PARIS!: Day 2

The pink dress day.

The morning of day 2 started with croque monsieurs (Dad's favorite Parisian snack). These sandwiches were massive. Then, we took the metro for the first time. This would become our secondary means of transportation. The primary means was our very own feet.

This is where the fun began. We took the metro almost directly to the Eiffel Tower. Except the tower was hidden by a building right beside the metro exit. So, I thought maybe we were going somewhere else first. We started walking around the building and Dad looked up and said, "Well, there's that."

Boom. The Eiffel Tower. We took it in for a moment then walked past the many men with little Eiffel Tower souvenirs on the ground to get to where everyone was taking pictures. As you can see, we didn't quite figure out the angles on these lol. To be fair, there was a lot of pressure on us to go quickly because there were people all over the place squeezing through and blocking cameras and being annoying.

We then walked down towards the Eiffel Tower and took matching pictures in every iconic spot on our way. The park, the bridge, the park out front, etc. We had planned on going up into the tower, but the lines were so long, it was going to take us multiple hours. So, Dad asked a very sweet worker, and she told us it would be best to reserve tickets online and come back either in the morning or in the late evening. We took her advice and proceeded to do a mini photoshoot. Enjoy our results in this slideshow:

It was at this point that Dad said, "There's no limit to how many photos I'll take for you, and I promise it won't annoy me. I'm more than happy to capture whatever moment you want." And he meant it. We got so many good pictures of us both. This cool guy from Turkey even took our picture together. He said America (specifically New Jersey) is his favorite place in the world. So interesting. We also met a guy on the Danish cycling team which was cycling that day to raise money for cancer research.

From there, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe. The wait to get to the top of it was much shorter, so we followed through on that one. There are beautiful carvings all over the Arc. They're mostly nude, but I realized that I very much appreciate the images from an artistic, historical perspective. They're much different to me than the images that flood our society today. From the top, we could see where we had just been at the Eiffel Tower as well as all the way down the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre. All the buildings in Paris are restricted to being a certain height so that the view is cohesive (it's gorgeous), but there are a few skyscrapers in the distance that stink.

We walked down the Champs-Élysées toward the Louvre and stopped for lunch at Cafe George V. We tried to eat at McDonald's because, a while back when Dad and Grandpa were here, they ordered to-go at McDonald's because it was cheaper, then tried to eat it inside, and they got kicked out... But McDonald's was way too crowded. So, we opted for a much better option. Chicken pizza. I even ate the peppers and onions on it. That's new for me.

Dad and I had great conversations, and I almost got hit by a car because I was taking a picture in the middle of the street. Oops. We walked through some gardens and tree lined paths. I adore those. We passed some giant hotels with great windows and balconies, and all I wanted was to put on a ball gown and go dance inside, then walk out onto a balcony to "get some fresh air."

We walked all the way to the Louvre and took some magical picture in front of it. I didn't know it was a literal palace. It was absolutely beautiful. I mean it just went on forever and every inch of it was delicately designed. My mouth was wide open the whole time. I love castles and palaces.

After a full day of walking, we took the metro back to our apartment where we met my Great Aunt Jeanie. This was the first time the two of us had ever met, and she was so friendly and brought me a little gift. We all shared a charcuterie board (the first of many since Dad became obsessed) for dinner at La Rughetta. Then, we walked around Montmartre to get some dessert. I had a chocolate eclair (my favorite pastry). Dad and I split up from Grandpa and Aunt Jeanie to go have some drinks together. The drinking age in France is 18, so I got to try my first alcoholic beverages.

I didn't think I would like anything, but I actually ended up liking everything I tried. That night, we ordered an espresso martini and a mojito. They were both delicious. A bit of a burn, though. I drank very slow because I'm cautious and I have no idea what my limit is, but I guess I drank too slow because I felt no effect at all. But it was very pleasant to sit and chat with Dad over a martini.

During this time, we did a lot of people watching. We specifically watched the mother daughter pair beside us that waited 30 minutes to get a table outside. I guess they hadn't figured out restaurant norms, yet. We never saw anyone else wait on a table. Everyone just walks around, and when they see an empty table at any given restaurant, they ask a server if they can take it, and the server says yes. Almost everyone eats outside, too, so these ladies wanted this specific restaurant and an outside table, so they waited inside until one became available. Before they could take it, a different server gave it to someone else. They pitched a fit. They got the table. Then, not 5 minutes later, we looked over and they were gone. We asked the couple beside us what had happened.

As it turns out, if there's silverware on a table in Paris, then that table is meant for eating. If there's not silverware, then it's meant for drinking. This pair sat down at a table with silverware, but ordered just one drink. So, they were asked to give up their table. It probably would have gone differently for them if they hadn't pitched a fit and handled it the way that they did. But it made us remember that the waiter that served us asked if we were just getting drinks. When we said yes, he very quickly removed the silverware on our table. I'm glad he knew what was up. What a nice dude. And that was day 2. Stay tuned.

Daily Stats:

- steps: 24,341

- miles: 10.2

- flights: 35

- pastries: 2

PARIS! photo album