The Eiffel Tower at night is stunning

Well, I thought I’d rest last night, but I really wanted to eat (more?) at Les Cocottes and see the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night. So I did just that. I had some very good cod with a nice rose, followed by the chocolate tarte I love there so much. Then I walked to the Eiffel Tower, practically got accosted by rats, and saw the tower sparkle. It’s so very pretty and worth fighting off the rats to see it.

The rats… these things were HUGE. I was sitting in the Champs du Mars in front of the tower and kept hearing scurrying behind me. I assumed that maybe it was squirrels, but then I saw a rat run across the path next to the bench where I was sitting. Then I saw another. And another. And these aren’t those cute little Ratatouille rats, either! EEP!

So as soon as I saw the tower sparkle, I was OUT OF THERE. I made it back to the apartment and passed out.

This morning, the weather turned beautiful. I had planned on visiting a museum, but at the last minute decided to go to Chateau de Vincennes instead. Now a chateau is a castle. And Vincennes is a medieval castle.  Obviously, it was awesome! Today was also the celebration of Heritage Days (I’m still unsure of what that entails), so that means that there are a lot of special events going on. At Vincennes, there were people in old French military uniforms and military bands were playing and singing and it was a lot of fun.

Chateau de Vincennes. It’s a freaking castle. In Paris.

Of course, then I got hungry. I went across the street to Le Petit Bofinger, where I had a sea bass dish with mashed potatoes. This was the first time I’ve ever eaten anything that was staring at me. They serve the fish whole and you have to cut the head and tail off. When in Paris, I thought, and proceeded to eat. It was excellent. And of course, I had to have wine, but this time I went with one of the specials they had by the glass – pink champagne. And I realized this is the first time I’ve had champagne in Paris. Such a sacrilege, I know!!! It was wonderful, as was the creme brulee I had for dessert.

Are we sensing a theme here? This is my foodie trip. And I’m living it up. I’m trying to now decide what’s for dinner. There’s a restaurant down the street that does fondue… I’m very tempted.

To get back to my day, though, I decided to stay outdoors and went on a guided walk about medieval Paris and the Knights Templar. The problem is that many of the stories I heard took us to places that had since been torn down. But it was still fascinating and I saw where Les Innocents once was. If you’ve ever read Anne Rice, you’ll know that reference. It was interesting and I ended up chatting with two Canadian women during the tour. But afterwards, my feet were screaming.

The Techno Parade. I have no idea who these people are.

I took the next Metro train back to my home station – Gare de Lyon. But wait, there are balloons and seriously loud music going on. And people are dancing in the street! Yes! I’d forgotten about today’s Techno Parade! And apparently, it was just circling around to my neighborhood. I had to stop and take photos. And then some half naked guy jumps out of nowhere and makes me take a photo of him with a random girl he grabbed. And then he continued to dance down the street. It was wild and so wonderfully European, I loved it! I have photos  and will upload them eventually. Some are probably PG-13 rated, though!

I am on the down slope of my time here in Paris. Only two days left to go. I’ll be sad to leave, as I always am, especially as I do not think I’ll be returning for a few years. This city will always have a very special place in my heart. It is my second home – that place I go to when I want to be inspired and live life to the fullest.

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