Paris - Part Two

The saga of Paris continues!

Saturday began with a most Parisian endeavor: climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

First of all, I would like to say two things about the Eiffel Tower. #1- It is huge. #2- If you are afraid of heights, this will definitely contribute. We waited in line for a very long time under the tower before finally cramming ourselves into the first of two tiny elevators. The elevators were not unlike the elevators that take you to the top of mountains, and you basically have to cram in like sardines while you stare out the window as you ASCEND TO YOUR DEATH. I happened to be next to someone who also was similarly feeling like we were on Tower of Terror and were waiting for the drop the whole time. (I really didn't use to be afraid of heights until recently. I think I actually blame Tower of Terror. As some of you know, every time I go on Tower of Terror it gets worse and worse, and the last time I went it was really bad and I practically hyperventilated and almost burst into tears. I can feel the dropping feeling while you're just sitting there...UGH UGH UGH IT'S SO MISERABLE I HATE IT!! UGHHHH.)

Alas there was no drop, and we made it to the middle floor easily enough. The view was already stellar, and then we went on yet another elevator up to the top top floor, and agh the view!!

This would be unbelievable at night, I'm sure, so that's one of the Paris things I've yet to do and must do at some point in my lifetime. That and the Musee d'Orsay are on the list immediately coming to mind. At the top of the tower you can sort of walk around on the (incredibly windy) top deck and they also sell champagne! ...For 10 euros.

This brought on much much debate about if you proposed to someone if they'd give you free champagne. I think it must happen so often probably you'd just get a discount.

[*One thing I just want to do all the time is just get fake-proposed-to to cause a scene and get VIP treatment and free stuff and in general just be ridiculous, not just in France. Everywhere. I'm not kidding about this. PLEASE do this with me. Let's make it happen.]

The way down was much less eventful, and after taking staircase after staircase and two elevators, we made it back down to the earth, which was incredibly welcome.

Greetings from the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Next stop, Versailles! Now you get to hear about what was probably one of the most defining moments of my life in terms of "I Can Die Now" things. When I was younger, like probably from ages 7-10, I was OBSESSED with Marie Antoinette and the Baroque period in general. Almost to a ridiculous level, and here I am, finally going to Versailles. My child-self was just freaking out so much the entire time, but first...getting there.

To get from downtown Paris to Versailles you have to take a train. A few stops down the ticket guy came and checked us and said we had to buy an extension at the next stop. As we pulled up to the next stop, everyone was taking their sweet ass time to get to the door, and I was like, "Come on!! It's going to close!" And everyone was right behind me, so I jumped off the train onto the platform, turned around---and the doors shut behind me. We tried to get the doors open to no avail, and the train started to pull away...with me alone on the platform. If you can imagine this, these four horrified faces of my companions pressed against the door window staring at me as the train pulled away, and then me just laughing as I went to buy the fucking extension! I didn't get left alone at a random train station in the cold to not buy the ticket I leapt off the train to buy! I got the ticket with no trouble, got on the next train which left in 10 minutes, and met up with my very distraught friends at the station in Versailles. Adventurressss...

We had lunch at a restaurant (that featured decor that mainly consisted of state license plates from the US! how foreign!) and then embarked upon the massive expanse that is the Palace of Versailles.

Versailles is HUGE. And everything is covered in gold, and it's just about how you'd imagine it to be. I ended up walking most of the tour on my own at my own pace, because I just needed to take it in my own way and let myself just indulge in this bucket-list experience of the highest caliber. Versailles, like the Louvre, is something I have way way too many pictures of to post here, but you should definitely look at them all on Facebook, because it was extraordinary.

Oh hey.

Marie Antoinette's bed.

View out the window into the gardens.

Private Chapel in the palace.

The Hall of Mirrors.

It was pretty much a religious experience going to Versailles, and I hit up the gift shop hardcore afterwards. I have a beautiful little doll-ornament of Marie Antoinette that is now hanging above my desk, and I treasure it. Even after we left we just took a second to sit and look through all of the gorgeous pictures in a book someone bought and just sort of reveled in it. My child-self was extremely happy. It was of course necessary on the way back to indulge in expensive Paris-Starbucks, where the spelling was even worse, but the drinks even better. We managed to all get on and off the train together this time too. Great success!

That evening, Jenn and Karnig and I decided to embark what turned out to be a really long quest for, drumroll please...MEXICAN FOOD! There was a place not far from our hotel, so we walked all the way there only to find out it was full. Then we took the metro, called, made reservations, walked and walked and walked and took yet another metro, and it was quite the adventure. The night was beautiful though and the food was more than worth it.

The next morning we got all packed up and stored our luggage at the hotel (after much drama at the tiny breakfast buffet, get it together, Hotel Bastille!) and headed for the Arc de Triomphe!

We climbed up what seemed to be endless spiral staircases, and there's a museum and a gift shop inside! Quel surprise.. From the top there was a great view of Paris too, and we wandered and enjoyed it in the cold before heading back down to search for food. Had lunch, metro-ed it back in time, and bid farewell to the Bastille and headed back to Cannes.

It was a beautiful, glorious intense weekend, and we all had a blast, but we were practically kissing the ground when we got back to Nice. Back to the calm and beautiful and quiet. Back to the Riviera. And what a wonderful weekend it was to be back from.