-First time flying to Provo from Mesa - both airports are tiny, but it was a quick and uneventful flight up to Utah. The seats on the plane have almost no leg room. So that was fun. And they charge you for everything extra: checked and carry-on bags cost money, and they don't give any complimentary drinks or snacks, you have to purchase what you want. Everyone says that Allegiant has such great deals and is really cheap to fly. My response: "Yeah, if you're a midget and don't have any luggage."
-First inside joke on this trip: "it's...crunchy." - At the Salt Lake airport we stopped to get some dinner before our flight because we were both hungry and knew that whatever food they served us on the plane was probably going to leave a lot to desire. So once we were through check-in and security we stopped at Cafe Rio. While we were looking at the menu Kristy asked what a tostada was. I was trying to explain it but for some reason I couldn't come up with the right words. I just turned my hand over, palm up, and said, "You know. It's...crunchy." We both laughed and it became a running joke for the rest of the day (and trip).
-First airplane trip across the Atlantic - It was a 10 hour flight from Salt Lake to Paris. We tried to sleep, but neither of us were able to sleep for long. Each seat had a TV screen in it and we would have been able to watch different movies of TV episodes...if they had been working. Turns out we had the only two non-working screens on the plane. Figures. I slept for a little bit becuase I knew once we got to Paris it was going to be mid-morning there and in order to combat the jetlag as much as possible we weren't going to be going to sleep until it was night time there. I read the new Sarah M. Eden book, "Glimmer of Hope" - it was good. Not my favorite of hers, though. I played some games on my phone. Eventually we landed.
-First stamp in my passport!
-First time in 3 airports in one 24 hour period - went from the tiniest (Provo), to the biggest (Charles de Gaulle in Paris). Holy cow the Paris airport is HUGE!!
-First time in Paris!
-First sunburn on this trip - the first thing we did after checking into our hotel was do the hop on/hop off tour bus that took us around the city to see all the sights. The bus was a doubledecker and we sat up top. I didn't even think about putting on any sunscreen because I was just too excited to be in Paris and seeing everything. I got pretty toasted. We saw all the major sites on our tour of the city: the Arc de Triomphe (which is HUGE by the way...I didn't realize how big that thing is), the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, different museums and political buildings, the Louvre, and the Seine with all it's amazing bridges. This city is so beautiful and there is so much to see! I know we're not going to be able to see it all on this trip and that makes me kind of sad. Guess we'll just have to see the rest next time!
-First time being on the Metro - it smells like pee and it really confusing. We totally looked like tourists as we stopped to pull out our maps every tens steps it seemed. Eventually, though, we figured it out and got where we needed to go.
-First time being asked by a stranger on the street for a sip of my water - we had to pee so bad, so we found a public restroom but it was down in this parking garage. When we were walking down there these gypsy girls stopped us and one asked Kristy if she could have her diet Coke. What!? When Kristy said no the girl kept asking then said it was for her baby and pointed to her pregnant belly. We said no again and kept walking. Then when we were coming back out of the parking garage we met them again and this time they asked me for some of my water from the water bottle I was carrying. I said no and she got really mad at me! So crazy!
-First time at the Eiffel Tower! - It was amazing!! But I felt so sick standing in line. We had to stand in line for about 45 minutes to an hour to get tickets, then spent a little more time waiting to actually get in the elevator that would take us up to the second floor. By this point we'd been awake for almost 36 hours and really had eaten nothing since leaving AZ Sunday morning. I was starving and dehydrated and felt like throwing up. I kept praying, while we were standing in line, to just let me make it through the line and up to the second floor where there was a bathroom and some food. Thankfully, I did. We finally made it up to the second floor and I was able to use the bathroom and we finally got some food. It was remarkable how much better I felt after finally eating! We got tickets to ride the elevator all the way to the top. The view was incredible!!
-First real Parisian baguette - ham and cheese for dinner while sitting at the top of the Eiffel Tower overlooking the city. Perfect!
-First European Fanta - so good! I'm now addicted and will be going through withdrawals when I get back to the states. It is different than Fanta in the U.S. It's not orange flavored soda, it's like carbonated orange juice. Yum!
-First "Hey Sexy!" by a street vendor - there were so many African guys trying to sell us Eiffel Tower souvenirs. They would try to walk right into our path to make us stop. We got really good at ignoring them and just walking right by them. This one tried to get our attention by calling out to us. Made me laugh.
-First souvenir - got a "Paris" magnet at the gift shop up on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower
-First time staying in a hotel where you have to return the key each time you leaven then pick it up when you return - apparently it's a very European thing to do. I love this hotel!
-First street performer outside our hotel balcony - so cool! We had our balcony windows open to enjoy the sounds of the Paris nightlife. A man showed up with his tuba and started playing accompaniment to the music being played at the cafe downstairs. The manager of the cafe came out and yelled at the guy and he ended up leaving. Sad! We wanted him to stay because it was the perfect soundtrack to end our first night here. Also, you can see the Arc de Triomphe from our window. It's literally just up the street. So cool!
-First impression - this city is amazing and the history and architecture are breathtaking. But, it is so dirty here! There is trash everywhere: piled up on the corners by the few trashcans there are around town, and just litter everywhere along the streets and sidewalks. Very interesting. You kind of get the feeling like Parisians don't have any pride in their city or how it looks.
Steps walked today (after I started wearing my pedometer once we left the airport): 10,216.
No comments:
Post a Comment