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| And the legs make their first appearance of 2011!!! |
Sorry for running a day or two behind my blog. Things have been quite quick for me the past 48-hours. Things are good as I wind down in my 75 sq foot hotel room. Seriously, this place is a mess, you have no room to put anything. The desk I am sitting at has everything from chargers, bottled water, metro tickets, laundry, racing forms, and bags on it. Yes, there is enough room for the computer. It really doesnt matter, lack of organization does bother me, but I havent been here that much.
To begin, yesterday I got up in enough time to get to Arc de Triomphe before lunch. It was easily done, the subway stop on the 9 for me was Franklin D Roosevelt. Hard to forget that one. So I begin my journey at the Arc. It is pretty incredible, much larger than I expected. Actually the entire Champs Elysees area was bigger than life. Every retail store with a global pulse was present as I walked from the Arc towards The Louvre. The weather was sunny and mid-70's. Perfect day for walking around.
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| Looking west up Champs Elysees towards the Arc. |
I walked in a few stores on my two mile journey down Champs Elysees, things were priced as you would expect them to be. I dont do much shopping, but the prices in the Lacoste and Nike store were pretty much on par with what we pay at home. Maybe a little more expensive, but not outrageous. Of course, I didnt venture into Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, or Louis Vuitton, I am sure their prices matched their impressive store fronts. It would be a shoppers dream. Guys, bring the pocket book if you are going to bring the lady to Paris, you will need more than the money you have reserved for the plane ticket and overpriced food and hotel. So I keep walking...
About an hour or two later, I make it to The Louvre. Honestly, I wasnt going in, I can look at artwork on the internet. While I appreciate it, I am not going to stay inside on a great day to look at a painting that wont change unless I know Thomas Crown is going to strike while I am there. So I took a few pictures of the glass pyramid, sat on the lawn and smiled at the idea of where I was and what I was doing.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral |
Lunch was finally in order after the Louvre, it was already three, and I hadnt eaten. I wanted something decently healthy, so I go for roasted chicken at a Cafe on the Seine. It was roasted chicken, leg and thigh with fries. That combo with a glass of wine was interesting but it did the trick and gave me power to continue further across the river to Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame was really cool, a bit on the dark side, but very impressive. It also gave me a chance to get out of the sun for a little which was important because I was getting a little sunburn.
So one thing left at 5:00, walk four or five miles back over to the area the Eiffel Tower stands, then my whirlwind tour would be complete. It was a nice walk, I found some sunscreen for fifteen Euro and took in some interesting sights. One of which was Pont de l'Alma tunnel, the sight of Princess Diana's fatal car crash. There is a nice tribute to her there. I remember where I was when I learned of her death, still to this day I think its tragic. I also saw a building that had plants growing all over it, intentionally, it was set up with irrigation and all. So finally I arrived at the Eiffel Tower. While there I had to stop and smell the roses for awhile, very rarely do I stop to reflect, I am always about whats next. However, being here, its hard not to just have seat and enjoy the moment. Paris sightseeing accomplished.
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| Living the dream... |
