C'ést trés bon!

Bonjour mes amis!  ça va?  I am currently in Paris and absolutely loving every minute of it. The Parisian air has stimulated the section of my brain that was holding all of my French language skills and I am doing a fairly good job at conversing with the locals. My Aussie girfriends keep getting me to ask for things or translate what people are saying.

Yesterday I traveled from London to Paris and passed by Vimy Ridge and Flanders Fields. Once I arrived in Paris, I went up the Eiffel Tower and visited the Arc de Triomphe. There was a special ceremony as it was D-day minus 1.

Today I went to the Notre Dame cathedral and then walked over to La Louvre. I can't get over how stunning everything is. At La Louvre, I saw amazing, historical pieces including La Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. I got a guy kicked out for taking a picture of the Mona Lisa!  I warned him that he wasn't allowed to take pictures of the art because it degrades the piece and he obviously didn't care as he snapped away. I wonder if he saw the smile on my face as the security guards were dragging him outta there.

After La Louvre, my Aussie girls and Jorge (another Oz) went for lunch. We walked over to the Ritz and saw where Di and Dodi had their last beverage before their fatal ending.

(And now I have a better appreciation for why the French are so grumpy...if you've ever had to drive in Paris, you'd be pretty miserable too. Each road has 4 or more lanes with no lines painted on the road plus tons of traffic circles. People are all over the place and then pepper all of that with scooters and motorbikes weaving in and out, it is pure mayhem.)
 
We walked around Paris just long enough to get back to the hotel, shower, and get dolled up for this evenings adventure. A few of us are going to the cabaret Moulin Rouge. The boys are excited as the women performers get right topless. I'm excited as there are unlimited drinks and they even provide champagne.  I wasn't so excited when I was one of two girls (in a crowd of 850) that was picked out to join the show. Whether I got dressed in the same costumes as the performers will remain a mystery.  What happens in Paris, stays in Paris.

Salut,
Giff