Best Week(End) Ever, Paris Edition

As I told some people this weekend, I was traumatized after my first weekend in Paris. And I'm not just a sissy because my arms hurt from toting the luggage. Other things happen to young woman travelers who look lost and un-French. No one hurt me, but I was scared to go back underground alone. Instead, I waited for someone to invite me. Finally, Nathalie did and we had an awesome time!

Here's your video tour, as I'm feeling too lazy to write, too tired to post all the pics, and a little self-conscious of how long-winded I can get. Indulge in the highlights. Also, I'm really nul at history, and I won't be able to do these places justice with my meager knowledge. So if you're curious, follow the links to the Wiki entries, which have a lot more to say than I do.

First stop, of course, the Eiffel Tower:


Here we are at the second landing, after climbing 677 steps. It's as far as you can go without taking an elevator and paying some more money, which we all agreed wasn't worth it.


Here's a view of the Eiffel Tower from a little further away.


Here's a little diddy I like to call walking on the Champs-Élysées, or rather, a stop at a crosswalk on the Champs-Élysées. Toward the end I turn the camera and you can see L'arc de triomphe:


Listen closely to this one, Karen. Saturday night, we celebrated the Chandeleur, a French holiday of crepes. Did I mention how I love the holidays in this country? Here's me making a galette:


Sunday, on Rach's advice, we went to the Sacre-Coeur, which is absolutely magnificent. By the way, it's the highest point in the city. We climbed a huge hill and then another 235 steps to get to the top.


After seeing what we needed to see, we took a walk around Montmartre, stopping for a bite to eat and searching for the cafe in which Amelie was filmed. Sadly, we didn't find it. But here's what the area of Montmartre around the Sacre Coeur looks like:


Here's the obligatory nutella shot, from a creperie on the hill:


And because I'm too much of a ham not to post it:


Let me conclude this blog by telling you my calves have just recently started to heal. If you add the steps of the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur, they make 912. I'm pretty sure the metro and other random steps throughout the day put me over 1,000. Add to that the steep uphill huff to Montmartre, and the general walking for much of two days, and I'm pretty damn impressed with myself. I've also officially stopped eating meat and seriously increased my fruit and veggie intake. I think my health has never been better, mental and physical. :)