You have my permission to be jealous

Because I just spent a marvelous weekend in Paris! There are only a few things that could have made the trip spectacular 1) if Jer was with me and 2) if the sun could have made a cameo for a few hours to at least burn away some of the fog.

I need not bore you all with picture of things you can look up on the internet and probably see much better pictures which were probably taken by professionals and not 100 pictures like this....

or like this........

(Forgot the camera was zoomed in)

Yes. I was with people that could take pictures of me at the different locations, but because I have a really hard time taking a serious picture, you end up with pictures like this...

So it is just better that I take pictures of myself, arm stretched out.

So here is a summary of my trip (with some select pictures, and for the most part, not of me):

1) Started the morning at a corner cafe with a hot coco and a pan au chocolat (pastries are my favorite...who needs candy when you can have baked goods with chocolate in them!)

2) Walking down the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe dodging clouds of cigarette smoke. While window shopping found this little (literally) treasure...

Yes...that is a car on the wall.

Toyota's version of the Smart Car is so small and aesthetically pleasing you don't even need, nor would you want!, a parking spot outside when you can park it on your living room wall where the colors and dimensions can accent your living room decor....talk about a converstaion piece!

3) Next it was on to the Eiffel Tower. Well....it is a big medal structure. Apparently you can pay money to go to the top and get a fantastic view of Paris, but the 3rd level was closed and I didn't really see the point if you can't go to the top.

4) A quick subway ride and we were at Notre Dame and just in time to hear the bells ringing. This I must say was pretty cool. It was early in the afternoon so the bells did not ring for long, but it was long enough to get the pigeons to leave their post and fly around the cathedral. I got this on video. I may be the only one, but I think it was cool.

4) Next stop...the Musee de Louvre. I didn't go inside. As much as I would have liked to see the Mona Lisa, I don't think I could suffer through 2,000 pictures of Madonna and Child. But in the courtyard I really wish it had been a clear day, because this picture with the eiffel tower in the background would have been pretty cool.

5) Next a stop at a brasserie for lunch for some "typical" french fast food, a croque monsieur, americanized by the addition of my coca-light. Enjoyed my meal sitting outside under a heat lamp by a square complete with a small orchestra playing classical favorites such as Cannon in D and the "Beef. It's What's for Dinner" song or for those in the music "know", Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

6) After lunch it was on to the Sacre Coeur Basilica, from who's hill you can see a lot of Paris...However, on a foggy day, all you can see is a bunch of clouds and a few buildings. About the only thing I got out of this was some burnt calories and some sore calfs from the hike to the top of the hill. But this was okay because from all that hard work I earned myself number 7.

7) Afternoon treat, a crepe with nutella and banana...delicious. After a quick (3 hour) nap and dinner and some walking around with no particular destination in mind it was bed time in my hotel room about the same size as a broom closet.

8) Sunday morning, I attempted to go to sacrament meeting. Western Europe changes time for daylight savings one week before the US. I knew this saturday night and attempted to watch my phone to see if it automatically changed. Well by 1 am, it had not changed, so I changed it. Long story short, phone did change itself, so I was 2 hours behind and only made it to 35 minutes of sacrament meeting (do I get credit for trying?)

9) With not much time for site seeing on sunday, we decided to go to the Luxembourg Palace. While in route to the Palace and speaking of small cars we found the original smart car. The Fiat Cinquecento (500), I honestly think you could not be more than 5'0 tall to fit in this car.

Of course there were other things I saw, but this post is getting long. So, go to Paris if you ever have the chance, it is an absolutely charming city.

And to end...here is my favorite french word (I don't know why). Bonsoir (Good Evening)!