A little bit of the Eiffel Tower and Shakespeare

Day 3: Second day in Paris

Today began with a 6:45 wake up call. YUCK! The beds were not the most comfortable things, but sleep was amazing. This was the first time I went to bed and woke up in another part of the world. What a crazy feeling. My room got ready and met the rest of the group for breakfast. I normally don't eat breakfast, but after the disappointing meal the night before, I was literally starving. I stuffed myself full of any and everything I could get my hands on. I finally felt satisfied in terms of hunger!

Day two in Paris was calling my name. The morning consisted of a bus tour with another tour guide (his name I don't remember). This gave us a change to see the city in a quick trip. We drove around the Arch, past the Louvre, Notre Dame, many museums and of course the Eiffel Tower.

Our first offical stop was the Eiffel Tower where we were given a 20 minute picture break. It was the fastest 20 minutes I have ever experienced. Mollie and I were sold bracelets by two African guys who told us we would have happiness all the days of our lives. Haha. We really didn't know they were selling them to us until we were ready to walk away. Let's just say they were able to get 10 Euros from me. Yes, that is embarassing...but we all learn eventually.

We boarded the bus and continued on our way. The next stop was Notre Dame. What a place! The size and detail was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. Here, we walked around and took pictures while a mass was going on. I decided that if I lived in Paris, I would attend mass here....even though I'm a Lutheran.

From there, the agenda switched to shopping. We were once again given the afternoon to explore and do our own thing. The first stop I wanted to make was Shakespeare and Company. It was/is one of my favorite stops by far. Books and more books filled every last inch of the place. I wanted so badly to purchase an old book, but I had to settle on a few journals. From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat. I ate a sandwhich, crepe and had an orange pop. The crepe was so spectacular that I don't even know how to describe it in words.....Another first for me as well! I'm glad I was able to have my first ever crepe in such an amazing place.

Walking the streets of Paris is another thing I just can't explain. Because it is January, most stores in Paris have sales. In fact, it is one of two months out of the year that stores are allowed to put items on sale. LUCKY ME!! It was definitely hard to decide what to buy, because I wanted to buy everything.

Another great encounter came outside of Notre Dame. On our way to meet up with the group, Mollie and I were approached by a pigeon lady. Yes, a pigeon lady....she reminded me of the lady in Home Alone. The lady put food in Mollie's hand and hair and the pigeons went crazy! I even got a few photos on my phone (it was a sad day when my camera decided to run out of battery). Then the pigeon lady proceeded to do the same for me and Mollie was able to get a few shots. Pigeons....what can I say. They are gross, smelly, dirty and so much more. However, it was something I will never forget and loved being able to experience.

Once the group got together, we headed off to eat. This time around was much better. Chicken and rice was the meal of choice given to us. I loved it! After a short meal, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower. I wanted so badly to go up to the top, but the wind stopped those dreams from coming true. The plan was for a small group of us to return and hopefully it would be open. The next and last part of the night was do to a boat ride on the river. Even though it was chilly, it was just the type of thing you expect to do in Paris. We were able to see all the different buildings lit up. Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night could possibly be better than seeing it during the day (in my opinion). The lights were spectacular. Once the ride was over, we headed back to the Metro and back to the hotel. The boat ride was a perfect way to end day two in Paris.

Day two was complete and I could barely stay awake on the metro. My bed was calling for me....