Day 1: London >> Paris

Bonjour, mon amis!

Such a wonderful and exhausting day! I awoke after very little sleep around 5:30 this morning, and made my way to the reception desk at the Clink Hostel where the TopDeck crew had gathered to check us all in. It definitely seems like a fantastic bunch of people--mostly Aussies, a handful of Colombians, and only a couple of us from the States. Our tour guide is a bearded Kiwi, so obviously the tour is already off to a great start. After we had been checked in, we shuffled onto a bus which then took us on a two-hour drive to the port of Dover (white cliffs and all!). From there, we went through customs (getting possibly the only stamp we'll receive for this whole trip, sadly) and boarded a ferry. Crossing the English Channel was such a calming experience. In seemingly no time at all, we had arrived at the port of Calais. Bonjour, France!

Once we reached the European mainland, it was still another four hours by bus before we'd reach Paris. We finally arrived at our hotel around 5:00pm, and had only a few minutes to drop off our bags and clean up before heading to dinner. We had a typically French meal at Restaurant l'Orange Bleue: slices of fresh baguette, escargot (which I skipped...), French onion soup, and (for me) a cheese omelet with a fresh salad on the side. I really meant to take a photo of the French onion soup, but in my hunger I gobbled it all up without a second thought. By far the best French onion soup I've ever had. As it should have been!

We ended our evening with a driving tour of Paris. The city is absolutely gorgeous at night. Especially the Eiffel Tower. The driver surreptitiously parked the bus so we could get out for five minutes and ogle at the tower. Before the bus had even come to a stop, a handful of what the tour guide called 'gypsies' had surrounded the bus' exit, peddling little souvenirs. We had to run past in order to see the tower. I was quite honestly overwhelmed with its beauty. Even though I have seen it a million times in print, on TV, in the movies... there's nothing like seeing it in person. Plus, every hour of darkness on the hour, it does this (apologies for the sideways view):

Tomorrow, I hope to explore some of the sites I saw tonight in more depth, including the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Champs-Elysees. I will also be attending a cabaret show in the evening. There is so much to do in Paris, and it makes me feel a bit ill that I won't be able to see everything. But, I am getting a good taste.

You can check out today's photos here.

My apologies for the short post lacking in details, but as I said, it was an exhausting day filled to the brim with traveling. I am pooped! Hopefully, the pictures will make up for that to some extent. :D

Au revoir,

Alyce

P.S. I forgot to mention that the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe is INSANE. Twelve lanes, absolutely no markings on the road, complete and utter chaos. It's amazing anyone gets out of that thing alive!