Paris, je t'aime!

I am so glad my friend is here to distract me from not being home for Christmas! It has been great to show her around and be a "tour guide." Not only is it making my life here seem more real (I still have to pinch myself everytime I see the Eiffel Tower) but I took an intense class on the history of Paris through architecture (hello, 15 page research paper!) and I didn't realize how much I learned! I love me some historical facts and pretty buildings!

Yesterday we probably walked around 14 miles, no joke! We started at my apartment (in Neuilly) climbed to the top of the top of the Arc de Triumph (second time, but the view still blew my mind!), then continued down the Champs l'Eysee to the Tuilleries Gardens. We went to the famous Angelina tearoom for a nutritious brunch hot chocolate and pastries! Mmmm....

After getting our blood sugar levels up, we sortied for rue Rivoli for some shopping! We're both broke as a joke, so only faire du lèche-vitrine (window shopping) was done. Every other store is either a boutique or a patisserie, so Paris can be a walking trap for the sweet-tooth, shop-a-holics of the world!

After getting our shopping fix, we went to the Notre Dame. There was a HUGE xmas tree in front, the cathedral was as beautiful as ever! After that we headed for the Pompidou museum, but of course, it was closed on Tuesdays, so we decided to just walk down/explore random streets. We ended up in the Bastille area, where I know there is some delish French Onion soup. DELISH!!! Then after filling our bellies, I made poor Annie walk all the direct six miles back to my apartment! (before Paris turned into a winter wonderland, it was part of my 12 mile loop!)

Today we are going to rent the "velibs," or the sort-of-free bikes Paris offers. They are a Euro for a day subscription and then a euro for every hour on top of that. The bikes are really nice and are another great way to get around this city, but sometimes I swear the cars are out to get us! =)

Have a wonderful day!
Morgan =)