Day 2: Together Once Again

Posted on July 3, 2011 by mreece85

I woke up this morning before 6.  The sound of hacking garbage men woke me up.  We were waiting for Linda to arrive that day.  I hoped she would be feeling well when she came in.  I know how I feel after a normal flight, but I can’t imagine how strenuous it would be to stay in the airport overnight.
Carolyn and I got a pretty early start while Lori waited for Linda.  We decided to go to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.  The Arc was pretty bare, so it was nice to actually be able to see it.  The last time I was there it was so crowded with people.  The only problem with the scarcity is that many stores were not open on the Champs Elysees, not that I was planning to purchase anything.  We did not spend too much time at these places.  There are some sights that once they have been seen, that is enough.
When I came back, Linda still had not arrived.  I decided to go try to find her.  I did not have any luck.  It was a great opportunity to watch the bustle of the city.  On my way back I walked through Notre Dame and I heard a familiar voice.  I looked over and saw a camera crew.  At first I thought it was Craig Ferguson, and after looking up more online later, it turned out to be him.  He was talking about the bells, the bells, the bells, the damn bells of Notre Dame.

Once I got back to the apartment, I found that everyone had been waiting for me (oops).  We went to the Louvre for lunch.  It was okay, but I prefer to eat more authentically while here.  Carolyn and I decided to stay at the Louvre and tour through.  The Louvre was fine.  Since I had already seen it, it wasn’t as special.  It just feels so exhausting.  I was really excited to see all of the Da Vinci’s and Botticelli and the many other masterpieces my first time.  I was excited to see the Vermeer’s this time, but they were so tiny.
Later that night we went up to Montmartre to go to Au Lapin Agile.  This place is full of history when it comes to its previous customers.  Artists such as Renoir and Lautrec used to frequent this location.

I truly enjoyed the cabaret.  There were several performances.  Sometimes they would sing together and sometimes separately.  Everyone sang along and clapped.  The room had a red glow, it definitely added to the ambiance of the place.  The older piano guy kept making eyes at the Asian ladies sitting next to me.  The drink we received with the price was brandy with cherries.  It only added to the atmosphere of the place.  I was able to record the whole event which was pretty cool.
At this point in the trip, I couldn’t help but think that I was seeing so many things that I knew were famous, but I didn’t know much about it or why it was famous.  Fortunately, I can always go back and read more later on.  Sometimes travel can be that spark that creates future interest.