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With good intentions I tried to start my day early but like most of my plans for this trip this was not to be. I get to Notre Dame at about 10am and the line to do the walk to the top is already miles down the road. I waited in line for about 30 minutes and it barely budged and it was time to meet Julia.
Talk about trying to find a needle in a haystack, the plaza was absolutely crowded and I thought it would be near impossible to find her. So instead of looking I decided to take photos of the cathedral only to be scared s***less by Julia whispering in my ear. It was so good to see a familiar face in a crowd of non English speaking people.
I explained to Julia that I needed to find a shop so I could buy something that I could wear to the Moulin Rouge that night so off she takes me to the Bastille Market. As we walked over there she explained to me about the mentality of the Parisian men and why I was getting so much help. Although my "puppies" were hidden my cleavage was prominent therefore I was being helped a lot. This was explained to me after I got my first cold bottle of water since I came across to Europe, including the UK. He got the water from the back of the fridge instead of the front and I loved him for it.
The Bastille market was amazing, the smells, the people, the wares it was fantastic. Julia explained how the Parisians are layback and quite willing to wait to be served and be patient, well that explains the McDonalds fiasco the first night. Everything and everyone is very slow-paced. I got some great buys and found something great to wear for tonight.
We then headed off to the Pantheon and went to the Rousseau exhibition. What an incredible man, Philosopher, writer and composer. His political philosophy actually influenced the French Revolution. The crypts there were very impressive too and Julia pointed out how worn the steps were. It's amazing to think we are walking on the same paths that have been around for centuries. Some of the important people held in the crypts included Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille and Marie Curie.
After another latte we head off to Tuileries Gardens were we part ways and I head down to the Louvre while Julia headed to another gallery. We decided to catch up the next day and see the Dali Museum together which I'm excited about. But first the Louvre!!! WOW!!! Seeing so many paintings that I know and have studied during art in high school was surreal. It was amazing, the Mona Lisa was so crowded and she was awesome to see in person but it was the panting opposite that took my breath away. The Wedding Feast at Cana by La Giocondo which took up the whole wall nearly - amazing. To be able to be so close to the paintings, except the Mona Lisa, and see the brushstrokes is unbelievable. I even saw the beautiful sculpture - Venus de Milo which was carved around 130 - 100BC.
I headed back to the hotel exhausted but loving Paris so much more after spending it with Julia and going to places I wouldn't think of going. Now it's time to get ready for the Seine Cruise and Moulin Rouge so I put on my new dress that I bought from the market. Cutie pie was so nice when I went to ask for a taxi and did wonders for my ego by saying "Wow" when I got to the desk. There goes my ego again and I had another ego boost when I got to the pick-up point and one of the guides said I wasn't allowed to leave Paris because I had beautiful hair. I'm feeling good tonight.
Now for anyone going on the cruise of the Seine I will give you a big hint. Stay to the left of the boat (or river) because all of the good sights are on that side and there's not much to see on the right side. It was nice cruising the river but I missed out on a lot of photo opportunities. As for the Moulin Rouge it could have been better. The acts in between the semi naked dancers were great but the dancers themselves were really bad. It's also sexist in that the girls are parading around semi naked but the guys a clothed from head to toe, I mean really get with the times heehee. I think what was the worst thing about the dancers is they weren't in sync and half the guys looked bored while the other half looked like they were concentrating on the steps too hard. These dancers are doing two shows a night seven nights a week so I'd expect them to be better choreographed.
All in all a great day and night I even had a French Crepe for dinner, yummy, even though I didn't get home until 2am. Before hitting my bed I had to use the hotel computer and it was really strange not using a QWERTY keyboard, everything took twice as long because I had to find the keys and had a good chuckle to myself. It was another hot day and night in Paris and no sign of relief for tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to getting back to London and get away from the heat.
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