J'adore Paris - Day 2

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day! At 11:00, we went on a three hour walking tour. Sandeman's Tour was great...and free! Our guide, Jacq, was absolutely hilarious. Between her Aussie accent, crazy sense of humor, and the amazing sites we saw, time flew by! I could only tell how long I had been walking around by the soreness of my feet.

We walked from Fontaine St. Michel to Notre Dame, past the Palais Justice, along the Seine, under Pont Neuf, past the Academie Francaise, through the pyramids at le Louvre, down to Place de la Concorde, and through les Jardine Tulieres. Whew! I get tired just writing it all down. I learned a lot! One of my favorite tid bits is about Pont Neuf. Along the lingin of the bridge, there are many plaster heads making crazy faces. Henri IV had these faces made in the likeness of his courtiers after a particularly crazy party. He was so amused by the party that he ran out in the middle of the night to get artists to paint portraits recording the night. After laughing over the portraits, he commissioned sculptors to permanently display the crazy faces of his friends on the bridge. Jacq called it "the first-ever facebook."

After the tour ended, our crowd walked to the Eiffel Tower! We took the obligatory pictures and then walked around the park for a while. Then, as the sun started to set, up the tower we went! We climbed up halfway, stopping at levels 1 and 2 to take in the view. At halfway up, we got onto the lifts and scooted up to the very top! After taking another zillion pictures, I watched as the sun disappeared and the lights turned on. Paris is called the City of Lights and I can gather why! I didn't want to leave, but eventually it was pitch black and time to head down to find some dinner.

Though I had to tear myself away from the Eiffel Tower, dinner more than made up for it! Me and 10 others ventured out using my guide book to a tiny restaurant called Bistrot Le P'tit Trouquet. Because our group was so large, we had our own private room in the back! My friend and I shared each of our courses so I got a substantial taste of the menu. And yes, I ate les escargots and they were great! French cuisine is unreal...I will remember that night's dinner, and food in Paris in general, forever. It makes going back to London food all the more tragic. Though I have become uncommonly fond of fish and chips!