This picture says it all:
We've made it - the City of Lights, beautiful buildings and cigarettes. Holy smokes - it's crazy...I digress.
We've made it - the City of Lights, beautiful buildings and cigarettes. Holy smokes - it's crazy...I digress.
After a wonderful stay in Huy, Belgium we took the high-speed train from Brussels to Paris on Friday morning. It's only an hour and 20 minute train ride at 130 mph! We sped into Paris and then had to carry our bags up and down and up and down the Metro stairs. Fun times :). Welcome to Paris!
We dropped our bags at the hotel and went to go get on the 11 AM Fat Tire Bike Tour. You may recall from my mom's Europe trip blog that she was the designated sweeper on their tour - which means you ride at the back and make sure that absolutely no cars break into the pack and no man gets left behind...well guess who got picked as today's sweeper? Me, Clint - all because the guide recognized my Aggie Ring. Here's a picture of my mom, the sweeper and a picture of me, the sweeper.
Mom was on the night tour so I guess you have to wear the orange vest that makes you look even more like a tourist than you already do.
Here's quick pic of our group and our leader Adam - who was super cool - in front of the Ecole Militarie (the French military school).
Here's a picture of Melissa riding and smiling...OK she's not riding. Trust me, either one of us would have fallen off if we posed for a picture.
My mom has always told me to only show pictures with other people in them so I will spare you the boredom of a bunch of Paris buildings.
Here is my view as the sweeper...
The job wasn't too bad, we had a 10 year old girl on the tour who's legs could barely reach the pedals so that made for some slow going and a few times where she could quite get her bike going. We also had a lady who, we we took a break at a cafe in the Tuilieries Gardens, she ordered something, didn't like it and sent it back because the mushrooms were undercooked - refused to eat anything else and then ended up quitting the tour 10 minutes before it was over...oh my soul it was incredible. She literally little left her bike in the middle of the sidewalk and walked away - Adam had to drag her bike all the way back to the office. So as thesweeper, we actually ended the tour a man down, but it was for the better.
Here's a pic at the end of the tour - how nice :)
Then we had to go meet up with Melissa's parents...because of the lady on our tour, we were about 45 minutes late in meeting up with them. I took a picture of Marie before she saw us, can you see her?
Here she is!
And here is Dave - the tallest man in Paris.
It's been great to hang out with the Walton's. Marie is very handy with the French and Dave is hilarious...we've had alot of fun! We visited the War Museum and Napoleon's Tomb pictured below...he is in 6 coffins - 2 of lead, 2 of tin, one of mahogoney and one of the red stone on the outside. Buried like a pharoah...
DAY 7
Then this morning, we headed out to Versailles - wow, this place is huge. I've been to a few palaces and castles and this is by far the biggest building and gorunds I have ever seen.
It just goes and goes and goes. It goes half of France's GDP to build the building...that's alot of Franks. Louis XIV was pretty crazy but he knew what he was doing...this place is insane.
Here's a picture of Dave and Marie in the distance, Dave is doing one of his famous videotaping while narrating scenes..."This is in the Hall of Mirrors...it's got alot of mirrors..."
Here's a shot of us out in the gardens that stretch for miles around the chateau.
After spending the morning and early afternoon at Versailles, we headed back into town and hit the Orsay (think Monet, Seurat, etc) and the Rodin Museum...if you can't remember who Rodin is, he did this...
And the incredibly detailed "Gates of Hell" from Dante's Inferno.
He actually included "The Thinker" as Dante up at the top of Hell contemplating...
We grabbed some dinner and then took the nighttime Seine River cruise for my birthday...some pretty amazing views of the city...here we are on the boat...
Here's the Eiffel Tower...
Then our camera died...:)
We will have more tomorrow, our final day in Paris - then it's back to H-Town!