So the last night after posting i went back made a bit to eat and then sat down to do my journal......well actually first the dinning room there is not very big compared to the number of people staying at this hostel......also it is a lot of families so they cook dinner and so dinnertime is so busy in there......i only had PB and honey and a fruit cup i bought during the day so i just sat down in at the non functioning bar.....well then there was a group of three behind me sorta staking their territory getting ready to make dinner.....but two of them leave to go do something leaving one to tend to the things..... well then another group of 3 comes and also wants to eat in this area cause it looks like it is only this one person.....the intresting/funny part was the way they handled the conflict because of the language barrier.....the new group of three was kinda vitious and was like (in limited english) : you are only using one chair your friends arnty here now so let us use it.....well the girl tried to reassure them her friends would return.....they all went about their things for about 3 minutes and then had the cnflict again and a third time.....well i was almost done with my meal and it was only a one chair difference so i offered up my chair and conflict resolved....just intresting how the conflict played out and such drama over a chair and we are all on vacation.....but i needed a new place so i could do some arts and crafts in the journal and found a older lady sitting alone at a 4 person table so life was good...so i do my journal and was about to jet but there was a girl sitting behind me reading the lonely planet guide like mine and i commented on it and we started chatting....we ended up talking for almost three hrs i think about our travels and all that good jazz....she is another cunuck, 26, but doesnt speak french....she just graduated from university as a clinical psychology major and is continuing on that road to a masters program in onterio next semester......she had been to greece and italy with her brother and this was her first day alone and about to do paris for 4 days before heading to britain ireland scotland deal.....and though it is nice to talk with other people of other nationalities (and not that canada isnt but it is similar) but it was really nice to be able to have a conversation in english without any language barrier......about 2 hrs into the conversation we finally did the name thing hers being amber.....sharred the family and friend stories and then our plans in the days ahead.....now as i am looking at her map of paris and her careful planning of paris and the sites she had a whole bunch of things on it that were cheap and looked cool.....some that i was actually near and had no clue.....so it made me think i should hit some of them up.....and then since she had not done any of them it did not matter the order.....so then the thought came maybe we should hit them up together......i was a little worried due to the last two companions i have had and the slightly less then positive outcomes.....that sounds bad but i mean it litterally.....they were a lot of fun in their own way but i just didnt quite mesh with them and their plans were just not quite as in tune with mine......i didnt get that feeling here....in fact i was more worried about imposing on her newly aquired freedom from her brother and didnt want to be what the other two were to me......make sense...does to me......haha......so yeh we agreed on a start time and to bed we went.....i was in a quad with 3 guys that i had yet to meet and by 1200 they were asleep....well 2 of the 3.....i crept in didnt een touch the light and just passed out....then a short time later the 3rd returns and is friends with one of the others so they share the nights journeys in not so wispering voices.......i was sick my nose felt like crap and i wanted sleep.....but they soon wrapped up the conversation and went to bed......then around 130 the other guys phones rings (funny but he is actually sitting right next to me in this internet cafe.....haha his name is pippin) anyway so he answers it and chats a bit in normal tongue.....again frustraiting but all good sleep would find me soon and wake up was not til 830ish.....the 2 companions woke up a bit early and were not as loud but still a bit distrubing.......however it is hostel life and thats why it is only 20 bucks a night so i wont complain.....woke up to a nie hot shower and some insane pressure......that was golden after the campgrounds less then impressive showers......so i as clean and amber and i grabbed the complimentary meal of bread butter jelly oj and cocoa.....so it was off to start the journey........she wanted to get a lot in and that was fine with me cause i had needed to get a lot in as i would be leaving soon.....;that night i thought.....but that changed......so the first place we headed to was moulon rouge......yeh just wanted a pic of it.....and that i got....then we navigated to these windmills that were on the map......so as we are making our way up the street there is a photo shoot going on....i figured she was getting lots of pics taken so i might as well take one too.....oh yeh tourist ben at his best....if only we knew what the shoot was for that would be cool to get the magazine or ad or whatever and pic it next to the pic i took......but anyway we found the windmills