Yesturday morning we went to a Patisserie and ate croissants before going to the Eiffel Tower. The bus ride took 2 hours, because we took the tour bus ticket that we had purchased the day before. We ate lunch under the Eiffel Tower, another ha, and cheese baguette (running total: 5). At least I can stand the sight of fries again. Nick, Ted and Heather walked up the first 2 flights and took the elevator to the top while Rach and I waited in line to ride the whole way up with a highly irritating woman from LA. We all met up at the top and dont worry, we took lots of pics. Then we walked along the Seine. Rach and I grabbed dinner at a cafe before stopping at the grocery for a few items. We then spent the evening drinking war, champagne and eating dark chocolate bars while watching Party of Five in french in our room. France beat Spain in a World Cup game last night, which resulted in the entire city getting into their cars and driving around the city while honking their horns all night. This morning we went to the Louvre and I have to say, the Mona Lisa (La Jocande) is way overrated. The Raft of the Medusa is much better. There are just so many people that you really cant get through the rooms, which was disappointing. We followed the Seine to a cafe and then walked to Notre Dame. It is a beautiful cathedral, but I didnt find it anything special. We did a little shopping and Heather and I ate a crepe before doing even more shopping in the little shops along the Seine. The nice areas of Paris are wonderful, but most of the city is disappointing. It is incredible dirty and there is graffiti everywhere. There are also these Muslim or gypsy women at every tourist spot that ask you if you speak english, show you a handwritten note about God, and then ask for money. Really irritating. London is much cleaner and a much nicer place overall. Paris has some beautiful spots, but they are limited. Tomorrow we are shopping in the morning and then going to Versailles. The weather here is fickle. It is cloudy in the morning but gorgeous in the afternoon. I am irritated I carried around my raincoat all day. Driving lanes are optional here and I find it frightening that bikers ride through lanes with buses and motercycles. Despite what we were told, most people do not speak english. Only young people, really. Luckily, I know enough french to get through. The bus tour was nice, but took forever. Went through the Champs Elysees a few times, but only the Louis Vuitton store and the Arc de Triomphe are worth looking at. Be sure to check out Nicks blog for the interesting conversation that took place on the Eiffel Tower elevator. No wonder they hate Americans. Tonight= champange (hopefully cold), dark chocolate and pizza. Friday we leave for Amsterdam, by way of Brussels. Quote of our time in Paris: As we are driving by the Louvre Museum pyramid "Ted, what is that big triangle thing"- Heather "The Louvre is an international museum, so the artwork descriptions should be in english, not french"- Nick Hopefully we will go to the Moulin Rouge tomorrow night. Excuse my spelling errors. This keyboard is so different.