Paris II

So much for not writing again anytime soon! I decided I want to document the highlights of as many days as I can, so I won't forget things.

So, get this. At Charles de Gaulle, just after Karen and I got off the plane, we saw my GRANDPA and his wife, Luisita, of all people! What the heck? I vaguely remembered having heard that they would be in Paris sometime in the fall, but still... what are the chances of our flights arriving on the same day, at the same time? Crazy.

French women ride bikes wearing high heels and mini skirts. Seriously, how do they do it? And guys: they're so well-dressed, it's not even funny. It's like everyone is made of money here, and maybe it's true, who knows? Lee, Karen, and I walked into a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysees, and a lot of people were buying bags/totes that were priced at well over $500. That much for a purse? Yikes yikes. Anyway, I'm sure this isn't much different than a lot of big European cities, but it still blows me away.

We went to Versailles today. It was beautiful, but honestly not as amazing as I had expected. For one thing, the fountains were on in the gardens today, which meant that people had to pay an extra $9 just to walk in the gardens. Needless to say, we chose not to do that. The palace itself was beautiful, of course, but so crowded that it was hardly enjoyable. And, don't kill me for saying this, those of you who like it, but I wasn't very impressed by the Hall of Mirrors. :( Thankfully, we moseyed our way down to Marie Antoinette's "quarters," which were much less crowded and much more quaint. They were also free of charge, which was huge because we have been spending money right and left. (I've spent about $200 in the past three days, which is nothing I hadn't expected, but it's still a rude awakening).

We ate lunch (apples and kiwi bread stuff) at the edge of the Grand Canal. People were canoeing and eating picnic lunches, and we found that doing things the cheap and local way is often a lot more fun. I'd been told that before, so that wasn't a big surprise.

Oh, so we've been taking the Metro (subway) a lot of places. It's very similar to London's "tube." Very convenient way to get around the city, especially when you've been walking all day and need a break. Today, we were gone from our hostel for 12 hours and most of that time was spent walking or standing.

Karen and I have been SO grateful to Lee in the past few days. He has been absolutely indispensable with his knowledge about European transportation, customs, etc., not to mention a blast to hang out with! Tomorrow, as I mentioned yesterday, we're splitting up, and Karen and I will be on our own! It'll work out, but it's going to take a lot of work to figure out train and hostel details. Actually, I'm kind of excited to try figuring things out on my own. Sounds challenging, but fun.

Oh yes, and we went to the Musee Rodin this afternoon, which features The Kiss, The Thinker, and The Gates of Hell, among other very famous sculptures. I can't believe I'm actually seeing things in person that I've only ever heard of or seen in movies or books.

All right, I'm running out of time on the internet, and I'll have to pay big bucks to continue using it, so ta-ta for now!