The day started off with a slightly earlier start, but still embarrassingly late. Granted, the Disney girls desperately needed their sleep so it was certainly excused! Amber had a good birthday, and it was such a treat to celebrate her 18th with food, fun and adventure in Paris. After we all had a nice breakfast of nutella sandwiches, coffee and chocolate milk, Kelly and I went to Etam for some quick shopping while the other girls got ready. I was in awe of the place; it was huge. I spent some time just walking up the staircase with my mouth wide open... it was, oh, 8 stories? During check out, it was a relief to have a sweet (and gorgeous) cashier after yesterday's terrifying ones. As pathetic as it sounds, it really brightened my day!
We returned as quick as we could to the apartment to meet up with everyone and really start the day as a group. It was a really quick walk which is pretty common for a lot of the things we do here. The apartment has a really great location.... 3 H&Ms, remember? We dropped off our purchases and it was finally time to go out and about in Paris. First thing first, we needed to figure out money for Amber and Laura and find a bank. Before telling you a fun little tale that happened during the walk, I need to explain one quick thing. I don't know why, but there are a TON of random waist-high poles here everywhere. Laura, sweet Laura absolutely crashed into one and sort of stumbled back (thank God, she didn't fall). It was hilarious. I made sure to warn her about every single one I saw afterwards. For whatever reason, she found my helpfulness not helpful as much as she found it annoying? Whate'er.
We got the money all sorted out and decided to get some Arabic food at a restaurant that Ale and Erika had tried once before and enjoyed. The food was good and pretty authentic. To get there, we passed through this neat area with really cool street performers. When I get home (internet here isn't good enough to upload pictures), I'll put up the pictures I took of the three of them. We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around Le Marais (same area as the Arabic restaurant), an area much like Houston's Montrose. It was filled with cute, unique shops and we were quite entertained. There were bakery's with creatively shaped breads to stores with really cute skirts (Erika, Ale and I all got the same one and plan on wearing it one the same day haha) to a calligraphy shop where I got Claire and Trent little gifts! Haha we even went into the Nike store because I thought I might find something there for my sweet little brother. Before we returned to the apartment, we spent about an hour sitting and chatting in a coffee shop where Erika got a "milkshake" and Kelly found out that a "mochaccino" does, in fact, exist.
The evening proved to be much more amusing than our relaxed, pleasant afternoon! We donned warmer clothes, grabbed some blankets and took the metro for an evening at the park next to the Eiffel Tower. The metro smelled, well, horrible. I almost gagged, but we made the best of it and it turned into a lot of laughs. Now, about the Eiffel tower. Let me tell you, the place was hoppin'. We were not the only ones with this great idea for there were so many groups having a good time. This provided a fun atmosphere and it ended up being a really nice evening with a really great view! Of course, pictures will be provided. We stayed long enough (about an hour) to watch the lights twinkle at the beginning of the hour, and then went home to get something to eat for dinner and, duh, not to miss the metro before it closed. I, probably out of karma for making fun of Laura, got smashed by the closing metro door. Everyone went "ooooh" and it was pretty darn awkward, but it certainly humbled me. Sorry, Laura. Once back in our area, we were on the hunt for food! First, we stopped at McDonalds where Erika got fries. The... manager? (he was dressed in a suit but certainly worked there) was very excited by the fact that we were foreigners. Upon hearing that we were from Texas, he said, "shook norees?" Which I SOMEHOW managed to understand. He was saying, "Chuck Norris." I responded, "Chuck Norris!!!!!" And he, in his excitement, did a few karate moves. It really was a great time and we promised to return tomorrow. In order to feed the crepe craving bunch (Laura, Kell, Amber and I), we hit up a little cafe close by. As we were all waiting for the crepes to be made, I got a new boyfriend. So sorry, Trenton. The 40-year-old Arab man making our crepes proclaimed his love for me. I mumbled, "love ya, too" and blushed. He then asked me for my name (I said Kelly to save my own rear) and he asked (jokingly. All of this was a joke) what I was doing afterwards. When I mumbled a response about a hotel with angry parents, he pretended to rip off his shirt and join us. It was all slightly creepy, but his affections paid off later when we were harassed by a strange man mid crepe enjoyment and I beckoned him (no joke) and he came and got the guy to leave. Amber enjoyed yet another nutella treat and has come to love the stuff! How thrilling. We are now home and all getting ready for bed! Goodnight and sorry for the length of this one!
Listen! God Only Knows cover
No comments:
Post a Comment