Today it was time to explore sunny Paris and with a hearty breakfast of Croissants with Nutella we were all ready to take on the city. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower but unfortunately the operating staff were on a workers strike so there was no going up the tower, but it was just as beautiful to admire from the ground. So after a couple of photos there we made our way to the Arc de Triumph where we climbed over 200 steps to the top. Seeing the city from above was amazing and you can see just how organized and symmetrical the city is. Then it was back down the stairs and towards the Champs élysées, the busiest street in Paris. Lined with high fashion stores and restaurants that boast some of the most expensive prices in the country, it was an awesome experience. Along the way we stopped at the flagship store for Abercrombie and Fitch, which was 5 stories and more like a nightclub than a store. Best of all though, was that they had topless models as security guards who you could take a photo with. When you left the store they would give you a polaroid copy of your photo as a souvenir. Next to the Lourve and having heard the lines for the Lourve are crazy long, I went to Paris having decided to give it a miss, but I'm so glad I decided to pass through it. While I didn't go inside, the exterior of the Lourve is just dumbfounding! I don't think I've ever seen a building larger than it and with such ornate carvings, gardens and statues. Apparently one of France's many monarchs (exactly which one escapes me at the moment) decided to live in the Lourve at one stage but thought that it wasn't extravagant enough for him, which then led to the building of Versaille. He clearly was mental because it was truly a highlight. Next we walked to the building made famous by Disney, the Notre Dame. No hunchback unfortunately but it definitely stands as my favorite site so far. I don't know whether it's because I loved the movie as a kid, but for me the building had such an ominous, creepy atmosphere which just made it all the more awesome. Right next to the Notre Dame is the love lock bridge where you can secure a padlock on the bridge and throw the keys in the river to secure your love. I bought a lock for Eric (which was such a rip off but worth it) and I and put it near a cute lock I found with the names Tony and Anne on it. Then after that, with a bit of time to kill, we walked to Saint Chapelle which is a huge, ornate cathedral with dozens of long stained glass windows that were again amazing. Each of the stained glass windows depict a scene from the story of Christ and each of the windows told a different narrative. The building is nicknamed the koiliderscope because of all the colours and because of the colourful sun rays that shine through all the panes - and thats exactly what it looks like. Then with another 3 hours to go, a couple of us ventured into the Latin quarter of Paris which is known for its quirky nightlife and student lifestyle. There we found a tiny cafe and shared French onion soup, frogs legs and creme brûlée. For those of you wondering, frogs legs is a bit weird but definitely do-able. It tastes like chicken with a slightly crablike texture and the weirdest thing is actually pulling the meat off the bones that still look very much like a pair of frogs legs with knees, a spine and all. We then each bought a macaron from a nearby dessert cafe. From there we decided to brave the metro and travel back to the park underneath the Eiffel Tower where the Topdeck crew were waiting for us with a picnic and wine. It was really lovely sitting under the Eiffel with a bunch of strangers all in a circle, mingling and talking about all of the different ways the gypsies in France tried to scam us and of course Kevin Rudd's return to power. One of the common scams involved gypsies posing as a deaf society and asking for the signatures of tourists for a petition which we all thought might have been a way to steal your signature. Another popular one that many of us encountered involved a gypsy who would plant a gold ring on the ground and then when you walked past they would pick it up and ask if it is yours. When you said it wasn't they would tell you to just keep it and then walk off. But then they would walk back towards you and ask you for money for a coffee in return for their kindness. Other than that i found Paris to be far from my expectations, I thought the people were relatively nice and found the city to be very clean. After the picnic a couple of us went out a to French Cabaret show which was complete with a bottle of wine each and lots of topless girls and drag queens. Wrecked from all the walking that day, I decided to go home to sleep after the show but many pushed on to go clubbing in Paris. This morning there's lots of funny stories to share from the night before and a couple of sore heads, but everyone's looking forward to Switzerland. Till then xx