Play Day!

Today was our "off" day - we spent the day hanging out having fun and not doing ministry-type things. We went to the Eiffel Tower this morning. It was incredible! It's what everyone thinks of when they think of Paris - like the Statue of Liberty in New York - so it was surreal being there. We got there pretty early so we didn't have much of a wait. We all went up to the second floor - the view was remarkable. It was amazing how much we could see. I always laugh at how we all love to go up in high buildings to look at stuff on the ground. I just find it funny. But anyway, it felt like we could see forever. I was really amazed by the layout of the city. It's not a perfect square; the layout is really different. All of the buildings are white and pretty, and there are tons of trees around. It was also pretty cool to see how the old city and the new city were integrated. Most of the area is made up of old buildings, but there are pockets of modern skyscrapers every so often. It was neat to see how the old and the new came together.

Stacey, Maris, Dana and I decided we were brave enough to venture up to the very top. The journey from the second floor to the top felt really long and a little frightening because we were going so high so fast. It was awesome once we got up there though. It was so amazing - the view was just incredible. I can't really put it into words. It was one of those God moments when you realize how small your own little world is and how much else is out there.

We had lunch at this little cafe that was run by an Italian guy who loved Americans and apparently thought we were great fun. He made a few crepes with bananas and prayed before sacrificing the bananas. He was teasing us and playing games and was just a really fun guy. It was a really fun time, but the rule is that what happens in Paris stays in Paris. :)

Anyway, we spent a lot of time at the Eiffel Tower and got a little photo happy. We got bored with the traditional shots and went a little wild. Good times were had by all.

We saw the Arc de Triomphe, which was cool but we were kind of tired of looking at monuments, so we didn't spend a lot of time there. Instead, we went shopping at this massive mall and ate dinner at the cafe there. By the time dinner came around, we were all ready for a break and it was nice to sit down and eat. We apparently got our second wind because we went into the Metro station and found this great little shop that sold scarves for only five Euros, and most of us bought some and then modeled them.

It's been fun to have a break and just hang out with the girls. Tomorrow we're planning to go to the Musee d'Orsay, and then Marie invited us to her apartment for crepes.

That's all for tonight - I need to let the other girls use the computer. Au revoir!