A Giant in Europe: 4. Slept More, Mass, Top of the Tower and Some Random

Right, so I can't stop sleeping. It seems the time difference has made a much larger difference than last year. I went l sleep at 4am (couldn't sleeeeeep), and woke up pretty late today. It wasn't as bad as yesterday, but still and insane amount of sleep.

Anyhow, I got up, I got ready, and I was on my way! Today I took the Metro to Note Dame for Sunday Mass. I don't speak French and I don't speak any religion, so it may seem an odd choice, but I didn't think so.

Notre Dame is a huge part of Paris, so if I wanted to actually experience the culture, at least in a specific part, then it's something that I wanted to experience. I understood nothing. Not one thing. But the music, you guys, the organs.... wow. I'm going to try and upload a voice recording of the organs and some of the service, because it is in-tense! (just tried, won't work... booo.)

The line for Sunday evening mass.

Soooooo beautiful!

Before I got there I decided that 17 hours without food was pretty much too much, so I stopped at a place near Notre Dame and had Quiche Loraine. From what I can gather, it was quiche with ham and cheese. French folks, feel free to clarify!

After that and Notre Dame, I decided that I would go down the next Metro opening I found, and figure out where to go. I didn't know where I was all that well, but went and figured it out. Seems to be a hobby of mine lately.

I ended up taking the RER (train, it seems, as opposed to the "subway" as we would call it), and ended up at the Eiffel Tower, quite on purpose. I decided that if tomorrow through Wednesday are going to potentially be rainy, I should get my butt to the top of the Eiffel Tower tonight. I stood in line for about 35 minutes for tickets, and then ascended with the rest of humanity. It was busy, and boy was it chilly out tonight. The wind at the very top of the Eiffel Tower made it feel something like 5 degrees, and here I was in a dress with a bolero (luckily that covered my upper arms slightly).

The trains all have names, all of which seem to be people names. This one was Nora, and you have to catch the name on the front of the train as it comes screaming into the station to make sure it's going where you're going. You have to cross-reference the name with the screens at the station. I learned this the hard way last year, standing there for sooooome time before I had a damn clue, and then just saying, efffff it, and getting in one. The wrong one. I have since recovered, lol.

The next three are from the middle level.

The next two are from the very top.

I finally got down. Fought through the crowds, and bought some candied peanuts for a snack tonight. I'm going to warm those guys up in the microwave and watch a movie on my iPad, and reeeeelax!

First, dinner was needed. I ended up at a place up the street from where I'm staying, called Le Marceau. It's pretty nice, but more importantly, warm. I ordered a hot chocolate, which is rare for me, but I was super-cold. It was pretty good, though tasted suspiciously like a powder pack type of hot chocolate. Oh well. Then I ordered the chicken and mashed potatoes, which ended up coming as chicken and fries. Oh well again, when in France, eat like the French!

And now, as I watch smoke come out of the noses of men and women surrounding me, I think I may settle up the bill, and make my way back "home". I finally have wifi there (it got a little weird the first couple of days), so I can check the latest gossip and pollute my mind again. Hazzah!

A side note for your perusal. Last night I watched The Second Best Marigold Hotel. I'd seen it in the theatre, and I bought it as soon as I could from iTunes. The whole thing is just lovely, but there is one line, the very last line of the movie, that I remember made me cry when I saw it in the theatre.

It sums up how I feel right now, and how I've felt for the last little while. I think that some people perceive me to be a little nuts for travelling across the world on my own, for spending the money I have on these trips, and for making travelling such a large part of my life of late (it's actually been quite a while now, wow!). Perhaps this will help to make my current mindset somewhat more... understandable:

"You have no idea now what you will become. Don't try and control it. Let go. That's when the fun starts. Because as I once heard someone say, there's no present like the time."

- Maggie Smith, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Still just a billion percent how I feel! Looove it!

As I head back to the AirBNB place, I'm trying to figure out what to do tomorrow. I'm certainly going to force myself awake at a reasonable hour somehow, and if it rains, it's Louvre, Musée National De L'Orangerie and the Pompidou Centre. I'll be sure to wear my runners if that all ends up coming true (though the rain may make my rain shoes a better choice... hmmmm, we shall see!)

Thanks for reading, and I'll do my best to have some more adventures tomorrow!

PS. I just ordered the Créme Caramel, and while I have an immediate stomach ache from the sugar input, maaaaaaaaaaaaaan this is good!

PPS. Here are a bunch of beautiful shots that I didn't show last night for some reason, but then saw them again today, and feel like I just have to share them!