life in Paris has not quite been what I expected. don’t get me wrong it’s been an amazing adventure. but just different than expected. a few observations (typing this on an iPhone so have grace with the typos)

I am very aware of how unfashionable I am.

they eat way more French fries than in US.

the metro is alot like ours only way more lines numbers colors and letters. we rode an rer train got off at the wrong stop then couldn’t get out so we followed an old lady through a handicapped exit. then when we realized we had taken rer instead of metro we backtracked. then when it was time to change lines we couldn’t find the exit anywhere except on the opposite side of where we were. we had to walk through an arriving train to get to the exit on the other side.

Paris really is alot like dc to me in many ways except the souvineers are cooler.

at the Eiffel Tour while we waited for our turn to go up we watched the cops chase the random “illegal” souvenir sales people and by chase I do mean chase on foot and on bicycle. it was really kind of funny. they would chase them down and as soon as the cops went to the other side they all came right back it was like cat and mouse.

I really love the Eiffel Tower. I can’t seem to get enough pics.

our hotel is really cool and in a hopping part of town. it has a times square atmosphere at night with people everywhere and it gets kind of crazy. each night there has been some kind of late night craziness. last night around 2 am some drunk guy was singing at the top of his lungs. I was half asleep but I swear it sounded like he was singing the call to prayer.

we are also close to Notre Dame and we think we hear the bells in the morning and afternoon. we are not positive it’s ND but we tell ourselves it is.

tip to those planning a visit here – beware of visiting arc de triumph back to back with sacre cour. I think I climbed around 500 steps today. at least I pried off some gelato. yes I’ve had it every day since we got here.

last night we ate at a very romantic place the entire dining room was put only with candle light. tre romantique.

we tried the famous macroons today. overrated in my opinion but I am a cupcake girl!

we did eat at an American type place for lunch yesterday. it was called HAND for “have a nice day” it was kind of a hipster place and lots of trendy French folks eating lunch. the food was OK, the decorations were a trip though- cans of campbells and old bowling trophies among other American memorabilia. i was surprised how packed the place was. I got onion rings they were served with BBQ sauce. I started thinking about Memphis BBQ. I told Brian to get a job here in paris so I could open an American restaurant if it’s trendy and people seem to be into it I could probably do well here;)

while we waited to get into HAND there were two French women and their little boys in front of us also waiting to get in. the French little boys were so chic in their jeans and man scarves. I was kind of intimidated by these 6 year olds. only in Paris.

in the louvre there is a huge apple store. apple is taking over. we are not complaining though.

more on the metro Brian says ours is nicer but theirs is bigger. not sure what to do with that but he is the family metro expert.

Brian also says the food is good but we both feel like we have not been wowed yet. the pastries are awesome and the morning cafes are too. there is a chain called Pauls that we like. it claims to be one of the oldest cafes around.

our favorite restaurant so far is la rose de France on the island near notre dame. we went right at lunchtime and it was jammed with local business folk. it wad near a police station or something like that and tons of news camera crews came there for lunch. reminded me of being on the hill.

when we took the wrong metro stop earlier today we ended up at la grande arch instead of arch de triumph. we got out and looked at it and knew immediately we were in the wrong place as the arch was brand new and surrounded by sky scrapers. I looked at Brian and said “we got off in Rosslyn and were supposed to get off in Foggy Bottom” I was right – the grande arch is right outside of Paris lines. Paris is like DC in that you can’t have any skyscrapers in Paris central.

at Sacre Cour Brian almost got gyped by two gypsies pretending to be deaf petitioners getting signatures to build a deaf school. funny they both jerked their heads around at me when I said NO! I’ve been awesome at ignoring all the scanners. they all think I’m an easy target with my map and my frizzy hair but they thought wrong!

we keep oversleeping. which is unlike us. we are normally up by 8 am. here we wake to the sound of church bells around 9 am. and we still go to bed at 9 pm. jet lag + walking all day = very sleepy grandma and grandpa

Sacre Cour is beautiful from far away. when you get there it’s a circus. so many scanners and people trying to sell dumb tourists stuff. lots of guys painted to look Ike statues kept freaking me out. another guy was doing some kind of ball balancing act to Jason derullio songs. another guy had puppets singing Oasis songs. seriously. all in front of this beautiful church. I started thinking about Jesus and the temple. I can see why that pissed him off so bad if it was anything like the lawn and steps at sacre cour.

I took 4 years of French but you wouldn’t know it ad everytime I open my mouth to speak it comes out Spanish. guess that goes to show that immersion works way better than classroom.

at a cafe outside the Eiffel tour we saw kids getting out of school and walking to our cafe for pain chocolate. can you imagine being a kid here. chic clothes and daily chocolate bread on the way home. but then there is all the walking which must be how they stay so thin.

I am crippled without my iPhone. I can only use it when I get free wifi. it scares me how dependent I am on it.

we have gotten lost alot. well at first we did but now we are better. the first day it poured rain and we couldn’t find our way and I almost lost it. I am finally relaxing and going with the flow now. I have realized I am a control freak. learning to let go here in Paris.

last thought for now- I LOVE the Louvre. Love love love
it. surprised at how much I love it. I want to go back one day with my mom. if I love it this much I know she will. I actually think my mom would j’adore Paris all together. I have thought of you alot mom! maybe we take a girls trip here sometime 🙂

more soon.