21 hour day

words cannot describe the day we just experienced...it is now 3:45 am and we are just arriving back at home. i've (kristen) gotten my second wind and must write about this while it's fresh in my mind.

picture this: the columbia, missouri downtown bohemian crowd but on a bridge over the seine river in paris overlooking the eiffel tower. we laid out a blanket, drank some wine, and just chatted and observed the crowds. what a wonderful experience...seriously so much to see. however, alex was determined to give us a full tour of his favorite spots in the city--beginning this tour at 1 am or so--and we were just wondering around and around and around. it was nice but we couldn't handle it anymore. noelle and i were so tired that we were nearly in tears every time we spotted a smart car. actually, one did deserve true laughter like that when it zoomed backward all the way down a trafficky street. oh and side note the metro stops running long before this tour ends so we got a sweet experience of 3 am public transportation on the ol' bus...what the heck is everyone doing up at 3 am? it was so crowded my head was in some guy's armpit and noelle and kathleen kept rocking back and forth because there was nothing to hold on to. at this point in time, we knew we wern't cut out for paris night life. we finally made it home. thank God.

okay, rewind the day with a few lessons learned. due to lack of time, some will not be fully explained. i guess you'll just have to wonder.

note to self #1: when tackling the metro station, all i must say is "sortie" saves your life.

note to self #2: when tackling the metro station FINANCIALLY, it was a wonderful experience when an overweight french lady attempted to squeeze into the turn style leaving the metro with me since apparently she didn't have a ticket. i kinda enjoyed squeezing through with her. now the three of us squeeze through together everytime. i'll go ahead and apologize for cheating the metro system.

note to self #3: pour KATHLEEN: when venturing out on the streets of Paris, be prepared at all times for a severe accident. kathleen trips about every other step.

note to self #4: pour NOELLE: okay, seriously, noelle REALLY wants to see the eiffel tower. don't tell her it might not be a possibility...she gets highly emotional. for all losing sleep over this, we did see the eiffel tower. whew.

note to self #5: pour KRISTEN: smart backpackers DO NOT pack multiple novels at lengths of 500 pages or more. it's just ridiculous. seriously.

note to self #6: nutella + bananas...okay, no lesson learned. just noting.

note to self #7: Versailles must be the most romantic place on earth...even with three girls. Blanket, beautiful skies, chateau, fountains, french music, cheese, bread, wine, and naps. i cannot tell you how wonderful it was. we are all in agreeance that versailles will always be a favorite.

note to self #8: cheese packed in a backpack--all day--not good. our favorite fleeces smell like cheese.

note to self #9: unless you're fully prepared, don't begin a city adventure at 12 am.

note to self #10:keep on keepin on...couch surfing, that is : )

yay.