So day two in Paris was by far the busiest day we spent there. After breakfast (and really good coffee) we went to the Eiffel Tower-HUGE line, but we moved over to a really short line and thought we were so smart but realized it short because it was for tickets for walking up the stairs instead of using the elevator... And we chose to just take the stairs since the line was shorter. And honestly it really wasn't that bad! We didn't go to the very top just the first and second levels and the views were unbelievable! My favorite was overlooking the park in front of the eiffel tower.
By the time we got back down it was already time for lunch so we went to a cafe called Cafe Constant which was mentioned in the Paris travel book we bought (by lonely planet it was really good so if you need a travel book use one made by them). It was quite yummy. Then we headed to Palais Garnier only to find out that we missed the tour by ten minutes...so we were told to go back the next day. So we went to Eglise Madeleine (beautiful) and walked down the street to Place de la Concorde and then headed to Musee D'Orsay but stopped at a cafe across the street to have some coffee :) and eat a snack we bought at Laduree- a patisserie (snacks/sweets/baked things place). Of the museums I went to I liked D'Orsay the best. It's in the building where a train station used to be so it was just very cool and I liked the artwork there as well. After that we walked across the street and sat in the Tuilleries garden. Then we headed to the Seine and did an hour long boat cruise and ate dinner at Cafe Madeleine. So maybe it doesn't sound like a lot...but after a really long travel day and a busy day the day before it was very exhausting!! The rest of the stay in Paris consisted of Saint Chapelle (ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!), Opera Garnier (also really really cool!! and interesting), Versailles (that was exhausting in itself....so much to cover-we only saw half of the palace and not even half of Marie Antoinette's buildings), Arc de Triomphe (lots of steps) and Sacre Coeur (even more steps!). Here are some pics...
And so now I find myself in a small town outside of Avignon and its SO adorable. All the streets are small and winding and hilly (just like the movies) and theres beautiful views every where (of course). Today we biked 33 km and it started pouring down rain right in the middle which was nice cause it was a good cool off! Our guides, Jen and Greg, are so sweet!! Greg is french but speaks english fluently and Jen is English but also speaks french very well. There are 7 other people in the group and they are all very friendly and a fun group. And I am the youngest by 6 years... There's going to be lots of wine tastings and theres wine at every meal and before every meal we have wine as a group and talk about the next day and ask questions. I tried a sip of the red wine and the sparking wine and the nicest way to say it is... I do not find it appetizing at all! A little too tart and bitter for my likings. I'd rather have hot chocolate. Or coffee from Paris :)
Writing this blog has made me stop and think back on what has been going on and reflect on the different things that I have subconsciously learned and taken from all the experiences. Being in a foreign country surrounded by a language that I kind of know, put with group of 7 (plus two guides) other people that I've never met before, lots and lots of walking and metro riding, and now around 20 to 25 miles of bike riding each day, has put me out of my comfort zone and stretched me. The moment that I have had to trust God the most was trying to catch the train from Paris to France. We specifically booked the 5 o'clock train so we could have some extra time to go see what we missed (arc de triomph and sacre coeur). We knew we had to be back at the hotel to pick up our bags at 3 because the metro ride from Paris to the airport was going to take at least 45 minutes and then we had to pick up our tickets and find where the train was. This was going to give us plenty of extra time. But Sacre Coeur took a lot longer than we anticipated... long story short we didn't get back to the hotel until 3 30 and my mom is in a panic. We literally RAN to and through the metro station to get to the different stops (me with two bags and a backpack and my mom with a suitcase). Then the RER (the really long ride to the airport) stopped at one stop for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes instead of 30 seconds. We finally got to the airport (the LAST stop) at 4:45. We sprinted up the steps, as fast as possible, and tried to get through the gates with our metro tickets but it was not letting us through for some reason... Almost crying, my mom is running around trying to figure out what to do. Finally, she asked a random guy walking by to let us go through with him and thankfully he did (Later we figured out that our metro tickets only covered certain areas of France and it didn't cover that section). Then sprinted to where we had to pick up our tickets and had to wait in a line.. the train was scheduled to leave at 4:57 and it was 4:55. As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the steps and found the train and ran along side it trying to find which car was ours. Once we got to our seats and sat down we both just sighed in relief (just to show you how exhausted we were- while watching an episode of LOST-best show ever- we both cried twice... because Jin "died" and Penelope found Desmond-season 4). On the RER we both did not think we were going to make it. It was already expensive to be in France and the bike tour was expensive and the tickets on the train were non-refundable. A million things were going through both of minds and praying that God would give us enough time to make it. And He did! Had we not made it...that would have been a completely different experience! I am definitely so thankful that we were so blessed to afford everything and not miss the train!! I am looking forward to the next four days of biking through such a beautiful country that I have already fallen in love with :)
How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy and perfect is His life.
Until next time,
Kel :)
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