can't get enough [paris, france]

We got up around 10am and set out for our next exciting journey to the Catacombs, a little nervous. We stopped to have the worst breakfast ever, which stuck in our stomachs for quite a while. At the Catacombs we were a little nervous as the steps went down and down and down. It was kind of a creepy small tunnel underground. I wouldn't suggest it if you're extremely claustrophobic, but it wasn't as bad as I would have expected being a few hundred feet underground with 5 or 6 million dead people would be. It was really cool and we were really glad we ended up going.

After that we decided to go to Pompidou, the modern art museum that's constructed with all the "insides" showing (ie. pipes, et cetera). It just so happened that we were there on the first Sunday of the month, which is the day of free entrance to museums in a lot of Europe. There was a huge line which we cut a bit and got in pretty quickly. It was hard to find our way around with so many people but what we discovered was a really amazing view of the city. Probably the best we got the whole trip. You could see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and Montmartre, along with a bunch of other landmarks, all from the same balcony. The sun was just starting to set and it was really beautiful, in a romantic kind of way. We were jealous of all the couples. We went inside the one gallery they left open for the masses, which had hundreds of modern paintings, many of which were very very famous. I wish I could go back well-rested, with less people, and by myself so I could really enjoy all of it, but at that point we weren't really in the museum spirit.

We left, got some Paris t-shirts (for some reason you just want a million souvenirs from the place) and did a little bit of really cheap shopping. It was about the same prices as here, but for much better fashion. It made me realize that Barcelona is a bit of a "poser" city. They want to be as chic as places like Paris and London, but they just aren't. Barcelona - stop trying so hard.

Next we went to the Eiffel Tower to get on a boat tour. We of course pit-stopped to get some more pictures of the tower. Right when we got there it started the sparkling light show. It was magical, really. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the moment, and then strolled down to the river. The tour was so nice, but we were too stupid to go out of the covered part until the very end to get pictures. The view of Notre Dame was absolutely awesome and all the places along the river looked like they were created for marriage proposals. Once again, we envied all the couples.

After our tour, still on our Parisian high, we went to a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower and had a long and delicious meal. We toasted to us, to Paris, and to our parents for making it all possible. By the time we were done we forgot the metro closes early in Paris and had to sprint there, where we made the first train but not the second. We had to get out of the subway and take a taxi. But we did get one last look at the Arc de Triomphe.

Ahh, Paris.