Our First Day Touring Paris

            Finally we arrived in Paris! We are staying at this really nice hotel called the Mercure. Even though my roommates and I had to wait almost an hour to get our smoke scented room, it was well worth it because we have a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower!

            We started off our day with a very good breakfast of sausage, fruit, orange juice, and chocolate croissants before we headed out on our tour of Paris. We took a bus to the Eiffel Tower where we got to take lots of pictures and were warned about the gypsies. Then, we went to take pictures of an old hospital. As soon as we got off the bus, we were greeted my numerous men trying to peddle their cheap Eiffel Tower trinkets. They wouldn't leave us alone!

            We drove around Paris some more, past the Arc de Triumph and down a street full of expensive stores. Then we went to this very large and expensive shopping mall where we couldn't really buy anything, but you could snap a few good pictures from the roof and enjoy the air conditioning inside. We also ate lunch at the mall.

            Then, we went to a perfume museum which was pretty cool. Our guide spoke perfect English, and with an American accent, too! I splurged and bought a few bottles for my mom, friends, and I. Then, we walked to a garden and sat down on a shaded bench for a while.

            To end the day, we visited the Eiffel Tower where we once again were greeted by the men selling the cheap souvenirs. As we took the elevator to the top, we couldn't believe the view of Paris we were getting! We waited in another queue line to get on another elevator to get to the highest part you can go on the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived, we had to fight our way through the crowds to get to the edge where we could get our grand view of Paris. It was a breathtaking sight! We took many pictures before my friend Rachel and I looked at our watches and saw the time. It was the time we were supposed to meet back on the ground! We quickly jumped on the elevator that took us halfway down, but realized that the line for the 2nd elevator was too long. So we sprinted down the many flights of steps to the ground. When we reached our group, we were surprised to see that we were one of the first people there and that the teachers had extended the meeting time. So Rachel and I sprinted down half the Eiffel Tower for nothing.

            Afterwards, we got on the Metro and thank goodness it wasn't an hour long train ride like the one we had in London! However, our walk back from the station to the hotel was a mile, uphill. But it was worth the walk because our hotel was so  nice and the beds were so comfy!