We were out the door by 7:30 this morning. The sky was mostly clear, just a tad hazy. Our first stop was just around the corner at a Boulangerie. We all got Pain au Chocolats, and realized that they aren't very savory, but really delicious. We needed a couple household items, so we found a supermarche and went in. We were quickly shooed out, because they had not opened, which we discovered to be the case with most shops around town. But our walking adventure began.
We were really surprised as we started to walk that there were so many people jogging, I never remembered the French in Lyon out on the sidewalks taking a run, so I assumed that they were probably the Americans. But many were talking with their jogging partners in French, or it was evident through their looks that they were French. We found this true even more so around the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.
We walked down to the river, crossed Ile de la Cite and walked through the left bank. We followed the river, then crossed back to get to the Louvre. We walked around the Louvre, and then down the Champs Elysees. It was a very pretty morning and we were happy that we came out so early, because the streets weren't as busy. We got coffee there, which we will probably not do again - it was really expensive, but a perfect French experience at the same time. We were at the Arc de Triumphe at about 9:30, it was even larger and more elaborate than I remembered from last trip. We spotted the Eiffel Tower and headed in that general direction. We made a few stops on the way. One really interesting place was a market, it contained all frozen foods. It was spotless and very stark, almost like a mixture between a hospital and a laundromat. I will have to post pictures soon, because it was just a very different feel there than other markets.
We made it to the Eiffel Tower and there were a bunch of visitors, although in general I feel that the city hasn't gotten taken over by foreigners yet, probably in 3 to 4 more weeks we'll see a larger number. We decided not to wait in line to go up it today, although we want to soon. We were all very excited when we saw a half pipe, that reached almost up to the first level, being built. We asked some guys about it when they were trying to get us to buy souvenirs from them. They told us that there is a roller blade and skateboard competition there starting tomorrow. So we're excited to see what that's all about, tomorrow.
I was then talked into letting a guy show us a "trick". It ended up being a bracelet that he made out of different colored string and wove them together. He was from Jamaica and started talking - ended up with him asking if I would marry him. I though "hm, I wonder how many girls he's used that line on". Cause then the next step was payment. I didn't have any coins, just bills. He tried to get me to pay him 5 euro, but that wasn't going to happen. I stood strong and was proud to say that I bartered for 2 euro (Dad I felt that I have learned to stand my ground on this deal through hearing your negotiations while in particular circumstances)then I realized that 2 was better than 5, but not exactly a deal. Oh well, I got a French souvenir, and during this negotiating process the other 3 girls got their own bracelets.
We walked through the lawns and explored the area, ate a great sandwich from a little cafe and watched all the nannies walking back from picking up the children from school, for lunch. I found a phone store, so I went in, hoping that I could get a prepaid sims-card there, while the other girls waited outside. The man was helping another customer, so I was looking around. A gentleman, probably in his 60s came in and came over to me. He started talking to me and asked what country I was from, I told him Amerique, and he converted to English. We talked a little more and then he said, "well I just wanted to come in and tell you that you looked splendid, have a nice day". That was nice to hear from a well put together French gentleman. They ended up not having what I was looking for, so we continued on.
We walked by Hotel des Invalides, and down the lawns towards le Grand Palais. A group of men were playing rugby on the lawn, and a few games of bols were being played by business men in their suites on their lunch break. We walked back along the other side of the river, in front of Musee d'Orsay. I hadn't ever realized how crazy the traffic is here. We have witnessed 4, almost near-major-collisions. The bikers are right up there with the high speed cars, and the unmarked lanes and stopped up traffic with impatient drivers is bound to have bad consequences. We made it back, went grocery shopping and are planning on heading out to the Champs Elyees this late afternoon. It's 17:00, everyone else has been asleep for a while, so I hope that tonight isn't too hard for them.
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