Day 4: Paris

12/30/10
Upon arriving in Pairs, getting to our hotel from the airport was not nearly as seamless as it was in London. The logistics of finding the train station, buying tickets, & reading the metro map are much more difficult when everything is in another language. In London we also had an advantage because I was there just 3 years ago and still remembered a lot about the tube and the city. It's been 12 years since Marcus was in Paris and his teacher did all of the talking for them, so this is a totally new experience for both of us. It took a little longer but we did eventually buy a 5 day metro ticket and arrived at our hotel around 1300. It's a nice place just above a metro station in the center of Marcel Sembat. The surrounding area is nice and best of all, not touristy at all. It's only a 5-10 min metro ride to the Eiffel yet is far enough way that there are no street vendors trying to sell you light up toy Eiffel Towers every 3 feet. There are quaint cafes, patisserie's, and shops all right near our hotel.

We went to the Eiffel Tower today and it was out of this world. When I first got a glimpse of it from the metro as we arrived my jaw dropped. It was so unreal, I could not believe I was actually seeing THE Eiffel Tower. I was freaking a bit and Marcus just stared at me smiling. We just about ran from the metro to the Eiffel. As we approached it I think I was literally in a state of shock. My eyes watered (dork, I know) and I just kept saying "Oh my gosh..." It sounds so corny as I write this but it was truly a feeling I can't begin to put into words. We stood in line for good two hours to ride the lift up to the top. Both of us had worn our converse that day and learned a valuable lesson the hard way: they suck in cold weather. We managed to avoid frostbite and finally make it to to the top of the tower. It was twilight as we started up the tower and the city was starting to light up. It was foggy so we couldn't really see much from the very top. We descended to the 2nd level and got some breathtaking taking views of the city all lit up and sparkling with lights. It was indescribable to see such an iconic monument, definitely an experience I will never forget and never, ever be able to duplicate.

After the Eiffel tower we went to dinner at near by restaurant where I got my cheese and champagne fix. With a little help from a pocket translator, I ordered the oldest and stinkiest cheese on the menu- YUM. Marcus had a steak, he's holding out the croissants and crepes to get his French dining experience :)