Who'd like a bagette?

Hmmm...I'm evaluating myself this afternoon and I think my circadium rythm is finally getting back on track. Funny how it takes longer to get back to normal than it did to adjust to Paris time.
I just want to open this by saying Paris is everything it is cracked up to be. There is a reason why tourists flock to the Eiffel Tower. Fromage is better than cheese. Human bones are not play toys, but they make for great props for photos.
I must go back! For now, I'll just revel in the memories of the past few days.

Day 1 (Wich due to a time zone was kind of day 2 also):
Get up at 4:30 a.m. to make it to the airport by 5:30 a.m. for a 7 a.m. flight.
Poor Kurt was the lucky fellow to drive me there.
Fly to Chicago, then board a plane from Chicago heading for Paris. Twas here I met Bruno, an adorable Frenchman of about 25 years old. A charicture artist for Disney World, he was going home to France to visit his family for a few days. He was so warm and friendly, all of my fears of French people being mean vanished. We laughed together about the pilot's name sounding awfully similar to "David Bowie" and proclaimed this flight to be all about rock and roll. We even sang a brief duet of "Let's Dance!"
My first sight of Paris was...well, nothing. We flew into the densest fog I'd seen since Michelle and I discovered the Leeds cemetary on a road trip home for Christmas. Bruno joked, pointing to the window and saying "Welcome to my beautiful country. Isn't it amazing?"

After waiting over an hour at the airport with a homemade sign that said "Gena Packer" she finally arrived! Twas a sweet reunion, to meet with my friend in Paris. She was accompanied by her older sister Kristen, her Aunt Lisa, and Aunt Lisa's pal Karen. What a diverse Fivesome we made! We purchased metro tickets (which we would use frequently) and hopped on a train to our hotel.
After wandering around our neighborhood for close to two hours, we finally found Hotel Marignon. It was around the corner from the metro station the whole time! Hardee har har!
As soon as our bags were safely stashed in our rooms, it was off to find the Luvre! The Luvre was about a ten minute walk from our hotel. You wanna know the truth? The absolute truth? When walking along the cobblestone roads of Paris, the urge to tap dance is almost instinct...primal...carnal. Even if you don't know how to tap dance, which I don't. In fact, looking out at the others walking the streets, you can sense something in the movement of their legs...they are fighting the urge to dance too. One day they will all stop fighting, and the Paris streets will turn into the set of a broadway musical, the taps of fashionable shoes echoing throughout Europe. Or not. I could be getting a little carried away here.

