Bastille Day

Thursday, July 14, 2005:

We took an early train ride to Paris via the EuroStar. We arrived in Paris around 1:00 p.m. We checked into the Holiday Inn next to a sex shop. Interesting........Our room was very cool. It had a blue theme to it and we had a balcony, just like in London. We started our day in Paris by trying to get a calling card so I could call my friend, Malika, and my family. We went into this store and thought we bought a calling card but it turned out that we bought minutes for a cell phone! Word to the wise: Don't just blindly point at a sign that looks like it's selling calling cards if you can't understand the language too well. Just ask for a calling card! We had to have this guy at the drug store nearby write us a note explaining we wanted a calling card. We ended up wasting like 7 euros since it was non-refundable.

Our dinner with the GoAhead group was at Chez Clement. It was sooooo hot! We purposely sat next to a window (I was actually sitting in front of the window) and we were still sweatin' like pigs! Dinner was really great, especially the ice cream!! (am I already sounding obsessed with ice cream??? hehhehehe....) We had chicken (very juicy) and mashed potatoes (yum!)

After dinner most of the group went with Rob to the Eiffel Tower. Today was Bastille Day so there were going to be fireworks over by the Tower. We were hoping to go up to the top of the Tower but it turned out that they had that area closed off so we went to the park right next to it. A lot of the people in the group were a little apprehensive about staying for the fireworks and then trying to get back to the hotel along with the thousands that were there. So a majority of us decided to head back before the fireworks began. It would've been nice to have watched the fireworks but having experienced large mobs on the metro before I know how stressful and scary it can get. Even with Ray there I would've felt uneasy. When we arrived back at the hotel I got ahold of Malika and we made plans for the next day, then we joined Rob, Laura, tour director Rob, and another guy for a nightcap.