My European Tour, Part II: Paris Exhaustion and Exploration

So we landed safely...but I had a major fail on the plane...I didn't sleep. I tried to fake it the best I could, but I just couldn't do it. Instead, I proceeded to watch the the little plane travel on the little dotted line across the vast blue of the ocean of the inflight TVs. I think it hypnotized me. The good news is that once we took off, I did not freak out (although the bumps across the ocean contributed to my lack of sleep). They "woke us up" around 6am Paris time (midnight in TX), and then Jennifer informed me she didn't sleep either (she's a better faker than me!). They fed us breakfast of a croissant and fruit, and set us off in a foreign country. I confess, landing there and having them greet us in French was completely surreal...I had NEVER done anything like this in my life.

We get off the plane, and I'm somewhat delirious, to the point that I was completely confused when I stepped on this moving inclined thing that was NOT an escalator.

I guess these are the famed tubes from U2 videos, album covers, etc.

We then proceeded to run around the airport (literally around...it's a circle) trying to find the shuttle. What felt like 3 hours later (but was in fact only about 30 minutes), we got in our shuttle, and then proceeded to weave our way through terrible traffic that included bikes and motorcyles with an utter disregard for lanes or safety for that matter. Two hours later (and a miserable nauseous feeling for most of it) we made it to the hotel. Managed to throw ourselves together, leave our luggage behind, and head out into the streets of Paris with only a map.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Well there's a reason Patrick and I are meant for each other...(remember his comments on not wanting to go back to Paris)...
Paris smells like cigarettes, perfume, and body odor in that order. I think I'm one of those people highly affected by scent, so it was just completely overwhelming to me. Not to mention, it is fairly dirty. I think I could get over the general dirt if it weren't for the smell to accompany it. I did my best to try to get past it over the course of the next week, but I didn't really find anything overly "romantic" about Paris.

We made our way towards the Seine and then turned left around a big building, and OOPS, we accidentally ran into the Louvre!

We then took 2.5 hours to make what should have been a 45 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. Part of that was due to our failed attempts to locate an ATM. We were sleep deprived, hungry, and clueless, so we're lucky we made it there at all. We literally kept losing the Eiffel Tower, then would come around the corner of a building and be like "Oh there it is! Look it's getting bigger!".

We had lost it again, when we turned a corner and saw this!

Pretty impressive honestly!

I couldn't help but take a picture of this sign near it...no drinking AND no picking flowers...that sucks! ; ) 

We then proceeded to wait in line for quite a while after which we learned we had to take the stairs up to level 2 of the Tower...LOL! Stairs are normally not a problem, but again see sleep deprivation and 2.5 hr walk referenced above ; ) We made it up, and it was pretty freaking cool.

 Had to take a pic of this soccer field for Patrick.

Then we took an elevator up, up, up (and you could see out of it!) to the very top. It was awesome! So we took more pictures, and I was slightly concerned I was going to drop my phone out of the fence.

We made it down and then noticed that all of the policemen we had seen earlier were now wearing riot gear, then multiple vans pulled up and spilled out more and more policemen in riot gear all marching in formation. Then we see the RIOT coming down the street! Something about better wages for city workers. There were several large booms and they were setting off flare guns, so we quickly ran across the street to a better place to take pictures of it all.

The booms continued, but we were far enough away (and you know, not French) to not be bothered by it. So we posed for our obligatory Eiffel Tower picture.

 We then noticed a very large naked statue, so obviously I had to take a picture with it.

By the end of the next day, I would be completely desensitized to naked sculptures.

Finally after that, we managed to find a place to eat a late lunch. The food was ok, but the cappucino after was honestly the best (and prettiest) I've ever had!

At this point, our hotel room was finally ready for check-in...did I ever mention I'm claustrophobic?...that would be another strike against visiting France...LOL!

Um, this was a double room...Jennifer and I have never been closer (literally).

The bathroom, now I understand why Patrick didn't like France. How's a regular sized man supposed to fit in that?

We managed to get a decent night's sleep and then decided to head out to the Louvre (To the Louvre!! inside joke if you've ever seen Eurotrip).
This is right outside the Louvre...just beautiful (and a gorgeous day).

 Apparently you're supposed to stand on these things and take pictures...so we did.

 I continue to be amused by their signs.

 And can't help but become paranoid by the constant reminders of "pickpockets".

The Louvre was pretty freaking awesome. I didn't even know I liked art all that much but how can you not be taken by the beauty of seeing "Winged Victory" in person.

 And of course there was the Mona Lisa...the least impressive of all that I saw....

 For some reason I was extremely moved by this picture...horrible and beautiful all at once.

 We really enjoyed the medieval moat in the middle of the Louvre...super crazy but way cool!

 Mary Magdalene a la Da Vinci Code fame.

More naked statues...I'm still making jokes like a 12 yr. old boy wishing Patrick was there to make them with me.

 More random Louvre coolness.

And then we headed back to the hotel where I would begin the next leg of my European adventure...a train trip to Brussels!!