Paris: a city of gypsies, tramps, and thieves. (Thankfully no Cher)

After we departed from Milan on our overnight train, Hannah and I proceeded to lock ourselves into our sleeping unit and pass out as the train silently slithered through the Alps. It was by far the best sleep I had on the whole trip (which was quite lacking in the amount of time allotted for sleep). We arrived in Paris the next morning where none of us could speak the language. Some slimy Parisian man bought us one way tickets on le Metro (when he was supposed to be getting us day passes) and the weather was overcast. Hello black and white photos.
After walking forever and ever to get to our hotel, we finally arrived (did I mention I was tired?), unloaded all of our over packed suitcases and crossed the Seine to go and see Notre Dame Cathedral. It was actually a very cool place. I love Gothic architecture so it was interesting to see the gargoyles and the flying buttresses. (note: we found the hunchback riding the Metro and singing for change. He is actually a gypsy woman who hasn't bathed since Charles de Gaulle was President.) There were tons of people inside the cathedral taking pictures, talking loudly, and not worshipping in general.After that, we walked along the Champs-Élysées, which I did not pronounce correctly the entire time I was in France. It is French for Elysian Fields or the place in Greek Mythology were the brave and heroic go when they die. I guess they need Gucci shades in the Underworld. We saw many fancy establishments that I will never be shopping at and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe (arch of triumph for my English-speaking readers). For those who are unaware, it is a memorial to french soldiers (ha!) who fought mostly in the Napoleonic Wars. (Special thanks to Wikipedia for the history lesson.) When we got there, dozens of French war veterans were lining up and posing for photos for the American tourists. Here are some of them in their funny hats:
There was a ceremony scheduled so the big bad French police kicked us all out and we had to go to see what everybody and their brother goes to see when they're in Paris. I have so much faith in my readers that I will just show you a picture and let you imagine your own lovely, romantic scenario instead of boring you with my own.
We took a night cruise on the Seine and ate some crepes and took a cab back to our hotel to SLEEP! :] We also watched some of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie in French.
The next day, we spilt up and Hannah and I took the Metro to Sacre Coeur while her family walked around and around and around at the Louvre. I found a passport from Hong Kong and turned it into the lift operator. I'm still waited for reward of good karma thank you very much. I wanted to go see the Moulin Rouge so we walked through the red light district and saw lots of creepy men trolling the sidewalks. Then we went to a cemetery and too the Metro back to the Louvre (which is THE spot for gypsy watching might I add).
After that, we hauled all of our crap into a van and went to the airport, boarded a plane, and headed for merry ol' England!

...to be continued