We're Here!

Well, after our rather uneventful flight, apart from the male flight attendant hitting on Melanie by way of a riveting discourse on the mechanics of in-plane photography, we have safely arrived in a rainy Paris.

Note: Parisian attire seems to have a number of subtle, yet consistent rules. Men, if in possession a wealth of chest hair, must display said hair with a deep V-neck shirt, while cleverly playing down the brutish look with stylish frames -most often in tortoiseshell- to assure the ladies of a present sensitive side. If a man has the misfortune of a bare chest, he still dons the V-neck shirt, but mans it up with some tough-guy aviator glasses. On the other side of things, women either look completely gorgeous and chic in every aspect of their attire, or resemble lesbians who have let themselves go. There also seems to be only two types of shoes in Paris, and this goes for both men and women: under 35= Converse, over 35= very expensive leather shoes.

Anyhoo, we arrived at our hotel at around 9:45, dropping off our bags before taking a leisurely walk around our neighborhood to get ourselves familiar with the area. We are about a 15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, and on our way there we passed a multitude of markets selling this incredible cheese, fruit, and bread, the scent wafting down the streets and making our mouths water until we popped inside a cafe to relieve our famished tummies.

On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we passed the building in which Napoleon is entombed, walked down Rue Cler, and saw a segway tour in progress- an interesting juxaposition of changing culture, with all of the classical architecture surrounding them. On reaching the Tower, we observed a newly married couple posing for pictures, four people running the "lost ring" scam, and had the pleasure of walking through one of the most putrid smelling parks on our way back to the hotel. We didn't end up going up the Tower today, but we shall later in the week when the weather is more condusive.

The rest of our day consisted of taking a much needed nap, planning our week out, and eating at the cafe in the hotel for dinner.

Tomorrow should be fun, as we are planning to visit the Rodin Museum, Luxembourg Gardens, and Sainte Sulpice, and perhaps get a bit of shopping in, too. We'll keep you all updated! Love you all!