Paris Continued

Saturday night we took a bike tour! It was by far the best thing we could have done that night I think. We had a guide, the well-liked and fun Ned, and each had our own bikes with reflective safety vests to wear. The bike was wobbly when you first started going, and it was hard because even though I put the seat all the way down, I could barely touch the ground. I was pretty much on my tippy toes the whole time, or standing on one foot with the bike completely slanted.

Two phrases to get an idea of how big the group was and the attidute Ned wanted us to adopt: DOMINATE THE ROAD and STAY IN A TIGHT PACK. We rode in the streets, and pretty much cars had to stop for us or put up with the large amount of bikers. Most of the time we rode in bike lanes/taxi lanes, but there were times where we had to go through big intersections! So intense because I, and probably some others, were not used to riding a bike in traffic.

Taking this bike tour you really get to see why Paris is called the City of Lights. Everything is lit up, and looks just as pretty as during the day. We rode past so many famous and hidden spots. We saw all the major things at night - Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Pantheon and the Louvre, and also other place we wouldn't have known about, such as Ernest Hemingway's favorite fishing spot, pub/cafe where many famous American writers spent a lot of time and the apartment area where Johnny Depp has an apartment.

We rode for a few hours, and went about eight miles, give or take. It was perfect weather to ride bikes, and it was so fun to see Paris from that way. There were times you I just coasted along and took in my surroundings. My favorite part was riding though the Louvre at night. The pyramid looks amazing lit up, and it's very magical. At one point we stopped on a pedestrian bridge. Paris has two islands, and this bridge is the only thing that connects them. One side is the bustling city with the metro and everything, while the other side is the part of the city that is calm and quiet, and only accessible by this pedestrian bridge. We learned Johnny Depp owns an apartment just over the bridge, and there's also a small ice cream shop, and we were able to buy some.

Our last stop was after we rode along a long road with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Amazing. We then ended, after riding along the river for a while, at a boat where we were to have a boat ride. Ned gave us some red wine, and we enjoyed the sights from the river. We learned Ned went to school in Baltimore (Goucher College) and graduated in 2006! He went to every Loyolapalooza and knew a bunch of lacrosse players. Funny guy that Ned.

So that ends the bike tour - great time!

Sunday we went to Versaille! This is where many kings and queens of France lived, most notably Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The palace was HUGE! There was so much gold and many decorations. Each room was preserved very well and there were many portraits and furnishings from the era. We also went into the gardens, which were also very large, but very beautiful. It was cloudy and even a bit rainy, but I still enjoyed the gardens anyway. There were numerous fountains spouting water, and the flowers were in perfect bloom. There were a lot of people touring the gardens and palace, so it was a little annoying to be able to enjoy everything while people kept bumping into you, but it was still good nonetheless. My favorite room in the palace was the hall of mirros. It looks great, very majestic, especially when the light from outside shines through the many windows and reflects in the mirrors, sending rays of sun in every direction.

After Versaille we went back to the Eiffel tower and went to the top! We had to take two elevators (since we were short on time we didn't climb the steps) and the view was beautiful. We were really high up, but not so high that we couldn't identify places and monuments. The Louvre, Arc, statue of liberty and other places were visible. It was really windy up there as well, but definitely worth going up, even if some don't consider it the ideal place to observe Paris from above.

We then hurried back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport! Paris was amazing, and I am so happy to have gotten to go!