"You just open your mouth a lot"

Yesterday was our last full day in France so we decided to continue being tourists by going to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Florence and Philippe, who is quite the tourist himself, went with us to the Eiffel Tower, but unfortunately Florence couldn't join us at the Louvre.

When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower we headed right for the line so we could get a spot while Philippe found out if we were in the right one (since there were 3 different lines), and thus began the waiting. Once we got our tickets and were squished into a fun little elevator, we arrived on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. There was a good view of the city, but the best part was when Philippe bought the Eiffel Tower shaped gummy treats ;) Once snacking for a little bit, we got in another elevator and headed for the top (Fun fact! The second floor has a restaurant!). The Eiffel Tower offers quite the view from the top. We could see all of Paris and the huge distance we walked on Tuesday. Seeing the distance we covered from that high really put things in a new light (We basically walked across half of Paris). We could see everything from the top! Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the business center, and everything in between. The view was incredible and all the wind kept us cool (since things tend to be hot in Paris).

Once our feet were back on the ground we headed out to find some lunch. We went to a cute little corner restaurant that had english menus. Score! The food was really good, too! I forgot what Philippe had, but it was the best thing I've eaten since I've been here. And that's counting a real crepe and creme bru le!

From there Florence dropped us off at the Louvre. Fancy smancy. When we got in we headed right for the Venus de Milo where Sam did his own impression which was top notch. Philippe and I tried to figure out why this statue was so much better than the others, but it eventually came down to us deciding we don't really understand art. Once we had escaped the masses we went through the renaissance art (where the halls were nearly empty) and eventually came across a painting called the Mona Lisa. It's much cooler in person. The best part? The Mona Lisa is a small little painting that gets a whole wall and everyone crowds around to see it. However, right behind it is a giant painting that takes up the whole wall, and no one really looks at it. Poor painting, haha. While there I learned that the Louvre isn't only full of a bunch of famous art I should probably know of but don't, but it also has an Apple store and a bunch of shops. This is where my first REAL shopping experience in France took place. I found a couple things I wanted to buy, but quickly learned why all my European friends load up on clothes in America. Things in Europe are much, MUCH more expensive.

After the Louvre we had about 2 hours before we were meeting Florence for dinner, so we chose to walk up and down the streets of Paris shopping, eating at McDonalds (Which is WAY nicer here, by the way), and sitting in a park.

It was a nice way to end a great time in Paris. I've uploaded pictures of my time here on facebook for those of you who are interested.

Right now I'm sitting on a high speed train headed for Belgium where we will get on 4 more trains to reach Phil in the Netherlands. It's going to be a long day..

Paris, Je T'aime