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Glamorama: London
This morning, Patty, Allison, and I had our breakfast in bed. We woke up a little later and then Basia took us to a food and flower market. Only locals go here for their fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats...it is not a place one would find tourists. We wandered around and were given free samples from a few of the vendors. Then, Basia took us to a nearby park and fed us French food we wouldn't normally eat. There were shrimp (still in shells with antennae and everything...scary!) olive tapenade, a goat cheese that was aged and rolled in ash, Camembert (which tasted like the metro), and a some funky blue cheeses. We also had French cider and beer. I mostly stuck to the olive products, but it was nice to try new things. And we also were fed some delicious French desserts!
Afterwards, she took us to outdoor and antique markets in a ghetto area of France. There was a market that was similar to Camden (here in London) and also a few nice ones with expensive antiques and designer vintage fashions. Further along, there were houses that were elaborately decorated, and everything in the house was for sale. We were allowed to do what we wanted at this point. After some bartering for jewelry, Julie and I went to Pere-Lachaise cemetery.
Several famous people are buried here, including, Jim Morrison! We wandered around for a while and finally found his grave. Then, we sketched and took pictures of the rest of the cemetery, which turned out looking like paintings. It was one of the most beautiful, peaceful places in Paris.
We went back to the hotel and got ready for a dinner at Les Petites Marseilles, a Parisian-Italian restaurant in Le Marsais. The menu was in French, so we just pieced together what we knew and took a risk. I ended up getting mushroom ravioli which was amazing. They gave us all a minty flavored shot after dinner to clear our palates.
We then went to see the Eiffel Tower, but got off the metro really far away from where it actually was. We ran most of the way there. At one point, we turned the corner and there it was in front of us, a huge piece of steel architecture, twinkling in the night. It was breathtaking, and I continued to run towards it. We met Patty in the line and didn't have to wait long at all. Then, we got on a lift which took us up to the second level. The view over Paris was beyond description...we were so high up...I can't even imagine being at the top!!!
We took the metro back to the hotel and fell asleep right away...we were beyond exhausted from our long day and nighttime run to the Eiffel Tower.
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