"I don't know. The sun is out and that guy that was singing last night is at it again."
"It's 9:00am. That's weird. It's 3:00am back home. Feels like we're getting used to the time change?"
"Yeah, I slept really well."
"Dinner was great last night! The waiter wasn't that great, but he was serving the entire restaurant."
"Yeah, they do things different here."
I'm still adjusting. It was a major mistake to think we could hold off breakfast until we made it to the Charles de Gaule metro station on Ave des Champs Élysées. I was a grouchy mess by then and my true love was putting up with me really well. I was practicing my nose breathing and everything. Breathe in happy, exhale frustration... We saw the Arc de Triomph and I didn't really get it, so I called it a giant concrete gate in the middle of a traffic circle and that was when my true love made us get some food in our bellies. It was 11:00am by this time, so breakfast was over. We stopped at a little joint called Olives & Balsamic for a couple slices of pizza. Now fed, the Arc de Triomph seemed more than a giant concrete gate, so we returned.
As impressive as it was, down the avenue was an equally impressive (if not more in my eyes) marvel designed by Bang & Olufsen. The BeoSound 8 (a modern sound system) is not only incredibly visually stimulating for any modern decor, the sound quality will please the most discerning audience. If you don't own an iPod, iPhone or iPad, the BeoSound 8 connects to any Bluetooth enabled device as well. Ok, I am getting off topic.
We saw famous brands like Cartier and Louise Vuitton and imagined what it would be like to be able to shop there. We ended up in an H&M of all places and my true love got some nice shoes that are very popular here. I saw a girl with a Starbucks coffee and decided that was next on the list. It's funny, but I am so thankful that Starbucks is popular here. It seems everyone drinks espresso and I just want a Grande Bold.
The Virgin megastore was awesome (to me cause flashing lights and shiny buttons are my thing), but it seemed a little out of place with the fashion.
After taking in the luxury of Ave des Champs Élysées, we made our way to Jardin des Tuileries. Along the way we drifted towards gold shiny statues that led us to the Petit and Grand Palais'. Both impressive, the Petit Palais was the only one that could fit in the frame of my camera.
Visiting Petit Palais was the highlight of today's adventures as I walked through a gallery of both old paintings and modern furniture design. My true love let me ask questions of the staff and I asked her to interpret their responses. We weren't supposed to take photos inside, but this cut-out thing was at the back of a room and we couldn't resist.
After the Palace, we eventually made it to the Jardin des Tuileries. They weren't gardens as I expected. Mostly pathways with patches of green space that were roped off, so children were left to wander about the sitting areas. There was even a large water space with fountains that I was temped to explore, but this too was off limits. We had afternoon coffee at Café Diane in the gardens.
Having spent a days worth of walking (even by my mom's standards (and that's a lot of walking)) we decided to take the metro to the second closest station to Hotel Royal Bastille and stop at the Supermarché for wine and snacks to hold us over until diner.
The first thing we are going to do when we get up tomorrow is go for breakfast. Then we're planning on checking out this giant pylon we keep getting glimpses of.
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