but it was hard to see them...so i asked a guy walking down the street in my broken uncomprehendable french but he was amused by the effort....in fact so much so he applauded my attempt and busted out his english and said that he had lived there for some time and not found any good way to see them either......so why were they on the map...sillyness......but to reward us he told us of this path up tot he next road with a cool 'beach' rock.......he also said there was a famous arcitects home up there......we made our way to the path and it was nice and had tons of potential but the young neighborhood artists had had a little too much fun there and it seemed a short cut if you had a dog and dogs here get to go potty wherever they want....so besides being littered with the above it was cool.....the rock was yeh a crazy rock......and it just hit me it was prolly a peice of coral......it was black so it was hard to tell but that is what it must have been......so we continued on tot he house which had a plaquard...but it was in french......then back to the sacre coure....it was the only repeat i needed to do and it is a cool site so that was fine......in fact church was in session so that was kinda weird walking around.....some monday midday mass....well then there was supposidly this wine vineyard.....in fact i had passed it last time i was there and didnt even know it.....i guess i expected something different but the grape plants were all quite small......but the roads behinf the sacre couer were so nice......it is like out of this movie or something.....all really old quant roads with the cobblestone roadways and really clean considering how many people prolly walk through it......they are crazy about cleaning the streets......little machines going around shooting high pressure water and works sweeping the streets and water flowing each day down the roads to clear them out.......so once we find the metro after a bit of wandering but nice wandering amoungst these roads....so we headed to the seine area where there were a ton of things to see......then she came up with the coolest idea of finding a cemetary and tracing one of the gravestones and adding it into my scrapbook......so we found an office supply store, office depot actually and got some paper but no charcoal.......but the paper was actually free cause i think it was standard lightweight paper and the lady prolly didnt feel like charging us....so continuing on we walk past this little restuarant and attatched is this stand with a guy making these great little wraps.......we had both commented on our hunger before and the prices were good so we did it up......the guy cooks two at a time on these hot plates......prolly 16 inches diameter.....for mine i got bacon (but they come in like ham looking slices) egg and cheese......it sounds fast foody but is actually real foods not like a DD sandwich.......then he wraps it up just prefectly.......he had this method perfected and has prolly been doing ti for 10 years or something......so that and a drink and we headed to st augistenes......found a bench outside and ate up.......the church was closed being a monday so only some pics outside.....but yet again the jeane d'arc thing comes back up as there was a statue of her outside......so with it closed we kept going and ran into 3 other treasures of paris......one was called a library and maybe formerly was but was currently being used as a church.....there was a really cool quote i found from mother terresa that i got a good pic of......the place ws called st marie madeleine.......but no english brochure.....all out......so i dont know much about it......then so funny...one of those you had to be there.....but this is my journal for my memmory too so i get to add it knowing it will not make you laugh.....well ambers parents own a jewelry store....she loves jewelry.....so as we would pass windows she would look for a bit.......this one she does and the window was so clean that she smacked her head right on it......she was clearly fine but it was just so funny....the glass was so hard to see and the inner case was deseeving and it was just funny.....then we had arrived at the place vendome and there was a huge statue of napoleon.......it had begun to rain.....for a day that it was supposed to rain all day we had been lucky.......so we waited the rain out for a few and then found an english bookstore that we decided to find that charcoal in.....no go on the charcoal but we both enjoyed bookstores so we parused it a bit.....amber quickly found the divinche code which she desperatly wanted to get and in thinking about it for 10 bucks i thought maybe i shoudl spring for it too while in europe seeing all these sites that are told of it in it.......so we each got a copy....looked around a bit more and upon exiting the rain had subsided.....finally the rain was on my side...then we made it to the place de la concorde which was cool and had some intresting things but they were setting up for the big july 14th festivites.......i wanted to know what it would be like....maybe even stop by it.....so i asked this guy who was looking important.......well he explain what seemed to be a parade thing maybe the day of the festival and today he was there photographing planes that should be going over soon......he was nice and wished us a good journey.....then we went to cross the road and