Tracy, Patrick and I decided to walk from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower. I didn’t realize how long of a walk it would be. It had to have been at least ten miles to get there or it felt that way. We had figured out a route we would take and then we headed in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. Happens to be the world’s largest traffic circle (roundabout). Under the arch, an unknown soldier from WWI is buried and a memorial flame is lit for him each evening. The only way to reach the Arc is through an underground passageway since no one would dare try crossing through the roundabout. We arrived at the Arc within a couple of hours after we left the hotel. Patrick decided to climb the stairs to the top and we told him we would meet him in an area where there were many pigeons. While we were waiting, Tracy and I decided to find a cafe and get something to drink. I ordered a banana coloda. Then we headed back to the Arc to see if Patrick had made it back yet. He wasn’t back so Tracy headed to the supermarket and I decided to sit on one of the benches and wait for Patrick. While I was waiting for him, some guy came and sat down next to me. We started talking and I found out he was from Paris. It’s a good thing he spoke some english since I don’t speak any other language. He wanted me to walk with him to see one of the sights, I am guessing. I have noticed Europeans are a lot more forward than Americans. I told him I couldn’t go anywhere since I was waiting for my friends. He ended up giving me his phone # and said I should give him a call tomorrow and we could meet for coffee. His name was Mansour. I probably won’t call because I just met him. After he left, Tracy showed up and we waited around for a little longer for Patrick. We ended up waiting for a couple of hours before we decided to head onto the Eiffel Tower.
We ended up going around in circles at the Arc de Triomphe before we finally got off that track and made our way to the Eiffel Tower. I couldn’t believe I was this close to the Eiffel Tower. After seeing the Eiffel Tower or the outside of it, (didn’t go inside this trip but I did finally see the Eiffel Tower from the top on another trip) we walked around some more and stopped at a cafe before we ended up taking the metro back to Anvers which is near our hotel. As I am walking from out of one metro to catch the next train, a frenchman grabbed my arm and started speaking french to me. I told him I didn’t speak french and managed to get away from him. I was shook up for a bit because I have never had someone be so aggressive and grab my arm before like he did. We finally made it back to the room and was in the room for a bit before Patrick showed up. Turns out we were all in the wrong spot at the Arc when we were trying to find Patrick. After catching up with Patrick on what he did after we left him earlier that day, Tracy and I decided to head back out and stop at some more cafe’s.
The first cafe we stopped at is where we met a couple of guys from London. We talked to them for awhile before we headed to another cafe. That is where I met Macco (another frenchman) and we talked for awhile. You should have seen us trying to communicate. He spoke very little english and I didn’t understand much french but we managed. Then, Tracy and I stopped at one more cafe for the night. Then we headed back to the room.
I am having a great time in Paris. I am glad I am not using the metro that much and using my feet to get me around the city. This way, I can see more of Paris then I could if I were taking the metro to wherever I needed to go.
