing though to take a freezing cold shower... It was nice to have the room to myself for a bit but then it started to feel creepy the longer I stayed so I packed up my stuff, grabbed the keys, and left. I went to breakfast and ate and then decided to head out to the Sagrada Familia again to go inside.

I had thought about buying my ticket online but there was no printer to be able to print the ticket so I had to suck it up and wait in line. I took the metro which was easy enough to figure out. I had a connecting station but I was raised to be able to read a subway map having been to DC and NY. I was very thankful to know how to do that. I got there and got inline. I was probably in line for about two hours. When I finally got my ticket and got in though it was totally worth it!

It was probably the most beautiful church that I have ever been in. There were so many stained glass windows that were really colorful and light. The whole cathedral was really bright and peaceful looking with cool columns and spiky arcs and stuff. It was really cool. It was definitely the most modern church that I have been in as well. I learned the building started being built in 1880s and then the guy who designed it died in 1925 before it was finished.

Luckily he had made so many plans and models and renderings of it that they could continue to build it the way that he wanted but dang that would really suck to have a project that you knew you wouldn't be able to see the end result of it. It's like starting a dream and knowing it will happen but you won't be able to see it. I got the basilica pass which didn't let you go up in the tours because the next time to do that was three hours from when I bought my ticket so I decided to skip that. I think it just let you get a city view which I have already done. It was really cool though. Really really really beautiful and colorful. I took a bunch of pictures so I bet I have some good ones. It was well worth the time and energy that I put in to go back.

After I got done there I decided to head back to wards the harbor to maybe find the aquarium that I have heard is huge and awesome. It was already almost one though and I needed to be back at the hostel at 3:20 and the line in looked like it would take me that long. I decided against it.

I bought a hotdog from a street cart and went and sat on the harbor and looked at all the big fish who were swimming below me. It was kind of cool but because of my fear of large fish I felt like they were going to jump out and bite me so I didn't hang my feet over. They were cool to look at though. After that I went and walked around the mall a little bit and looked around. I people watched for a while and saw some cute kids playing I some trees on brick hills. There was one for boys and one for girls according to them. It was cute. I also ate a delicious ice cream cone.

I sat in the mall and when I left it was raining and everyone was trying to sell me an umbrella. I didn't buy one because I had on a rain jacket. It was a bit silly for them to ask. One guy kept following me so finally I ducked into a store so he would have to leave me alone. I hate pushy salespeople. Then in that store the guys were trying to sell me stuff again. Finally, I just got on the subway and took the short ride to the stop right by the hostel.

I got off and went in and started blogging. That's where I am now! I think the rest of my day will be uneventful as I need to sleep because I have to be up at 4:30 to catch my bus to the train tomorrow morning to Paris. I am really excited about that but my dogs have been barking so I am ready to just sit on the bus and sleep. I think I got to do some cool stuff in Barcelona and was actually glad to have this day by myself.