Paris. Woot.

Friday morning, I checked out and left later than I should have, as it took me longer to find the bus stop than I expected. But I made it with a few minutes to spare. After about two hours of driving, we got to where we would transfer into France. For some reason, our bus was not on the list, so we had to wait quite a while before moving again. I thought we would be driving through the Chunnel to get there, but that wasn't the case. We actually drove onto a train with a bunch of other vehicles which then took us through the Chunnel. It was really weird; we drove into a loooong narrow tunnel, parked, then forty-ish minutes later drove out into France. I hardly felt us moving. After the train, we drove another five-ish hours and then were in Paris. It was already a little late, so I just focused on getting to the hostel. Luckily, the metro wasn't too hard to figure out. I reached the place, finally got some internet and went to bed.

I got up early enough for the free continental breakfast which consisted of rolls, orange juice, and...other rolls. Not a lot of selection. But it was free. I started my day with the Arc de Triomphe, a huge stone archway in the middle of an intersection where twelve roads meet. I climbed to the top and was immediately enjoying myself more than I was in London. After some spectacular views, I climbed down and strolled down the Champs-Élysées, one of Paris' grandest boulevards. The road ended at the Tuileries Garden, which leads to the Louvre, where I spent most of the day. I saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo along with the other thousands of statues and paintings. At this point, I decided the Louvre was the coolest building I'd ever seen. I stayed until closing and then decided to check out Notre Dame, as it was not very far. Luckily, it was still open. I walked inside and instantly no longer thought the Louvre was the coolest building I'd ever seen. Notre Dame is just plain epic. There was an evening mass going on so I just sat in the back to take it all in, even though I couldn't understand the language. Notre Dame's organ makes College View's about as awesome as an unplugged keytar. Okay, it wasn't that much better, but it sure was fun listening to that thing. It was an all-around amazing experience and a good way to spend the first day.

I know, I need a new pose. And shirt.

I spent Sunday at the château de Versailles. Unfortunately, it took a while to get there and I did not have enough time to explore the whole place, even though I spent six-ish hours there. The building itself was pretty neat, although there were WAY too many tourists inside. The gardens were much more amazing. Everywhere you'd go, there'd be classical music playing from hidden speakers, or from hidden orchestras spread throughout, I never did find either. This was probably my priciest day, but I'd do it again if I made it earlier in the day.

You can probably guess where I spent my last day in Paris. I'll give you a hint: It starts with an E and rhymes with iffel tower. Give up? I was at the Eiffel Tower. I know, that was a hard one, my bad. I hadn't looked at prices beforehand so I was worried it'd be too much. I found two options when I got there. You could ride up to the first and second levels for around ten euros, or you could walk for less than four. I decided to get some exercise (the ride to the very top was another five, no matter what). That tower is HUGE. The first level is equivalent to walking 21 flights of stairs and the second is equivalent to 43 flights. I was tired. But the view and the price more than made up for it. I couldn't stop there of course. I continued to the top and took plenty more pictures. You could see for miles and miles (and even more kilometers!) I was extremely satisfied with my visit to Paris and would love to go back, but only with other people though.



Second level of the Eiffel

Yay! I got pictures working!  :D