**Note: Paris is being done as part of the blog reboot in 2010. I dropped blogging for that week b/c french keyboards suck a fat one. It was still an amazing time with lots of great memories, so I'm filling it in from them.**
So I've spent nearly a week in one town; I've seen churches, museums, monuments, towers, a wedding - surely I've hit it all right? Wrong! The day after my cousin's wedding was the final day of the Tour de France. I have no clue who is in control, but who cares? It's a giant party. The best I can describe it is akin to a major parade in the US, but with massive corporate sponsorship. Cars and trucks covered in marketing material (even a Simpsons bus!) roll past hundreds lining the street waiting for a flash moment of riders flying through the streets of Paris to the finish along the Champs-Elysees. Lindy and I setup on a corner opposite the Louvre and watched a few groups of riders fly past. After a while we noted that there was a carnival in the park on the opposite side of the street with a ferris wheel. We decided to take the chance we would have a good vantage point and it paid off big time! We had incredible overhead views of the groups of riders. One group even looked like a spear flying down the street. Very cool.
Along the way we randomly ran into Mollie's stepfather who said the couple were having people over to their room at the Ritz Paris. Needless to say this is a NICE hotel. I'm talking 5-star James Bond in the presidential suite nice. Lindy and I fit right in in our tee shirt and jeans. Fortunately no one said anything and we got to see some incredible views of the city from their top floor room. Later that evening we went to the Hemingway bar, named for Ernest due to his frequency of the bar. I had a 20 euro Manhattan (~$35). I'm not totally sure it was worth the price, but it was an amazing drink nonetheless.
Day 7 spent with one of Mollie's friends who was staying a bit longer like me. It was a Monday, so the museums were closed, but we spent the day wandering the streets, checking out some of the sculpture gardens and squares. We had lunch on a bridge where groups of college students gather and got into an interesting conversation about what college experiences are like in the US. My UCSB experience and the friend's experience at dance school were an interesting contrast to the broad studies the students we talked with were experiencing. Ludovic had us over for dinner that night and after a few glasses of wine I retired, ready to do the mast legs of my trip.
Day 8 was exit day from Paris, but first I had to trek out to the Montmartre Steps. One of my Mom's all-time favorite movies is The Great Race, which ends in Paris and includes a car taking a wrong turn down the steps. She cracks up every time so I knew I had to get a pic of them. Even I had to laugh a little as I stood at the base thinking about Jack Lemmon driving own in his race car. the cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried is also in that area. I found the cemetery, but it was quite large and there are no guides (probably to discourage tourists), so I gave up trying to find it. My little bro - a huge Doors fan - later said he was glad I didn't find it because he'd rather be the first to see it. He's never even left North America, but if it motivates him to travel then so be it.
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