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Divan du Monde
Picture of the crazy scene in the dance floor. yes I'm lost yet again, but this time its not my fault, well okay maybe just a tad bit. Let me rewind a bit to explain how I got there. It's Friday night in Paris and I'm finally ready to see what the night life is all about. The couchsurfers Paris community was having a little get together at Divan du Monde, a club that plays live music in the Montemarte district. The place was nice and the live band was great, playing funk music until about 10 with a dj taking over right after. About fifteen people showed up, 10 hosts and 5 of their guests (of which I was a part of). There were people from as far as Madagascar and New Zealand to all over Europe. The drinks were expensive but that was to be expected, after a few pints one of the girls wanted me to dance salsa with her. Only problem was they were playing a very ecclectic mix of Michael Jackson and 70's era soul music. This did not deter her however and we ended up being the center of attention on the dance floor as I was spinning her all around. Eventually the
View of the Arc at Night
I did at least manage to snap this picture while I was trying to figure out how to get home. rest of the group came down with us and we all did our best disco impressions and had a grand old time. As the night wore on I found myself enraptured by a conversation with Dan, the Irish Judo Master.
Now this guy could tell a story, I dunno if it was his Irish accent or the effect of the many pints but I couldnt tear myself away from the conversation. He was telling a story about how he almost broke his hand trying to break some wood and how a 6 foot tall girl kicked his arse when they were sparring. Doesnt sound as interesting now but it was the most interesting thing I had ever heard at the time. Before I knew it I noticed it was 12:45am and my new Irish friend reminded me the metro stops running around 1am. I hauled ass out of the bar and barely made the last train. Everything was going great until I made it to the connecting line, which I was hastily told by a rail attendant that the last train had just left a few minutes ago. I go outside and find the Arc de Triumph staring at
Picnic in the Gardens
This was taken at the garden right in front of the Louvre. I love it how people manage to find a secluded spot in the middle of a garden maze to have a picnic. me almost in a mocking fashion as I tried to figure out how I was going to get home from here. You see, I knew how to get home just fine using the metro but had no idea what the street name was where I was staying. I also knew the general direction I should be heading but it was dark and there are about 34 avenues that connect to the round-about surrounding the Arc. Reaching down into my pockets I come to find out I only have about 4 euros left. So here I am, about 4000 miles away from home, no cash and I have absolutely no idea how to get home, I only know the name of the metro stop which has conveniently just stopped running. Keeping my cool, I sit down at the nearest bench and watch 4 arab guys argue with a french taxi driver about a supposed bump on their new mercedes. Since I had no cash on me I started to walk around to see if I could find an ATM, after about 2 blocks of what I thought was in the direction I should be heading I find a machine and take
Poker Night
Here are a few of us after the poker game Saturday night. I didnt win that night but I won 30 euro the next day. out a few euro's. After flagging down a few taxis and unsuccessfully trying to explain where I needed to be in french I finally find a taxi driver who speaks English. I explain my situation and the guy knows where I need to be. Words cannot describe just how relieved I was, the taxi driver was going off about how evil Bush is and other anti-american sentiments but it didnt bother me one bit, I was just glad to finally be home. What a ride.
Saturday was much less eventful. I decided to walk my way down to the Arc, eventually making it all the way to the Musee de Louvre by foot. It was a nice 4 or 5 kilometer walk from the apartment I was staying in but I got to walk all the way down the Champ de Elysees which was really nice. I also wanted to memorize the route so I didnt get lost again. When I got back people had already started arriving for the Poker game that was scheduled. About 12 people showed up in total and we setup 2 separate tables. I didnt win that night but quickly learned that French guys
Mona Lisa's Smile
I swear her eyes followed me around the room. I took this just to show the huge crowd around this one painting that took up the entire wall. like to bluff.
Sunday I took it kind of easy and decided to make the Louvre my only touristy thing to do for the day. It was a good day for it too since it was cold and rainy. My only regret so far this trip came when I visited the museum. The place is absolutely enormous and I really wish I had done a bit more research to see what would be worth visiting. I only stayed about 3 hours and the majority of my visit consisted of the Italian and Spanish masterpieces along with the Egyptian wing. The place was packed with tourists from all over, babies were crying and kids were running around so I decided to put on my ipod and put on some classical music which really added to the effect as I strolled through renaissance masterpieces. I finally made my way to the painting, yes
that painting. Many people have come away dissapointed by the experience but I felt it lived up to the hype and then some. The painting was bigger than I thought it would be and it was completely surrounded by dozens of people and there were 2 museum curators
Shot in the Dark
Here is the gang again at Quiz night. Second place! dedicated to watching over the Mona Lisa. You werent supposed to take pictures but I managed to sneak in a pic. It's amazing how it seems that her eyes watch you as you walk around the large room, she was not a dissapointment to me in the least.
I didnt get too much done Monday afternoon, just ran a few errands with one of my hosts. Monday night the group met up again at an Irish pub for quiz night! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a good bit of trivia and I was excited at the proposition of showing everyone my vast knowledge of useless information. I got a bunch of 80's songs that no one else knew and a few of the history questions, but all in all we had a great time. We ended up in 2nd place and won ourselves a few small door prizes and a round of shots.
Tuesday was much more memorable. I made a daytrip to Versailles and spent about 5 hours at the Palace de Versaille. This was by far my favorite site visited so far on this trip. The estate was absolutely
massive, showcasing the
Secluded spot at Versailles
This was one of the many secluded areas I found around the estate. best of French architecture and design from the 17th and 18th centuries. The gardens were especially nice and I managed to find a few hidden gardens that had absolutely no tourists in them. What made these small hidden gardens stand out were that they seemed to be untouched by the tens of thousands of tourists that packed the palace on such a beautiful day.
Tomorrow I finally leave Paris, didnt think I was going to stay in this amazing city for a whole week but it has flown by so far. My hosts have really made this a memorable experience as I got to see what the day-to-day life for parisians is really like and they have treated me with such kindness and generosity. I really am forever indebted to them and hope I can repay the favor one day. They already want me to come back and visit on my way back to London during the last leg of my trip but we'll see if I have the funds or time. I leave for Strasbourg tomorrow morning which is in the eastern part of France bordering Germany. I'll be there for a few days then make my way
View atop the Eiffel Tower
Breathtaking view, and this was only from the 2nd floor overlooking the Champs de Mars. down south to the French Riveira, hopefully making a quick stop at Monaco and the Monte Carlo casino. Till next time!
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JG
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Told Ya! :)
Told ya the Louvre took more than a day! ;) Get used to getting lost dude, it's the best part. Play a hand of Baccarat for me.