I, Giddy Hyper Chihuahua

Bonjour Dudes,

I'm in lovely Paris and I'm overwhelmed. This place is beautiful. If I ever met a Parisian who moved from Paris to US, I'd smack them for leaving the most beautiful city in the world.

Last night, we drove into Paris after dinner at the Contiki campsite for a little night tour of some important sites. The sun was setting, making the first views of Paris completely overwhelming. My heart was racing with excitement. The Eiffel Tower at sunset will make you breathless!

This morning we were dropped off at Museo d'Orsay to start some free exploring time. The museum is closed today, so I'll see it tomorrow.

First stop: The Lourve. Only spent two hours there. Didn't see everything. I only have 2 days in Paris. Given this time constraint, I dont think I will be able to really experience Paris fully. Anyhow, saw some of the classic works, like Nike, Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo. I could spend a week at the Lourve and still have more to explore.

Next, I headed over to Ile Cite for Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle, and Ste Michel. Notre was extremely impressive. Flying buttresses all over. Even though the tour guide told us that it may not the best idea to go inside, I did anyways. The line was short and moved quickly. I thought it was a mistake for him to say that. Seeing the four rose windows and the sculpture of the Virgin Mary at the altar (?) was awesome. Ste Chapelle is definitely a small gem at the heart of Paris. The stained glass windows there are tall and probably the best I've seen.

Now I'm at Sacre Coeur. This Catholic Church is different in design. It's not the Gothic style as in Notre Dame. If I remember correctly, it is called Romanesque. Anyone, one striking characteristic is that the depictions in the stained glass windows are different. The figures are more grotesque(?) There's actually shadows on the people.

Of course, France is known for its culinary prowess. I've had escargot at the campsite (crap). I think i'll order some tonight. So far, i've only dwelved into desserts. Had two crepes, a small cake, and a slice of berry tart. Mmmm....so good! I'll have some prix fixe (?) meal later and will be visiting the Eiffel Tower for a night view. Maybe tomrrow I'll have my stuffed baguette.

Oh yeah, Some talk about the Contiki Campsite is necessary. Talk about basic, the "cabin" we're in is crap. It suffices, but definitely no luxury involved. You know those little sheds that you can buy to put in yoru backyard? Well I'm living in one of those right now. And it fits 4 of us.

If anything is winning about this tour, it's the people. Everyone's young, between 20-30. Everyone wants to have a good time. Most people are from Austrailia and New Zealand. It's interesting how many of them have travelled a lot around Europe, months at a time. And not for study either. I think it's b/c they're so far away and airfare costs to get to Europe.

anyhow, need to go before they charge me more.

Ta Ta