Paris

So here we are at the end of June and finally out of Scandinavia! It was cold but beautiful.

Paris has been hot! Then wet, then hot, then wet, then cold, then wet ... You get the idea. Our hostel was in the slums, and we realized this after we started walking to the center of town - what we learned: Walking in Paris is best done from the metro to the monument not from the train station to downtown!!!

Best ice cream - they give you different flavored petals on your ice ream!!! It is way cool and very attrative - like eating a frozen rose.

On our first night here we booked a tour of Paris by night and a show at the Moulin Rouge. We were quite surprised when we boarded the bus that Aamir - in his shorts and Birkenstocks - could not get into the MR. Ironic? The girls at the MR wear very little yet they want the patrons to cover up???? Our only option was to skip the city tour, go back to our hotel, change and meet the tour at the MR. This unfortunately was the first time we ventured to use the metro so we got lost but thanks to Sharmin's excellent navigating made it to the show in time.

We thought we were going to Bruxelles the second night but they closed the ticket line before we got to the station so we couldn't get our reservation, so we were stuck in Paris for a night without a place to stay. This worked out I guess since we got to see the Montmartre and the Tour Eiffel by night! Absolutely spectacular! There was a huge crowd at the Montmartre at 12:30am singing and just hanging out. So Aamir thought we were going to walk around all night and sleep on a bench somewhere but it was cold and Sharmin was tired of walking - sore feet!!! So we walked to find a hotel - cheap hotel - well the best we could get was still pricey but at 2 am we were desperate - what we learned: Always make your train reservations during the day - even if there is a line!!!

After a very expensive sleep we headed out again for a third day of sightseeing. Today we really used the metro but we should have bought a book of tickets - individuals get expensive!

Monuments we saw (over three days):

Madeline: Church - really huge and beautiful!
Eiffel Tower by day and night
Notre Dame from outside (also kilometer zero)
The Louvre - said hi to Mona, also some great Islamic art!
Arc du Triomphe
Montmartre - far by day close by night
Pantheon from far
Mosquee de Paris - under construction but still a beautiful mosque - we said our afternoon prayers here - yes we are praying!!!! The restaurant is not halal!!! Can you believe a restaurant attached to the mosque is not halal?????
Lots of Places (place is like a square)
Trocadero
Opera
Grand Palais
Petit Palais

Paris has been interesting - dirtier than the cities in Scandinavia but full of surprises. Tonight we leave for Vienna - Bruxelles will have to wait.