First day in Paris!!!

Bonjour!!!

I just got back from Paris today, and it was an amazing city! I set off on Saturday morning at 9:12 on the Eurostar and made my way through the chunnel. The total time the trip took was about 2 hrs and 15 min, but in reality it took 3 because of the time difference! We arrived at the train station in Paris and we were immediately bombarded by gypsies for money...you really have to watch your belongings because pick pocketing is not uncommon in France. Other then the gypsies though, the city was beautiful! It really hit me that I was in a country where I didn't speak the language right away. We stopped in a French bakery and I ordered just fine, by pointing to what I wanted, but the girl behind me took some time and got an attitude in return! I got a chocolate croissant, and let's just say- it was just the start of all of the amazing food that I ate!!! I can definitely say that the food in Paris was better then London's, and I probably ate my weight in croissants and baguettes!

We then made our way to our tour bus which took us on a Panoramic tour of the city for three hours. It was really beautiful and I could not believe that I was able to see all of these famous landmarks. I saw the Arch of Triumph, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Place de L'Opera, the Grand Palais, and many, many others! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and told us all what we needed to know when we got out to see the sights at stops. Right before we got out at the Palais De Chaillot, an area right across from the Eiffel Tower, he warned us of the guys trying to sell cheap goods. I wasn't really concerned at that at first because I was so caught up with being a tourist, but as soon as I stepped out of the bus they swarmed us! There were about 50 guys trying to sell cheap Eiffel tower keychains and statues in a tiny square! It was nuts and we had to keep telling them to move in order to get out of our pictures.

After the tour was over, we made our way over to Notre Dame and we were able to tour inside. It is one of the most magnificent churches and it was really awe inspiring. We were there right when the sun was setting too, so it looked even more gothic. A service was also going on when we were inside and the music and atmosphere added to the atmosphere. After we were done walking around the church, we made our way over to the Latin Quarter. This is full of small shops, food stands, bars, and entertainment. It was full of life and we had about an hour to get something to eat. My group stopped at a crepe place and I got the bacon, egg and cheese (lots and lots of fresh french cheese!) It was delicious and I was tempted to get another!

After everyone ate, there were about 25 of us on this trip, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower! It was all lit up and it was very surreal. We got there right at 8 o'clock and at every hour, the tower twinkles with lights! We made our way to the 2nd viewing deck (the top was closed for construction) and the sight was breathtaking! The city was all lit up and you could pick out the places that we saw earlier very easily! We stayed up there for about an hour and then made our way down the stairs! It was cold and little wet and going down the stairs was a little scary! It was beautiful though, and it offered amazing views. After we made our way down, the guys again approached us with their Eiffel Tower keychains! After awhile you just get used to it and don't even acknowledge them. One guy was funny to watch though, because he was selling flowers and he would just go in between couples making out or taking pictures! What a way to ruin a romantic moment! We stayed and watched the Eiffel Tower twinkle once again and made our way to the metro.

The metro.......very dirty and all in a different language! It is similiar to the London tube though, so we all figured it out quickly enough. Unlike London though, you can talk and do whatever you please! People would just sneak in without tickets by pushing against you when you went through the turn-tiles. They were very pushy and again you had to watch your pockets!

We headed back to our hotel and headed out to bars in our area. We ended up going to a bar called Partie de Campagne and got some more dinner! We got seated and were given menus and it was all in French. I did not know a word of French, but made best with what I could figure out! I ended up ordering a Salmon sandwich and it was heaven in my mouth!! I also got a nice glass of red wine and a baked apple crisp. We ended up closing the place up and headed back to our hotel.

It was a long, amazing day and I am so glad I won this trip!! Stay tuned to hear about day two tomorrow!