Yesterday, Versailles--Today, the World!

Yesterday
Vendy and I slept in and took the train to Versailles. It was crowded. We went inside and checked out the garden and then we left and went to Champs Elysees, where we ate tandoori chicken sandwiches at "Quick", which is like the French version of McDonalds, and they were really good... then we bought tickets to see "The Bucket List" for 3,50 ($5) which, if you're not familiar with the cinema in Europe, is DIRT CHEAP. There are no $1 theaters :-( At least that I've seen. The movie was definitely a tear-jerker...

Afterward we headed to the Eiffel Tower to check it out in the dark. It was beautiful--I filmed the twinkling lights come on :-) We headed homeward toward the hotel and stopped at a hole- in-the-wall Turkish place where I had some bad food and an expired soda. I went home happy.

Today
This morning I had a sluggish start, and it occurred to me that I had not done the one thing that everyone needs to do before they leave Paris--go up the Eiffel Tower. So, I got headed out. I went to the Picasso Museum, first, since I hadn't been yet. He's a cool guy--I appreciate modern art more than the Louvre-ish stuff, because this guy and many others-- Dali, as another example--broke the mold. They realized that art can be anything that comes out of their brains, not just what everyone else told them "art" was supposed to be.

I made it to the Eiffel Tower. I met some really nice people from the States in the snake, which went a lot faster because we talked the whole time. We really had a great chat. I paid 12 Euros to wait in a Disney-style snake and talk to Americans, and it was worth it. I gave them my museum pass, which expires after today, but they're going to Barcelona tomorrow and they never check ID on the passes or anything. It'll save 'em a least a little money.

We parted ways and I went to the movies, again, this time alone--on the way I stopped and got a Nutella crepes with fake Nutella... I couldn't even eat the whole thing, hardly half of it, the guy did such a crappy job. Tasted fine, it just fell apart and all the chocolate came out. The only word I could think of to describe it was "garbage"... on the Champs Elysees I bought another crepes and actually got to eat it, ha ha...

I bought a ticket to see "Taken", starring Liam Neeson (was surprised to find that this film won't be released back home until September!!) and it was GREAT... it was about Albanians who had started to kidnap and traffic young female travellers, even selling them to some sick rich folks. Liam Neeson was awesome in this film--really blew Jack Bauer out of the water. I wonder if that sort of thing really happens... the whole film took place in Paris, it was scary!!

Went to see the movie "10,000 B.C." which was definitely different than "Taken"...also a good film. Interesting how they spoke English that long ago ;-) And, if you're not already laughing at me for going to see two films by myself in Paris, it would have been three films if the third wasn't already sold out :-(.

I liked going to see the movies today. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. The cinemas on the Champs Elysees are really nice.

Tomorrow we're headed home... our train doesn't leave til 4pm which really bites, because a certain roomie of mine wanted to spend as much time as possible in Paris, and didn't consider we'd have to have all our stuff with us. Ugh. Such is life, though, and we're stuck here until then, and I might have to wait an hour for the bus in Koblenz. But at least I'll be in my nice, clean, quaint little apartment again tomorrow night, that is, at least til Saturday... I'm going to see the relatives in Ingolstadt for Easter. I'm actually really excited to shave my legs, which I haven't done in over a week, since I didn't want to spend any more time in that shower than I had to... no air!!


Signing off,
Caitlin