Thursday 4 June 2009

The Joys of travel

Okay, it's Thursday morning and we're having a hard time getting out of bed after yesterday's adventures.  The day began with breakfast in a cute little cafe on the corner and then a stroll through the open air market that had appeared under the elevated train. I looked while I listened to Leroy dream about how someday this was what South Atlanta's Saturday market was going to be like.

We then decided to take in some sights while we waited for our missed motor bike tour which had been rescheduled for 8pm (a much more reasonable time of day, or so I thought).  It took us 10 minutes to figure out how to purchase tickets from the automated machine for the metro train (why doesn't the guy in the booth speak English??) but then we were on our way.  

First stop was the Arc De Triomphe.  Of course we couldn't read any of the info about it but it was beautiful none the less.  I would have been good with that but Leroy wanted to see the view from the top.  This required a slow climb up a narrow spiral staircase.  Eventually I made it up the thousands of steps (okay hundreds, but it felt like thousands), legs burning, heart pounding.  The view was spectacular.  Up top we met a couple from Baltimore and had a brief conversation in English!  Then it was back down (oh my aching knees) for a stroll down the Champs-Elysees, a long, long...long stroll from the Arc to the Louvre.

Later, after an overpriced dinner ($4.50 for a bottle of water, $1.50 for mayo!) we headed to the meeting place for our tour.  It is important to note that a motorized bike is not the same as a scooter, like I thought.  There is pedaling involved with the bike, easy pedaling but pedaling nonetheless.  The first two hours were good - lots of interesting sights and Parisienne history. By the third hour, not so interesting anymore.  We arrived at the Eiffel Tower around midnight.  After three and half hours of pedaling over mostly cobblestone streets, all I could think about was my bed, Motrin and hitting Leroy upside the head with that darn camera.  C'est la vie.

Donna

1 comment:

  1. My favorite parts of visitng Beunes Aires were the open air markets. I too dream of South Atlanta having that some day!

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