Paris

Chilling along the canal in Paris on a gorgeous sunny day.  Yup, that's the good life...

What I did:

• August 11, 2012 - Arrival in Paris from London, checked out la Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmarte (Sacred Heart Basilica), sat around and had a few drinks beside the canal (I believe this was Canal St. Martin).
• August 12, 2012 - Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, Fontaine Saint-Michel (Fountain of St. Michael), Chateau de Vincennes, departure for Normandy (Caen).



Nutella pizza?  Genius!



Highlights:

• Chilling out and relaxing beside the canal - It was pretty awesome.  I don't actually usually do much sitting around and chilling out when I travel, so this was a pretty cool experience for me.  The canal looks quite nice (it was filled with what looked like students or locals, not too touristy).
• Getting a tour from a local - Right, so Polina's not actually living in Paris or from Paris, but she did an exchange there in university and has spent quite some time in Paris, so she knows it pretty well.  She spoke French (which, obviously, comes in handy in France) and totally knows where to go.  She even booked us a hotel that was way better than the one I had last time (and cheaper too, even during peak season).  Thanks Polina!!!  :D
• Food - Paris (actually France in general) is known for it's food, and for good reason.  If I keep eating like this, I'm going to get fat(ter) for sure.  Which I'm looking forward to!  Though we did do quite a bit of walking, so I may have burned (some of) it off.



Lime sorbet on a hot summer day.  What could be better?  Well...  hypothetically...  what if the sorbet was soaked in vodka?  :D



Lowlights:

• Getting harrassed by immigrants (sorry...  that's the best way to describe it) when we were at Sacre Coeur.  We were walking on our way there and we had to pass by mobs of immigrants trying to sell various things.  I'm pretty sure it was some sort of scam, so I didn't want to stick around to see what it was, but they were super aggressive, grabbing my arm and stopping me from walking off.  Good thing Polina was firmer with them than I was (and also that she spoke French, which came in handy more than a few times).

Moving on from the last photo...  This is St. Michael defeating the devil and casting Satan into Hell...

Can't Miss:  Paris is awesome, just make sure you spend some time away from the main touristy areas.  People tend to be nicer in those areas and it's a heck of a lot more relaxing too!