frogland, part one!

well, hello, stranger..it's been awhile since we've met--thanks to my adventures on the continent. (un)luckily for you, i meticulously jotted down what we did and saw for every one of the 13 days we traveled. so, the next few blobs are going to be pretty epic. i'm trying to do the abridged version, bear with me! haha, i'm listening to edith piaf as i write. how appropriate.

the whole shebang began on april 25th, two saturdays ago. i took the eurostar train from london to paris, and had been expecting some sort of wild, disneyland-like roller coaster ride as we went through the chunnel. in actuality, i dozed on the train, and i think accidentally skipped the chunnel part. i thought the train would tilt downwards, but it didn't! conclusion: operated by a magician.

i was anxious about leaving my beloved england, but was oddly comforted by seeing cars on the right side of the road once in france. i guess i like familiarity.

paris, though...that was anything but familiar. i took the metro into the heart of town, and upon emerging from the underground was immediately awed by how beautiful the city is. i had heard good and bad reviews of paris, so i really didn't know what to expect--it's gorgeous.

and horribly confusing. i had a map, but was lost for an hour before i found our "hotel," which was only about a quarter mile from the metro stop. i didn't mind too much, though, because my desperate wanderings were very scenic. no matter that a volatile homeless man screamed at me on my way! our hotel was in a great spot, right next to the notre dame and the latin quarter.

the other girls (helen, lauren, and jennifer) showed up a little while later, and we immediately plunged into the city. we met up with lauren's friend david, who studies in paris and speaks french fluently (jackpot), walked around the notre dame, then explored the latin quarter, which is basically a bunch of little streets crowded with noisy, fun restaurants and shops. i got a yummy panini, some other girls got crepes, and we decided to see the eiffel tower.

the walk there was long, but so worth it. blurry pictures to prove it:

of course, we loved the sparkly light show!

finally, after a long walk along the seine, and a wine break at a little restaurant, we metro-ed it home. david convinced us to skip tickets and sneak in through a barrier thing, and naturally i was completely freaked out and thought we would be arrested. the popo must've been out having le cigarette break.

the next day was stuffed with sights! we began with the notre dame, and i was eager to see the famed "rose window." i remember dreaming about seeing it in 7th grade, when i first learned about it. yay, fulfillment!

quasi, where are you?!

the window!

charlemagne was chillin out in front.

yet another view

after a quick prayer, and the sore let down of not seeing quasi, we tramped towards the louvre, crossing the seine along the way

and made it to the museum! we'd go in the next day. i must ashamedly admit, i was excited about the glass pyramid due to the da vinci code. don't judge me!

we'd heard that the arc de triomphe was nearby, and were fooled by this imposter arc! pfff, what a wannabe.

THE FRAUD ARC.

on our way to the real deal, we walked down the champs-elysees (please excuse my lack of accents, i can't be bothered to put them in. and i'm sure my british cronies enjoy my bastardization of the french language, anyways). champie was lined with expensive designer stores, and we had to peek inside the louis vuitton HQ. it was a beautiful store, but i felt a little sick when i saw a trunk for 25,000 euro. we flounced out of there...it was too lowbrow for us.

posing outside of the lv window

then, at last, we saw the real arc! it was in the middle of an extensive, crowded roundabout, so we couldn't figure out how to get to it. at least, we discovered there's an underground tunnel. so we went!

grave of an unknown soldier at the arc

then and only then, it was tower time. being cheapies, we opted to climb to the top, rather than take the elevator...a decision i later regretted. all leg cramps aside, though, the climb was very cool, with fabulous views of pah-ree. and the view from the top...well, see for yourself!

her guts.

i actually took about 15 pictures from the top, but view pictures can get boring. moving on!

in the afternoon, we metroed to montmartre--i was very excited to go, since that's where they filmed amelie! we were heading for sacre coeur (sacred heart), a church that's perched at the top of a hill that overlooks paris. but right as we exited the metro, we saw the moulin rouge! easy sightseeing.

i cannot do the can-can

on the way to sacre coeur, we stopped for crepes. i got nutella and banana, and practically cried, it was so good

the cats by the carousel near sacre coeur...paris actually has a ton of carousels!

S.C.

again

and her view

we wandered through the church, but couldn't take photos...it was very pretty on the inside, though. i said a little prayer, then went outside to chill on the church steps and watch the various street performers (the area is chock full). there were some capoeira guys about to begin a show, but were interrupted.

this very gorked fellow came up, and began to do what looked like very sloppy, only-had-one-lesson capoeria, and then did some moves on the pavement that resulted in a bloodied face. he didn't seem to care, he kept on trying to rustle with the original cappers! blood running down his face, he refused to leave! finally, one of the legitters opened up the crazy guy's backpack, revealing lots of alochol. everyone laughed, but then another random guy from the crowd approached and began screaming in french. i have no idea what was going on, but here's a picture:

the confrontation.

after witnessing the weird spectacle, we explored the crowded streets of montmartre

then headed to rue de la montparnasse, where my aunt had recommended a restaurant. well...it was a bit over our budget, so we peeped inside like beggars and then crossed the street to eat at a cheaper place, called l'atelier.

haha, that's for you, fran! we saw it!

l'atelier was cool, there were a ton of parisians eating outside and people-watching. that's the thing about paris...everyone is checking each other out. it's kind of funny. all the chairs face the sidewalk, so couple sit side-by-side rather than across from each other.

but, the waitress at l'atelier informed us that she had a special "american table" for us, conveniently located in the back of the restaurant, away from everything. that's french hospitality for you. but i must admit, my food was delicious...i had a warm goat's cheese salad, and some of the tasty house wine. by the time we finished, we were very, very done for the day. so, filled with french food and wine, we happily went back to our strange little hotel to sleep.

and thus ends part one of what could be a 20-part series. stay tuned for the next instalment!

au revoir,
lily (french spelling)