From Amsterdam to Paris

Hello all!

I'm writing to you from a ship sailing across the English Channel! Yes, we have internet @ sea! But I have limited battery power and the internet has a little lag so pictures are loading veeeeery slowly. I will probably put them up tonight (if we have internet @ our hotel) and send the links out right away - they're definitely worth the wait and some amazing pictures of Paris, I promise - but, where did we leave off?

So we escaped Amsterdam with just enough time on the road to Paris for a quick stop in Brussels. We parked near the halls of justice where they hold international tribunals and walked through some amazingly adorable streets, down past the HQs of Benelux and I believe the European Commission (a branch of the EU). We had lunch at a great cafe on a cobblestone street near a square - I bought some buscuits (cookies really) across the street and then I navigated us through to see the Belgian Boy fountain, or as they call him, the Manneken Pis. (Why, yes, he is that little boy peeing, and yes, they dress him up sometimes, and yes, there were a TON of people there viewing the spectacle that is the Belgian Boy). We bought some postcards and some Belgian chocolate and hiked back to our car. Within 2 hours we were within France and on our way to Paris.

After a little trouble in the hotel area near Charles de Gaulle airport we took a tour with some other American girls from the hotel in the car of this nice French guy who gives tours of the city. He drove us everywhere and knew exactly where to park so that we could get pictures of everything : the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe (my favorite), Royal Operahouse, Napoleon's palace, the Lourve, Notre Dame, etc. The traffic in Paris is RIDICULOUS! There are at least 10 lanes in the circle around the Arc de Triomphe and people are literally cutting straight across perpendicular to others with motorcycles everywhere! So after our fun tour we were ready the next day to conquer Paris on our own by subway. We took the train from the airport into town and the metro all around. We started out in the morning at the Lourve - saw the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo along with most of the egyptian antiquities and French paintings. We also saw where the two pyramids meet, of course! (DaVinci code reference, if you're a fan) Then we stopped at this amazing cemetery - you'll have to see the pictures to believe it - where Jim Morrison's grave is. Next, we stopped by the Moulin Rouge just for the photo op, and then off to the Arc De Triomphe. This time we walked all the way under the circle to stand under the Arch AND we climbed the winding staircase all the way to the top - some of the best pictures of Paris! After that tough climb we found our way to the Eiffel Tower and this time stood right under THAT. And it IS beautful! Mom and Tom were really tired so they sat under it while I climbed as much of the staircase as they would allow for about 4 Euro. That gets you to the second platform, about halfway up, I would say - any farther and you have to pay for the elevator and I wasn't about to stand in line back on the ground for that. So I can say I walked it and I have some amazing photos of the whole city! We had dinner along a street near the Eiffel Tower and then scooted on a train back to Charles DeGaulle airport and our hotel.

This morning we drove across France to Le Harve and caught our ferry across the Channel back home to England. We're nearly there now and I can't wait to be back with the English. Paris was nice, but it most certainly is NOT the cleanest, friendliest, most manageable city in Europe. But hopefully I will send you the pictures later - I know that's what you're really waiting for. But if you'd like, I added captions to the first bunch of pictures and you can get them here at ofoto! Hope you are all well! I will try to get back to your emails as fast as possible when I am able. Keep in touch

much <3
amanda l. berg