Gypsies and Bread

We have discoverd Tom's two most favorite things about the trip. He is fascinated by Gypsies, who are all around Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, begging, doing tricks, selling stuff, whatever. They have homes in the subway, and under bridges along the Seine. He also loves the fact that people walk around eating huge loaves of bread for a snack. After this update I am instructed to go out to buy him several loaves.

We took the Subway to the Eiffel Tower first thing this morning, we got there 15 minutes before it opened and got in line right away. You can buy tickets to the first level, the second level or the Top. I would not recommend going to the top for anyone with claustrophobia or a fear of heights. We rode a small elevator, with A LOT of people, REALLY HIGH. The fun part was that the elevator is really a Wonkavator, it needs to go sideways and up along the legs. Oddly, there are very few souvenir shops in Paris, even in the tower they had one inside and one at the base of each leg, but they are the size of NY newstands, and don't have very appealing merchandise. It would be very different if Mr. Disney was in charge.

Gustav Eiffel actually had an apartment at the top of the tower, where he entertained prominent guests, including Thomas Edison.

After the tower, we walked the grounds of L'Ecole Militaire, the French Military Academy, and spent alot of time getting "Munsoned"- Tom's expression after watching the Movie "KingPin" last night. It means to be "up a creek without a paddle, to have everything in the palm of your hand, and losing it" Every time I open the Map, Tom says "Oh Great, we're Munsoned!" In addition to "KingPin", Tom has also discovered "Der Prince Von BelAir"- The Fresh Prince in German, even better than Irish Family Feud.

Cathedral of Notre Dame was spectacular. Tom particularly enjoyed the Gypsies (his word) outside doing various types of street performance. We walked back to the hotel past the Louvre, we plan to go there tomorrow as soon as it opens. Now we are on into our usual routine of Tom getting his afternoon nap, while I update our blog.

We will be heading back out in a bit for another delicious meal, and perhaps to see the Paris Opera House, which is only a few blocks away.

Bonsoir !