Paris - France

Today was a fairly short day out.

First thing in the morning I went to Sacre Coeur. My most lasting memory of this trip, unfortunately, will be the African con artists who try to get you to put your finger in a loop of thread (thanks for the heads up BackpackEurop forum). They do not like it at all when you say no thank you... just a heads up there.

Anyway, the church was great, but the view of Paris from the steps was even better. I would have liked to sit there longer looking out over the city, but I decided to head out to the nearby "red light" district of Paris instead haha.

This district inclueds the infamous Moulin rouge, but that is not all. The street was lined with pornographic film theatres, peep shows, sex toy shops, etc.... and this was around 12. 00 Let's just say am glad I was there in the light of day. Honestly, the names of some of these places are worth the visit alone haha. (Oh, and can you think of any LESS appropriate of a place for me to visit directly after one of the most famous churches in the world haha)

Next I visited the Louvre again. As Maddy reminded me, I had not yet knelt at the tomb of Mary Magdalene (Da Vinci Code ref.). Luckily, you do not have to pay another entrance fee to see the inverse pyramid. A very nice couple was more than happy to take my photo by it after I had done the same for them.

After this I went to the Gallerie Lafayette and had lucnch there as well. Essentially, this is a very chic mall. There were plenty of things I wish I could have bought but the prices were outrageous, especially considering my budget. I knew things would be expensive there, but I was curious.

After going to Napoleon's grave qnd getting an up close look at the golden dome of the building (I did not go inside) I headed back to Carl' place.

After a quick rest he and I took a long walk around Paris. Quite interestingly, the walk included a visit to the grave of Lafayette.

We got groceries and came back to cook. One of the main things I will take away from my trip here to Paris (other than the lights) is the cuisine and how Carl cooks every night... only after an apperitif haha (wine an appetizer). I would like to cook more like this now that I have more time because as Carl says, food (and tastes) is one of the great pleasures in life. Unfortunately, the wine back home is so expensive. I joke with Carl that the water (I only see it being sold in touristy places) is more expensive than the wine here haha. 2-3 Euro is common for a normal bottle.

A bit of a surprise tomorrow I believe....
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