An American (and British-Canadian) in Paris

Well how was that for a hiatus? Did you even notice I was gone? I must say, it feels good to have all of my belongings and my little family in the same state after a busy summer of traveling! Look forward to reports on my Cananigans (that's shenanigans in Canada), our fun in Kentucky, and my beautiful baby shower (thanks again, Amy, Anna & Hilary!) but for now (believe it or not) I still have three cities we visited in Europe to tell you about. Today, I give you PARIS!
Heaven bless the Charles de Gaulle Airport - they saw me comin'! (Looking back, it's hard to believe that I felt big at this point. Hindsight is indeed 20/20!)
What would a trip anywhere be without at least one jumping picture? Especially since it's The Louvre.
This is as close as I got to the Mona Lisa, after risking bodily harm to myself and my unborn child due to all the outstretched elbows and cameras held aloft rather precariously. I didn't dare go any further. But I got the idea.
If Buddy had to pick a favourite painting at The Louvre...
Here's Magellan himself mapping out the rest of our day in Paris. He was in charge of navigating, and I had the task of communicating with the locals. Amazing how elementary and high school French came rushing back to me, especially "Pardonnez-moi, mais parlez-vous anglais?" ("Excuse me, but do you speak English?") Why struggle if I didn't have to?
Taking it all in...and briefly resting my severely swollen legs!
Once again risking life & limb (but just one life this time) Buddy managed to get a picture with one of the most famous statues at The Louvre: Aphrodite...I think.
Sacré bleu! We're at Sacré Coeur! So were a lot of other people - drunkards, partiers and incredibly pushy (and rather well-dressed) people begging us for money.
At L'Arc du Triomphe. What's this? An oddity indeed: a picture featuring BOTH Buddy & I! The trick: offer a couple who look like they're in the same situation we are and offer to take their picture. Then they feel obligated to take yours. Shameless, but hey, it works!
Dreaming of Paris. Hold the phone...I'm there!
They had a creepily large monitor where you could watch people walking underneath the arch. Buddy was a good sport and agreed to stand down there and wave at the camera so I could snap this picture. I'm sure people wondered what the poor sap was doing, standing there and waving for an uncomfortably long amount of time, since I had no way of telling him that I got the picture. Can you spot him?
My "condition" won us a trip up the monument in the elevator - word of advice, if you're visiting Paris, take a pillow or a watermelon to wear around :) I opted to take the stairs down, since they looked pretty cool. I fancied myself a photographer at this moment. Brit? Brittney? Caroline? I know you could have done much better, but I thought of you three at this moment and hoped you'd be just a little bit proud.
Apparently there are more Portugal fans in Paris than I thought. These guys were called in to quell the excessive celebration after Portugal's 7-0 victory over North Korea that involved hundreds of people hanging out of cars blowing vuvuzelas and screaming. Intense!
What's that on my head, you ask? Why, it's the Eiffel Tower! I think we were both in denial that we'd actually made it to such a famous landmark. We went further into shock when a dude who looked rather familiar to Buddy walked by us in an Idaho Vandals sweatshirt. Of all the places to run into someone else from Moscow, Idaho (a town of 21,291) the Eiffel Tower is not one I would have predicted.
We wanted to take pictures of the Tower at night, but at 10:30 when it still wasn't all that dark, we called it a night.
We planned to stay later the next night. I like to think it was worth it.
So at Sacré Coeur, we got suckered into (and by "suckered into" I mean our wrists were grabbed with overwhelming force and we couldn't shake our assailants) purchasing handmade bracelets. I insisted multiple times that I didn't have any money, and they insisted harder that it was a "gift for the baby", but asked for money when all was said and done. So, I pulled out 40¢ for both of us (please don't judge me - I told them in the beginning I wouldn't pay) and went on our merry way. As disgruntled as I was about the bracelet, it became an amulet of power/defense mechanism on the trip, warding off others that were attempting to sell me the same thing - in Paris and later in Rome. Without a word, I would raise my braceleted arm - reminiscent of He-Man holding aloft his magical sword and calling upon the power of Grayskull - and keep on walkin'. Best 40¢ we ever spent.
Three words: Best Crepe Ever. And the fact that it was consumed in front of Notre Dame certainly didn't hurt its coconutty, Nutella-filled, bananaish campaign for deliciousness. If you'll note that I'm double fisting crepes, let the record show that Buddy trusted me enough to hold his while he took the picture. Looking back, he may have regretted his decision to entrust such a delectable treat with his increasingly hungry & hormonal wife who may or may not have snuck a few bites in the spirit of "eating for two". Live & learn, Buddy. Live & learn.
If you've ever heard the word "pannus" in terms of it being the large flap of skin that hangs over one's waist as a result of obesity, you may find this picture as funny as we thought it was. Just thought it was the French way of spelling it. Ah, the irony.
We were able to go inside Notre Dame and even take pictures, which we didn't expect. I can't imagine trying to worship in a place that attracts so many tourists, but was impressed with the number of people who seemed to be there to practice their religion. I'm not sure what to say about some of the following pictures, witty remarks aren't coming to me at the moment. It was just a really neat experience.
One highlight of our trip: a Hunchback sighting! I posed like this first (believe it or not, I take fun pictures too) but I resembled Quasimodo a little too closely to be comfortable posting that one. Not my finest hour.
I can't tell whether or not Buddy's excited to ascend the Eiffel Tower. Can you help me interpret his expression?
"Avast, me hearties! Land ho!"
On top of the world, lookin' down on creation. I think we were in the middle at this point. It was pretty high, at any rate.
I had another artistic moment, however brief.
The fence obscured my view of The City of Light, so I opted for a better view.
It doesn't work for everyone. Let's just hope The Wee One doesn't take after her father in this respect. (shudder)
More World Cup madness below. France vs. South Africa. I was glad to be a thousand feet above from the pandemonium when France got knocked out!Descending the steps of the Eiffel Tower whilst 5 months pregnant? Not as easy as it looks...although I don't suppose I made much of an effort to make it look easy, huh?
C'est l'amor!
Several people recommended a cruise on the Seine. Glad we took their advice - it was beautiful!
Paris' Statue of Liberty. Not all it's cracked up to be (see National Treasure 2). We were excited to see it, but after a 1/2 hour walk, we discovered that it's more a hangout for scary juvenile delinquents in wifebeaters than a tourist attraction. Not to mention the colony of homeless people that literally set up camp (meaning dozens of tents) under the bridge and made it their home. I guess I shouldn't believe everything I see in the movies.
I'd hate to end on a downer, so I'll end the Paris Post with one of my favourite pictures of the holiday. We employed the "Would you like us to take your photo" trick again, and funnily enough, the couple wanted a jumping picture. Unfortunately, they were amateurs and I don't think they'd ever tried one before. Did not go well. Not to toot our own horns, but this was our first attempt (I think we made them feel bad). We got some height for a big man and a lady great with child. Ooh la la!