Day 30, Amsterdam, Netherlands to Paris, France (deja vu)

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Day 30: Saturday, December 26th, 2009
Amsterdam, Netherlands to Paris, France (deja vu).

I check out of the hotel in the morning and take the shuttle to airport where I get on the train (the right train, and with a ticket!) to Paris. As irony has it, no one ever asked to see my ticket. The ride is uneventful and the train is packed, but the chairs are comfy and I have books and my iPhone to amuse me. I get to Paris and hop on the metro that takes me to the Arc de Triomphe which is around the corner from the hotel Susan booked, the Hotel Cecilia (and for the next four days I sing the song "Cecilia" whenever I see the sign- gets kinda old).

I get to the hotel around 4pm and get the room number from the desk clerk who was expecting me. Susan is there and is thrilled to have a travel buddy. I set my backpack down and we decide that dinner and a movie sounds perfect. We step outside and it is amazing to see the Arc de Triomphe just one block away. We walk down the Champs Elysees and buy tickets to "Avatar" for the 7pm showing. We eat at some restaurant that has a Hippo motif and so-so food, and luckily we get back to the theater about 45 minutes early because there is a loooong line waiting to get in to see "Avatar". I've become accustomed to lines, so I zone out and it seems like we're inside before I know it. Double the luck, it seems this is the 3-D version of "Avatar" so we're handed 3D glasses as we get in. We find some seats and, after some French dude snarls at us that we are preventing his family from sitting together, we move to the empty row behind us. "Douche" is a french word, so it's very fitting that I now call that guy a douche. I hop up and grab us some Maltballs and drinks, and come back in time to catch the previews. As for the movie, it's great! I was expecting to be amused, but I was thoroughly entertained- go catch it sometime, especially in 3D.

We head back to the hotel and watch some CNN (we understand what they're saying!!) before going to bed.

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Comments

[Barbara]

Paris
Amanda, Now THAT's a nice hotel room in Paris - towel warmer on the wall, room for a desk, vanity counter with the sink! LOL Have you figured out that you do NOT tip the waiters at French restaurants, unless you want to just give them the change? They include the tip in your menu item. :) Hope your stomach did okay this trip. :)

[Chris]

You started a meatball fight with a douche?
Keep wearing the 3D glasses for the rest of you world tour. The rest of the sights should look that much better!