Our second day (Saturday July 4th) in Paris we had our coach tour around Paris passing some famous monuments and parts of town. This included the military museum, Napoleon's tomb, the French Academy (this is where they decide which words would go into the French dictionary. Mom and Dad remember that gold top building we took pictures of, this is it), and of course the Arch de Triumph. We were dropped off at the Eiffel Tower. When our group got to the Tower it was very crowded so our Prof. got us a group time ticket so we wouldn't have to wait at a later time. So with our break my friends and I were off in search of a great sandwich shop, that Europe seems to full of, for a little lunch.
Once we found one we started walking and eating back towards the Eiffel Tower. On one side up the hill from it there are a few museums and a big lawn. My friend's informed us there was a display famous designers work inspired from navy uniforms. Not all of us wanted to go, so some of my friends went shopping while the rest of us went to check out the exhibit. I really found it very interesting how inspired these designers such as Chanel were from the navy uniform. I was even more excited to see one of Chanel's first designs that liberated Paris women's fashion. I wrote my Paris cultural report on this exibit.
After the exhibit we took some pictures with the Eiffel Tower in the background and then hung around this big lawn listening to a rehersal for some dance performance that was going to be performed there at a later date. As we started to head back the Eiffel Tower to meet up with our group we stopped to pick up some post cards. There are lots of iffy street vedors that don't carry license and they harrasse people in popular sights such as Napoleon's Tomb and Eiffel Tower. Sometimes the police are good at chasing these guys away but not always. One even called my friend Bekah and I "ugly ladies with no boyfriends" because we refused to even look at the items he was selling.
When we got our entire group together (all 33 girls) we were able to skip a two hour line and head up in the lift (man do they pack those in, beware if you are claustrophobic). Being afraid of heights I only went to the first stop (which is about half way up). Some other friends took my camera up to the top for me. It was amazing view and I am glad I got to experience this. The city of Paris is HUGE! After awhile we all trickled down at varrying times.
That night some of us went out together at a North African restaurant. I have never tried this cuisine but this trip is all about trying new things (within reason). I ordered a chicken dish with rice, it was kinda bland. Next door was a gletto place that made their ice cream look like flowers in the cone, it was very good. This was all in the Bastille district which our hotel was located in. That night some of us decided to see how the night life was, and it was fun to pop into a few, each location looked and had a completely different feel. One was very spanish, another had black lights, and another was more fancy with a giant chandelier.
It was a great 4th of July, though I forgot to dress for the occasion. It is very neat staying in the location that the French revolution also began on our independence day. What can I say I like history.
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