there was a fender bended right near us.....not our fault just near us......crazy french drivers.....also the festivities setup had kina messed up the traffic flow so maybe that was it.....then the planes that the man promised did fly over......only one of them did a cool little flight thing but the others just kinda flew over.....fun to see none the less......we walked over the seine to find another cooling looking impotant building......think it was a federal building......ut right in fornt of e was an ambulance......well it said ambulance on it, but it was a station wagon......it didnt care and whipped out the camera....well the occupents noted my touristy action laughed......in fact the guy in the back seat opened the window and took a pic of me......it was hilarious.....i got all embarressed and it was funny.....we found the musee d'orsay but it too was closed being a monday....prolly woulda been pricy though so.....there were some guys outside torching the ground so i asked them what they were doing.....i took a bit to figure it out between the languages but they were sealing the joints.....then they pretended to tourch me......slightly scary but funny......we found st chappell but it was busy and cost a bit of money......neither one of us found it that nessessary to go in and decided to head to the notre dame......that we found.....and it is free.....good stuff....amazing building.......another building where mass was starting as we got in.......really incredible to see how on earth they would have built such things so long ago.....they could build it now and i would be amazed.....the stonework and all the depctions on the walls.....i guess i wish i knew which parts were truely original......imagine how people reacted tot hem then if we are all still be amazed now......so after that it had been a long day and we needed to head back.......after a rush hr ride (really packed in with everyone around you and hot and standing and just not fun) we made it to the hostel area......grabbed some food for dinner and life was good.....so we thought.....upon arriving at the hostel with pasta and turkey to cook we foudn it was rush hr in the kitchen.......with only 4 of 12 burners working and everone trying to make decent meals it was slow and long......dinner came out well though once we got around to making it......wish we had more resources availible to sprue up the meals a bit but i guess that is why i should learn more about cooking......i even tried to recreate the appitizer i had at the campground and at the amien house.....the tomatoe cheese and honey and basal deal.......i liked it a lot and i think ambr was amused enough by my intrest that she made it through the poor excuse for an appitizer.......it was fun to make though.....and cheap the whole meal with cups of mouse for dessert and wine the tomatoe deal pasta and turkey cost 6 bucks each....so after the long awaited food our plan was to see the eiffel tower at night....i had been saving this journey for some time and was so excited for it.......well we got there in plenty of time as it does not close at 11 like the guidebook suggested.....approaching it you think wow thats not that big i expected bigger.......Then your under it and it is huge.....the pic above is good but cause they squeeze it in with the wide angle and such you dont get the full effect....the base is really huge and they built this deal so long ago......i wish i coulda gotte a guidebook but it would be more weight and the shops on the tower were closed that sold them....besides i am gonna put on my pack and with all the new little things i got from paris just in scapbook things is gonna hurt.....that and the new journal and divinchi code.....luckily i have been able to stash the pack somewhere while in paris......but the tower.....really cool takes two elevator rides to get to the top.....it is kinda the thing to do at night so there is a ton of people but for something built so long ago they accomodate a lot of people in a short amount of waiting time.....so we got to the top and saw the city....it was cool seeing it at night after seeing it all from montparanase at about the same height....they have all the major things lit but just right and it is wow....the camera doesnt like night photos though....long exposure time and no tripod wasnt helping either.....we walked all around the top but the cold and wind was a bit rough for amber in only shorts cause she has just come from greece and italy and so has no pants......well they also have a level at the top where there is a map of the world sorta.....it gives locations of some major cities and how far away they are from the direction your facing.......but it didnt make sense cause new your came before LA....err maybe it was due to the laditude change.....either way it didnt seem to make sense but i am sure it does.....so then we exited so as not to miss the last metro.....made it in time and hit the bed and passed out......well ok it wasnt exactly like that cause for some unkown reason i pulled out the divinchi code and read the first few pages.....the prologue actually......and then passed out.....no snorers....just one roomate coming home at 530 and he happened to be the one above me but that was only a momment of waking up......all the rest was decent sleep and needed after a really long and full day and the cold needed to be combatted.....