Romantic Cruise of the Seine (with broken down boat)

Saturday was meant to be a picture perfect day! I got plenty of sleep, so I was ready to spend the whole afternoon and evening away from our hotel. Agnes and Ali asked Emily and me to go back to Trocodero and barter for more scarves and Eiffel Tower keychains, since we were so good at it the last time. We were happy to help out--afterall, the Senegalese guys are my favorite.

When we got there, we saw tons of Senegalese guys, with their bags of merchandise and strings of Eiffel Towers, running away from the center of the plaza in a hurry. We tried to figure out what was going on. I asked one of them and he said that the police were there. I guess the police don't approve of them selling super cheap merchandise, when all the official stores around have the same stuff for higher prices. I really don't know where they get their stuff to sell...maybe illegaly?? Well, the guys didn't run too far and we were able to get some good deals for Agnes and Ali. I even got a bright pink scarf for myself, so putting that with my pink beret, I will look so French when I get back to school. Oh la la!!

At this time, I realized that I wanted to walk down the Champs-Elysees because I hadn't done that yet. I teach all my students the song Aux Champs-Elysees, so it is definitely a street not to be missed. I walked by myself--Emily and Allen took the metro--so I got to really soak up each thing I saw. There were all sorts of characters strolling down this most famous street in Paris. I watched the super sophisticated dressers step into Sephora and fashionable stores--one was selling a purse for 1000 Euros!! I also saw a weird guy dressed up as Spider Man running around, having a great time. I almost stopped for a McFlurry at the super chic McDonalds on this same street, but I was a bit late to meet the others at the Arc de Triomphe, so I had to save that for another time.

I got to the crossing to get to the Arc de Triumph. This arch is in the middle of a star of different roads. If you decide to brave it and drive around it, beware: you must be aggresive or you will never get out of the biggest roundabout ever!! I forgot for a second that a person cannot cross the street without getting hit by several cars at once and almost--I say almost--stepped out into traffic. Rather than get hit, you take the underground walkway.

I bought my ticket and met Emily and Allen as well as Dan right underneath the Arc. We took off up the stairs: 289 steps to the top. I could feel the burn after a hundred steps. It was fun to see the view of the city from the top.

Before our cruise of the Seine, we went for some delicious dinner crepes at Cafe Beauborg. They put onions, creme fraiche, potatoes and cheese inside. They really are to die for. We had a super funny server who called me Grettle since my hair was in braids. He left midway through serving us, however. Since servers here are paid by the house and not by tips, it really doesn't matter when they come and go or if you get good service because they will get the same pay regardless. The last lady who served us took a smoking break at the table next to us--puffed a whole bunch of smoke our way which I did NOT appreciate--before getting back to work.

The cruise of the Seine was beautiful. Emily, Allen, Dan and I got in a cute romantic boat all decorated with plants and flowers. The first monument that we floated by was the Eiffel Tower. It was glowing and so beautiful! It really is a fantastic structure. It was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution and has 1789 steps to the top...how symbolic is that?? It was a picture perfect night. When we were half-way through our cruise, however, the boat started smoking. We started coughing from all the exhaust. Our guide said we needed to dock and switch boats. We then got on a HUGE boat with a new, really funny tour guide. It was perfect!! We got to see the whole first part of the tour again, as new people had signed up to go, and we actually finished it this time. This was definitely worth the price!!

Monday we went to a calm park called Bois de Vincennes. It was really nice after all the rush rush of the city. We rented boats and calmly paddled around a lake. Afterwards, we stepped onto a small island and relaxed in the sunshine. We played cards and had tons of fun. We were going to ride horses, but they were 2.50 Euros for 5 minutes. Instead, we just enjoyed the afternoon.

Tuesday was spent at Euro Disney. They had less rides than Disneyland in California, but I still loved it all!! I was the only one in the group who didn't get tired because it was so magical. There were some fun little touches that made this park unique from other ones. There were some really fun shows too, that were half in French and half in English, because of all the foreigners that come to visit. When we were all really hungry, we got some cute pizzas shaped like Mickey Mouse. Isn't that adorable? I was going to bring the boxes home, but I've already collected enough food packages as souvenirs. It is starting to look like I am a garbage collector!!

I leave France on Friday and definitely have mixed emotions. It will be nice to get home and into a routine again, but I will miss the life here so much!!