As soon as I saw the Luvre's glass pyramid, glinting in the foggy sun it hit me. I was really and truly in Paris. This realization almost brought me to tears and I thought to myself "How did I get so lucky?" Again, the urge to dance surged through my cold legs. Maybe I could sneak in a shuffle ball change without anyone noticing? Maybe not. I opted instead to pose for a picture with Gena with our legs kicked out. That would do for the time being.
After viewing such famous works of art as the Mona Lisa (small) the Venus Di Milo (large) and the Winged Triumph (not sure if that's its name) I ditched the fanny-pack clad group I was with and took Gena with me to explore Egyption Artifacts. Neat-o. All sorts of tiny sculptures and pots in a tomb-like room. How clever! Finding our way out was tricky and it turns out the Luvre is more confusing to manuever about in than any Las Vegas casino. This was good though, because I was able to see much more of it this way. Statues that reminded me of something one would find in the realm of Gondor, or in a castle at Helm's deep. A modern art room with works by Erasure, and strange art films showing in a dimly lit room. I loved the Luvre. My only regret is that I couldn't spent the entire day there exploring its many rooms and seeing its many treasures.
After the Luvre, Gena and I went out on our own, and found a bench on a bridge over the river Seine. We watched the sunset and marveled over the beauty of the city...and the two French guys behind us. We had dinner at a crepe bistro, then hung out at a trendy internet cafe before calling it a day.
Day 2:
Rise and shine! Hotel Marignon offers the kind of continental breakfast you get out of bed early for. Personal baguettes purchased that very morning at a bakery, smooth fromage to spread on it, hazelnut paste, fresh jam, a fruit cup, juice and a silver pot of hot chocolate. Tasty! Just the type of meal you need when you're going to be walking to Notre Dame! Notre Dame was another 10-15 minute walk from our hotel (talk about good location) so we were off! On the way, we discovered a memorial for deported Parisians who were shipped to Nazi prison camps during WWII. Of the hundreds of thousands that were deported, less than 1% would ever return to their homes. A deep tomb behind black iron bars is lit with thousands of tiny bulbs, one for each Parision who didn't return. The effect was chilling and beautiful, a very moving memorial. How odd, that mere minutes after such a touching spiritual experience, Gena and I found ourselves on brightly painted teeter-totters laughing hysterically as we bounced up and down? Even odder that said teeter totters were on the grounds of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is amazing. What can I say that would capture the effect of the architecture, the statues, the enormous crucafix? How can I describe the burning in my quads as I climbed the bell tower to gaze at gargoyles, of which no two were the same? I can't. Which is why you all must go there yourself someday.
After Notre Dame, we went shopping in an enormous mall. Oh how I loath shopping. Even in Paris. Still, I was able to find a pair of those fashionable skinny jeans all the hip kids are wearing these days. It was exhausting though, and when we finally sat down to our three course dinner at Le Marathon Cafe, I was famished! Mmmm...French onion soup, rare steak with a creamy pepper sauce, and chocolate mousse. The perfect end to one amazing day. It seemed tough to top, but....
Day 3-the BEST DAY!
Started way too early, but with the delicious breakfast so that was okay. Today was Versailles day! My group kept pronouncing it wrong-Ver-sails was how they said it. I kept correcting them. "Ver-SIGH" I'd say over and over again. Must have drove them nuts-o! We took the metro as Versailles was NOT within walking distance. It was about a 30 minute metro ride, which I enjoyed because I was able to see so much of the city this way. Every neighborhood we passed look like one I would like to explore. Versailles was beautiful. A huge palace with endless hallways and rooms. The whole time I was there, I fantasized hiding somewhere, perhaps under Louise the 15ths large bed, until it was closed so I could explore at my own pace and go into the areas that weren't open to the public. I refrained from doing this because...I need to hop on the metro to find the CATACOMBS before they closed. Gena was the only one who wanted to come with me, so it was just the two of us! Huzzah! What an adventure. We found them without a problem and were delighted to find that because we were considered youth, we got in a half price! Yeah!
The Catacombs are not a guided tour. You simply pay your fee and are pointed in the direction of a winding stone staircase that plunges deep below the streets of Paris. Very foreboding. I couldn't help but think "WooooooooooEEEEEEEEEEEEoooooooh!" In my head as we wound round those centuries old steps, deeper and deeper into the darkness of the underworld. Bwa ha ha ha! After reaching the bottom of the steps, a bright and cheery room welcomes you with photos on the wall and a brief history of the Catacombs, or Osuary. From there, a dimly lit stone tunnel awaits. Damp, but not cold the tunnels seem to wind on forever, names of the street etched in black on the walls. Gena and I were alone for most of the catacombs (not a very touristy place for some reason) and when we weren't talking with each other, the only sound heard was the crunching of our footsteps in the occasional dripping from the ceiling. I almost expected rats and bats, but didn't see a single one. After the tunnel finally ends, it opens into a clearing where there are large stone pillars around an entrance way. Above the entrance, in French it says "Beware: You Are About to Enter the Empire of the Dead." So of course, you can't wait to proceed. As soon as you step through, the walls are no longer stone. They are bones. Skulls, femurs and tibias stacked neatly on top of each other and piled almost to the ceiling are an overwhelming site. I fought the urge to pop a skull cleanly from its place in the wall and slip it in my bag for a souvineer. Gena picked up a femur and pretended to whomp me in the head with it. She challenged me to a duel, but even I have my limits. After all, these bones were people at one time! Still, the memory of her, femur in hand posed for battle does make me chuckle. There are qoutes on the wall, etched in what appears to be blood or perhaps just red paint. I wish I knew what they said. Guess I'll just have to go back! The Catacombs were my very favorite part of Paris and I would love to revisit them.
After this adventure, what else was there left to do? But of course! The Eiffel Tower! It was about 8:30 pm when Kristen, Gena and myself hopped aboard the metro, putting us atop the tower at about 9 pm. The Eiffel Tower is big. Much bigger than you think it is. The Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas is perhaps the size of one of the real Eiffel Tower's legs. Ain't nothing like the real thing baby. From atop this majestic building, one can see nearly all of Paris. The Ard d'Triomph, Champse Lesay (I'm not spelling any of this right, mind you) and many beautiful palaces. It was a great way to end my stay in Paris.
The next morning, after some frightening confusion on the metro having to do with an unexpected metro strike, I found myself nearly in tears clutching my suitecase. But I was able to figure everything out and was on my flight heading towards Chicago on time! As marvelous as my stay in Paris was, it was so nice to arrive in the good ol' USA.
And you know what I learned on this trip? Airplane dinners really aren't bad at all.