"If one more French person talks to me about Michael Jackson, I'm going to hit them with my $7 bottle of water"

It's Day 4 of my trip, and I'm finally in ITALY! Annie and I had terrible time getting here. Just picture two, relatively weak American girls trying to drag 50+ lb luggage each up and down the Parisian subway stairs on the way to the airport. Let's just say that it was rough.

Overall, the 2 1/2 days spent in Paris were fantastic. I got to see almost every sight on my list and ate divine French food. On our first day, upon arrival, we headed to our hotel in the city. The area we stayed in was Paris' "Red Light District" which sounds mildly dangerous or forbidden, but is really just home to the Moulin Rouge and other various adult-themed shows. After relaxing for a little while at the hotel, we walked to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, a gorgeous church that overlooks the city. Not far from the church was an artists' fair full of paintings that showed different parts of the city. That area also had tons of cafes, so we picked one and got baguette sandwiches. Thirsty, from walking, I also decided to get a bottle of water. Little did I know when I ordered, that the water would end up cost more than the sandwich! Seriously, water prices in Parisian restaurants are OUT OF CONTROL. Throughout the trip we found much cheaper alternatives to purchasing water with dinner, but only after I'd already overspent multiple times. Luckily, I was able to make up for the small fortune that I wasted hydrating myself by buying a very cheap, very delicious chicken and cheese crepe at a stand by Notre Dame :-)

On my second day in Parigi (the Italian word for Paris!), we headed to the Louvre in the morning. That was likely the most incredible museum I've ever been in - the magnitiude of the building itself is stunning. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa. It's definitely small, but still is breathtaking. The crowd swarming the painting was equally unreal. After the Lourve, we sat at outdoor cafe and ate quiche then walked down Champs Elysees, which is the premiere shopping district. Later that night, we took the subway to the Eiffel Tower and sat out on the lawns, just watching the sun set and the tower light up. Every hour on the hour, the whole thing shimmers and everyone (including the French who have seen like a billion times) ooohhh and ahhhh. While watching the Tower, we talked to a group of French guys who told us that at the clubs in Paris "Michael Jackson lives on." I wish I was kidding! Before the Metro closed down, we hopped on a train back to our hotel, stopping to take a picture of the Moulin Rouge at night and have a drink at a local bar.

Today, we spent our last few hours visiting the gorgeous Paris Opera House and hunting down a nutella and banana crepe for Annie. During the hunt, I found a raspberry torte that was to die for - the French really do know their desserts! After the aformentioned terrible luggage journey, we made it to the airport and then to Pisa :-) More on that to come!

For now, here are some pictures of the trip so far!

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Yum!

The inside foyer of the Parisian Opera House

Does this even need a caption? :-)

Annie and I outside the Louvre

Look at the size of that crepe!

Under the Tower!