Le France is Le Fancy

We woke up decently early to soak in as much of Paris as we could and we headed down to the complimentary breakfast that the hotel provides. It was a feast. They had all sorts of perfect foods to eat and the first thing my eyes saw was my beloved croissants that I so dearly missed already from Nice. There was also hard boiled eggs and little packaged jams to spread. We piled a large array of food on our plates because today was going to be a long day, and for long day a belly with food that provides energy is necessary. After goofing around for breakfast, we headed to a big red, double decker bus that was going to be our means of transportation for two days around the city.

One stop conveniently stopped right in front of our destination we were headed to; Musee du Louvre. That’s right, we were heading to an art history lovers dream place… a place that held them majesties that formed what is now known as art. It held some of the world’s most famous and well-known pieces that almost any eye could recognize, including the infamous Mona Lisa. When we stepped off the bus, Luey and I were seriously baffled by how large this was. It took up a good half a mile of the street and we could only see one side of it… meaning that there was two sides. Who knows how many floors it had filled with paintings and other mediums… So, we step inside the premises of the palace and walk and find the entrance which happened to be the large glass shaped triangle that it in itself is a prominent sculpture. After taking in every angle, we make our way down through the triangle to stand in line to what was about to become an art history overload.

After grabbing several maps of the vicinity, we headed to the 2^nd floor which contained the most exciting parts for both of us… Italian Renaissance. Holla. Going up the stairs and finding our way into the entrance, we may have gotten side tracked by large marble statues along the way, but we made it finally to where we had so badly wanted to go. Freaking out whenever we both saw a piece that we had once known every little detail for, for our class exams, we both became even more giddy. There were so many pieces that we made up our own little scenarios for each of them and we ended up being that couple that many older people scoffed at. We then realized that both of us were hungry so we (after getting lost an uncountless amount of times) headed to the Louvres’ own little café built in the museum to eat lunch. It happened to be a perfect lunch again with pita bread sandwiches filled with tuna and vegetables, and chips and a salad. This prepared us for the rest of the day, since it was only mid-afternoon by now… and when leaving, our visit to one of the most famous museums summed up to be 4.5 hours.

We headed straight towards the carrousel that was insight, which meant (of course) that there happened to be a small carnival strip that was always set up in that area! We quickly bought tickets to take a right on the carrousel that would give us a great top side view of all of Paris. It was really neat to see how crammed and packed the whole city was built, but knowing that there was a lot more space when you were on ground.. and it was funny to also see Luey have sporadic freak outs when he would realize the height that we were at. After having our feet back on the ground, we walked down the long row that was set up with fun houses, slides, and any and every both that contained carnival food. One of these we stopped at and purchased a Nutella crepe so I could experience all of the goodness that it withheld. After watching a kid try to win a prize from kicking a soccer ball against a fake “world-cup” wooden goalie and laughing at the kids getting splashed from the water ride, we walked back through the gardens where our red colored bus would arrive to take us to our next location.

With it being only one stop away, we hopped off in front of the Notre Dame cathedral. Holy smokes. This thing wasn’t like any other worship place back in the states. It had two of the countries largest rosaries and I deep down know that Quasimoto was still hiding up there with his gargoyle friends. We waited in line just so we could go into the historical monument and goggle at all of its’ pieces. The lights were set low, but the sunlight peering through made it look even more majestic. A man came over the intercom and stated that “we need to be silent because we were in a place of worship.”   So true. What a great reminder that these places aren’t just places to come due to their popularity level, but they were once (and some still are) used to serve a high and mighty God. So we did just that, we found a pew and we prayed.

After being freaked out by the gargoyles, we walked merely down the street to find another Paris treat. There were little vendors set up alongside the riverbank that held all sorts of hold books, posters, magnets, and many other old assortments. We quickly glanced through many of the sections and we loaded ourselves back onto the bus, because we had somewhere to be for the evening. That’s right… plans in Paris.

These plans were happening due to the fact that it just so happened to be Luiz and I’s 6^th month anniversary. Paris for our half a year anniversary… try and one up that one. So, we changed quickly into our finest outfit and we walked back down the Seine river where our dinner cruise that was going to explore the city with a perfect view of the most famous monuments was awaiting our arrival. We stood in line to check in our name and the woman smiled at us and said, “you two look happy.” She is right. So, we are seated underneath our glass covered ceiling and walls and we are greeted with a smile from our waitress. She hands us our menus (which we got to keep as souvenirs!) and we picked out our three-course meal items. There happened to be a live performance that set that mood due to the classic French tunes being sung... the night was only beginning.

There was a red-berry champagne served to us to toast off the evening, and from them on it was all such a beautiful rêve. As the meal was served to us, Luey and I were remembering all the past moments we had, and were forming all the future hopes and desires that also had for our relationship. It was such a blessing just to see how the Lord remained at the center of all this and is what holds us together. With spicy avocado salmon as my entrée, fresh gilthead fish for my main course (including fresh vegetables and taters), and my raspberry dessert being served, we once again were well fed. With our whimsical feeling, we walked on over to the dance floor where the live artists were performing something extremely suitable to truly dance to. The night was filled with a feeling that is rare, and we left never wanting the evening to end. Only in Paris, I assume…

Walking back to our hotel, we were conveniently placed in front of Mr. Eiffel once again and it brought so much joy that happened to combine with the already wonderful night. We kept peering back at the perfectly light piece, and as we were walking my flip flop broke… but, no worries… ole’ Prince Charming had the perfect solution to hold it up until we made it back to our hotel.

La nuit semblait un conte de fées ...