Paris, Day 2

Our first morning in Paris was great - we walked across the street to a bistro (which I learned is Russian for "quick") and got omelets avec fromage y jambon (cheese and ham). I actually ordered mine in french which was exciting because I haven't studied french since high school, which sadly seems really far away at this point. After our breakfast we decided to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The metro was the easiest system I have ever seen - we never got lost!! The only downside, most of the cars do not have air condition, just windows which were not always open. When you combine that with the fact that many people do not wear deodorant and you can see how sometimes it could be unpleasant. But, it got us where we wanted to go.

If you ever go to the Eiffel Tower, do not speak English to whomever you are traveling with. Get a plan together before you get to the bottom then do not speak. There are all these Middle Eastern/African people who will ask you if you speak English then show you a piece of paper that has a sob story about needing money to get their family bank from smugglers and all kinds of crazy things. There are also TONS of people selling really cheap little replicas and sometimes they are more aggressive. It was very odd and I wish I had prepared myself for it before getting there.

Anyway, the line to ride the elevator was REALLY long, like 3-4 hours long, so we decided to take the stairs (shockingly, no line for that!). So we started walking and I was doing ok then my whole body started shaking. It sounds so dramatic but I think I was having a panic attack. I am not scared of heights but I am scared of falling down stairs, especially bleachers). Well the stairs were those metal ones that you can see through and the railing was like the thickness of a dime. So I was having a breakdown but I just started counting to each step, up to 8, then I would start over. This made me concentrate on something other than falling, but my body was still shaking which is the oddest feeling. Mentally you know it is silly but you cannot control your legs going to mush.

We made it to the first platform, took some pictures and got some water. I thought it would have been cooler all the way up there but we were still warm from the climb. I was actually able to get back on the stairs and make it to the second platform to get some more pictures. There was another HUGE line for the elevator to the tippy top but we decided we didn't want to waste our day on that. We already had greats pics and the experience so we rode the elevator down - which was gross because they PACK the people in there. Ick.

After that we walked down the lawns on one side of the Eiffel Tower. This was really one of the greatest moments of my life. Craig actually let me hold his hand for a few seconds and I just remember feeling so excited because it finally hit me that we were in Paris! I just couldn't believe what a nice day it was, how pretty it was and how in tune I felt with the Hubs. We took a bunch of silly pictures as we walked further and further away, which only added to my excitement. I will never forget how giddy I was that day!

From there we walked to the section of Paris called Les Invalides. There we saw Napoleon's Tomb and the Museum of the Army. The tomb was crazy - but that is too be expected for Napoleon. The museum was very thorough - we saw many, many uniforms and guns. It was cool though because my paternal grandfather was a fighter pilot in WWII - I think he flew something like 50 missions over Europe - and they had a lot of different things that he would have used or seen.

We are lunch at the cafeteria there. We just wanted something sugary because we were hot, so we got chocolate chip cookies, cokes and fruit!  From there we went back to the hotel for a nap (we were still adjusting to the time difference). After our nap we walked around and found a cafe that had chicken breasts and fries - not an easy find I might add!!! Oh, and no one seems to eat in Paris before 9pm. The first night we went to a restaurant and ordered cokes and never got menus. It was around 6. We realized no one else was eating!! Just smoking and drinking!! From then on we didn't eat before 8pm.

We enjoyed our dinner then went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up. Every hour, for a few minutes, the lights sparkle and flicker. It was so awesome!! The camera was acting funny that night so we the pics aren't the best, but we have the memories!! There were also a bride and groom there taking pictures and it just reminded me how wonderful my own wedding day was!!!

So Day 2 (really our first full day) was a huge success!!!