Paris requires a five pastry dish lunch...yum

After a delayed flight, we followed our couch surfing friend's directions to arrive at a random apartment complex at 9:30 at night. We walk in...it's so dark we have to turn the light on in the lobby...couch surfing???? I (Kristen) am probably the least worried about safety issues and certain thoughts were crossing my mind. However, the apartment door was opened by a Ryan Phillipe (Guillaume) look alike who welcomed us into a humble abode while preparing a cooked meal and an attitude ready to serve. Then, his trendy older brother hops around the corner, Alex, and we began to think "how many guys are in this place?" It was just them with Guillaume's girlfriend currently out of town. All of you who raised eyebrows about couch surfing...WHATS UP NOW???? We are staying in one of the most expensive cities where every hostel is booked months in advance for FREE!!! Plus, Guillaume and Alex are wonderful, and the best servants ever. They gave us a late night tour of the city, got us settled, and sat us down to dinner. Note to self- in Paris we eat dinner at 12:15 am...and take our time doing it..and drink lots of wine...and chocolate.

Paris is wonderful! Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe which is apparently one of the most high traffic circle drives in the city...8 lane round about. The three of us--not realizing there is an underground way to get to the arc which lies in the very middle of these lanes--decide to prance across the road in between speeding cars...do we scream stupid tourist or what?

We also went to the Louvre where the much anticipated Mona Lisa rests. Several people crowded around the little dark painting that somehow seems to overshadow the beautiful other pieces of art in the same room. I think it's overrated but whatever.

Besides walking around the city, enjoying sites and Paris, we made a 400 stair climb to the top of Notre Dame...yes I counted the stairs out loud. It gave us the most beautiful view of the city and due to our lack of confusion and inability to speak French, we stayed up at the top for nearly 30 minutes thinking that we were waiting in a line to go down when actually we were waiting in a line to go up even higher...so we went with the flow and climbed some more. Same view a little higher but beautiful none the less.

Tonight a little Eifling perhaps and a night out on the city with Guillaume and Alex? We'll keep you posted. WE LOVE PARIS!!!!

most awkward moment: kathleen making a strange comment in her attempt to respond to guillaum's plan to house a handicapped house surfer with no limbs...she said "OH, it's so nice that he travels like that." Maybe you had to be there.