Day 2: Paris

Paris exceeded my expectations! I went in with a pretty low reviews from friends that Paris was a dirty city and usally the least favorite among a trip to Europe. Despite the trash mountains (Pictured Below) on every street and corner. Apparently the garbage collectors are on strike currently. We absolutely loved all the small cafe's, markets, and flower shops.

Due to me paying with credit card points for my flight I flew into Paris separetly. Of course into a different terminal. So after navigating my way through customs and to Jaydn, Logan, and Brooke's terminal we were promtly escorted outside to the smoking area due to suspicious baggage. After defying the wishes of the security guards and going back inside we were able to make our way to the taxi areas.

I forgot to take a picture of our first meal in Paris where Logan realized after finishing his meal that the French eat french fries with a fork... and Jaydn realized after eating half his meal that the fish he ordered was chicken. Me and Brooke shared some tomatoes, mozzerella, and Seafood Pasta.

At this point we were all going on little to no sleep after arriving at what would be 4am Sioux Falls time, so we were all getting cranky and hangry. We made the decision to take a nap and get some pastries at the Eiffel Tower for a snack (that I also forgot to take a photo of). This turned the day around.

We walked around and took in the glory of the Eiffel Tower for a while. The boys went inside to go underneath while Abby and Brooke looked at it from afar.

On are way to the Arc of Triumph we made a little detour to the Paris Fire station #5 where Jaydn traded patches and they showed us around. They also showed us how much stronger they were than Jaydn and made him try on their helmet.... highlight of our day.

Around 6:30 we got a car to the stairs of Sacre Coure or the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. We got a great view of the city and the Eiffel Tower at sunset. After an interested run in with a self cleaning bathroom, we were treated with the light show of 20,000 twinkling lights that make the light show absolutely breathtaking each night. While Jaydn and Logan got beers at a nearby Irish Pub, Brooke and I explored the Cathedral, I went to confession, lit some candles for intentions, and spent some much needed quiet time in prayer.

After we joined the boys for a couple beers we were happy to eat a great meal at Pink Mamas, an aesthetically pleasing restaurant and bar after a quick walk from Sacre Coure. Brooke and I shared a geat pasta dish as well as a steak and potatoes second course. The boys got some ravioli and a pizza. Everything was great and we got some fun cocktails.

A couple other notables/highlights:

• Some of the "Do Not Walk" signs on the steets featured an angry looking stick figure with his hands on his hips.

• So far in France men and women share bathrooms. Its been an interesting experience washing our hands in the company of the opposite sex.