World History I

Exploring the City of Lights and Love

Sorry for the delay on this post; it's been a busy few days. But I'll cut right to the chase.

Wednesday-Thursday
Firstly, the flight was horrid; worse than I'd expected. Not because of anything the airline did, just because my legs were so uncomfortable. The free wine did help a bit, but not much. And it really didn't help that I couldn't really sleep because I was all hurty. I tried as best I could to stretch my legs out every once in a while; paying extra for first class might be worth it for me. Riiight, like I could afford that! Eh, a girl can dream.
I tried to be a nice flight-mate and chat with the gentleman next to me. I found out that he's an ENT surgeon somewhere around the French-Italian border. We chatted and he was very nice. When I mentioned that my sister was working and I'd be taking a taxi, he offered to give me a ride since he was renting a car. I hesitated for a split second before I accepted. A split second after that, I questioned my decision. I know, I know, whatintheworldwasIthinking. I decided that, as a precaution, I'd call my brother-in-law when I got in the car. That way, he knew I was in the area and when to expect me. So if worse came to worse they could track the phone and, even if I was dead, maybe catch the guy. Hey, I like to be optimistic AND cautious when I'm on vacay!
ENT and I both got our luggage, and he asked if I'd like to have some real French coffee. Since he was saving me about 70 Euros, I agreed. We stopped at a café and had espresso, orange juice, croissants, and pain au chocolat. Delish. He wouldn't even let me pay for it. I called BroInLaw as soon as we got the car and told him I'd be there soon-ish. Navigating through Paris and getting a quick tutorial in French helped make the time pass quickly. ENT asked if I would like to meet up and visit some attractions in the few days he would be in Paris, and I said I didn't think I'd have time. Keep that in mind as the moment I may have passed up my chance at trophy wifeness.

I was beat so I sat on the couch for a bit, but knew I'd fall asleep if I didn't move. I mustered up all of my adult courage, maneuvered the metro, and visited the Arc de Triomphe. I got some awesome pictures, which I shall now grace you with.
Here's the inside of the Arc, with the ginormous French flag.

We weren't supposed to take pictures inside, but I couldn't help myself. (Plus they really only had one half-assed sign when you got your ticket). There were a shit-ton of stairs. I felt very out of shape, and my thighs were actually sore when I had to go back down them. I'm embarrassed to admit that.

 And, of course, the obligatory picture of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc. Good God, with the addition of pictures I feel like this is a real blog or something. Weird.

I decided that was enough of an outing on my own. Back to the apartment and to hang out with ma famille. 'Twas lovely, just as I expected. 

Friday

BroInLaw decided to join me today in visiting the Catacombs. It was one of the coolest, craziest things I've 

ever seen. 

Here's your history lesson! That area of Paris had a ton of limestone, and it was mined for...I dunno, stuff that uses limestone. (I'm tired, give me a break.) They would follow along the vein and then just abandon the mine when they used it all up. So rude. Next thing you know, too many people are dying and the cemeteries of Paris are being overrun. Some brilliant guy decided to kill two birds with one stone, and put the bones in the empty mines. They made them all decorative, eventually opened it to the public, and, voila! The rest is basically fluff until last week when I visited. Cause it's all about me...YAY! 

Six million freaking bodies. Six. Followed by six zeroes. Multiplied by lots of bones per body. They also labeled which cemetery the bones came from and when they were moved. Super cool, and here's a fun shot from it: 

Next we stopped for lunch, where I learned I'm not a huge fan of anchovies, and BroInLaw and I debated some social topics. I'm not entirely sure how we figured out where the hell we were or where we were going, but we made a quick stop at the Luxembourg Palace. Very pretty. 

We went out to dinner that night, at a very small, cozy, lovely place. I had skate fish (still don't really know what it is) and grouse. Holy crap! Skate fish is a ray! I ate a freaking ray! That's super exciting. It was super yummy. 

On the way back I got to stop and take some pictures of Notre Dame all lit up. That is a thing of beauty; absolutely breathtaking. My pictures didn't do it justice, but here you go: 

Eh, I guess it's not too bad. You get the idea.

I was slightly buzzed, and we had to get up early the next morning, so that was it for the night. There weren't any late nights this time, and that's okay with me. Besides, the leg stuff makes me much more tired now. There was also a lot of walking involved. So, with a full belly and a smile on my face, it was time for beddy-bye. 

Two days down...well, two and a half I guess with the flight...next two, next post!