Paris - Day 4

Day 4 in Paris was Saturday. We had another pretty much free day, except we all ate the typical breakfast and were planning to do the boat tour that morning, then we'd be free to do what we wanted. However, we set out for the boat pick up spot, which was right under the Eiffel Tower and it started to sprinkle. It was rather cold outside, so Dr. Stebbins and Dr. Philibert decided it would be best to skip the boat tour and head to the Arc de Triomphe. We took the metro and when we reached the light above ground, there were huge crowds of people and tourists everywhere. Right next to the metro stop was a large crowd of people around some dancers, similar to the break dancers I mentioned before, but I'm not really sure since I couldn't see over the people. The professors kept warning us about pick pockets in the huge crowds. After taking a few pictures, several of us decided we wanted to climb to the top of the arc. I didn't count on the way up, but I did count the stairs back down and it was 268 stairs one way. Wow, I was exhausted. It's moments like those when you realize how out of shape you are. The view from the top was beautiful though. Here's some photos: 

These are as we were headed for the boat tour: 

This was on the way to the Arc:

The Arc de Triomphe

The view from the top: 

After the Arc, we split into smaller groups based on what we wanted to do. 5 of us went to Notre Dame. The line looked really long, but we waited in it anyway and we got through it pretty fast. The stained glass inside Notre Dame was beautiful inside. They still hold catholic masses inside and let people walk through while they're doing so. 

After the quick walk through Notre Dame, we headed to the Latin quarters yet again to eat lunch. Two people who came with us hadn't yet went into Shakespeare and Company, so we stopped there first. I got to see the upstairs this time where the owner of the building lets starving artists and writers stay for a few days. There are also many books in all the rooms upstairs. I bought another book for my brother this time. 

We ate at a small restaurant called Aujoux. I ordered a ham and cheese crepe. It was pretty good, except the super strong cheese, but I enjoyed it. One of the people with us got icecream for dessert and let me try it. It was really good. There was strawberry and vanilla. 

After dinner, we went to the street vendors again, like I said I would. I bought some artwork, which I love and we were able to browse the other vendors as well. 

Then, we headed to an area known as Opera to do some shopping. It was mainly department stores, like H&M and some other French brands. It was rather expensive so we didn't stay too long. We stopped at a souvenir vendor and I bought a few typical tourist gifts. Then, the real adventure began because we headed back to the Eiffel Tower so Katie and I could climb it. 

We were both rather tired, but I know how much Katie wanted to and I knew I'd enjoy it as well, so we dropped our things off at the hotel, took a small break, then walked to the tower. My feet were already hurting from walking all day, but I really wanted to experience it. When we got there the line was fairly long, but it went by pretty quick. I was able to call my mom and talk with her for several minutes before we went up. We were in the line to take the stairs because even if we wanted to take the elevator, the line was way too long and it was more expensive. After about a 35 minute wait, Katie and I bought our junior tickets (I'm not sure why they considered us juniors, but hey, it was cheaper. We even told them our real ages) and went through security. We started up the stairs and took pictures along the way. We seemed to make it to the first level in no time, but the second level was a little more difficult and I had to walk slower. Once we arrived at the second floor, it had been a total of 638 stairs, which was all of them. To get all the way to the top, you had to pay a little extra and the only option was an elevator. Thank goodness. We bought our tickets and as I was trying to put my card back in my wallet, I set my ticket down and the wind at that height caused to blow away! I ran after it just like the girl in the movie, The Polar Express. I finally caught it under a woman's skirt, poor lady. 

Anyway, we got in line to head to the very top. We waited almost an hour, but it was well worth it once we got up there. The altitude end wind made it rather cold, but I loved it. The top made me miss Sam a lot because there were quite a few couples on top sharing kisses. The view was beatiful, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up on our way down because it was getting dark. It was well worth the pain I experienced for the next two days. 

We took several pictures once we got to the bottom and because it was late, Katie wanted to go back to the hotel. I was starving because we hadn't ate dinner, but I didn't want to go out all alone. Saturday night I ate American granola bars and fruit snacks for dinner. It was lovely. 

My feet and legs were purple when we got back to the hotel. I was slightly worried because it really hurt to walk. Sunday didn't feel much better. I'll explain those details on day 5. 

Au revoir, friends.