A full day in Paris

Laura and I woke up early on Thursday morning and were soon off to the train station to go into the city. The station is only a five minute walk from Laura's house. Since we had to wait about 15 minutes for our train, Laura and I decided to see if we could get some coffee at one of the nearby shops. Instead, we found a pastry shop and had a delicious raspberry tart and a heavenly chocolate dessert called "The Opera". Our train came and we rode into Paris and got off the train and then onto a metro in order to go to Notre Dame. The metro/train system is quite large in Paris, and you have many options to choose from: the metro (with multiple lines), the RER (a metro, but faster), and then the train. With the help of the information desk and some maps, Laura and I were able to pretty much figure out the system by the end of the day. When we got off our last metro, we walked to Notre Dame and toured the inside. The famous cathedral is definitely huge and it was cool to see the flying buttresses and gargoyles on the outside. I also enjoyed yet another statue of La Pieta located behind the altar. The first La Pieta I saw was Michelangelo's at St. Peter's in Vatican City (La Pieta is Italian and refers to Mary's mourning of Jesus after he was crucified and lay in her arms).

After Notre Dame, we walked along the Seine River, passed the many street merchants and to the Louvre. Laura and I decided not to go inside the museum due to time constraints (if I'm going into the Louvre, I want to respect it by spending half the day there), but I know I will return some day. Seeing the outside of the Louvre was quite impressive itself, since it is so HUGE. And for the fact that it used to be a royal palace. We walked through the gardens and stopped for some lunch. We continued on our way through the Tuileries Gardens and fountains, and were soon on the famous shopping avenue Champs-Elysees. Laura and I walked down the street, looking through the windows of famous stores and looking at the many people strolling along. We stopped at a post office so Laura could mail some postcards and then stopped for cafe. I had chocolate (hot chocolate), which was very rich and delicious. We kept walking down the street until we reached the Arc de Triomphe and viewed it in the daylight. Then we turned and walked down the other side of the street. :) It really is shopping central, and Laura and I went into a sunglasses/eyeglasses store and tried on a bunch for fun, and then a while later we stopped in a store that was having a big sale and each bought a dress or two. This was especially nice for me, as I only had two sets of clothes to wear due to my estranged luggage.

Once our shopping was done, Laura and I took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is bigger than I could have ever imagined. As we crossed a street and turned a corner, it first came into view and I immediately began taking pictures. Laura kept telling me I would get better pictures as we got closer and were actually underneath it and in the park, but I really couldn't help being excited. Soon we were underneath the Tower and in the park, and it's hugeness is absolutely unbelievable. Laura and I sat in the park for a while and decided that instead of staying to see the Eiffel Tower light up in the dark (which was still at least 3 hours away), we would stop by a grocery store to buy food for a light dinner back in Bougival. We took the metro/RER and then a train and walked very slowly due to sore feet back to the house. We had a relaxing evening and light dinner of grapes, crackers and cheese, and of course wine. This was the perfect way to spend my last day in Europe, and I had a great time with my cousin!