Paris

Finally a city where I understand what is going on!! Well, almost. Too bad I have been out of school for so long that I have forgotten most of my French...but I can still get by in a city where people refuse to speak English....even though they can. I have given u asking if they speak English because they will just say to you in French that they can speak it but you have to talk to them in French. Only after they get frustrated by my attempts to put together a proper sentence to get my point across will they speak up, in fluent English "What do you want?!" I have definitely met the notorious rude french but have also met some really nice people as well, they seem to fit into one of two ends of the spectrum here. I feel sorry for tourists who no French knowledge, they get eaten alive.

It is really cold in Paris! Like 5C with a bitter cold wind. Yesterday it hailed twice, rained once, snowed once, was cloudy and windy and clear and sunny all intermixed on the same day over the course of 10 hours. I have never seen crazy weather like it, not even in Calgary, and we have crazy weather. Today is nicer, 10C and sunny with no wind.

I went on a bike tour yesterday and then to the Musee d'Orsay, which has a great impressionist display with lots of Van Gogh's, Monets and Reniors...a really nice museum. Today I went to the Picasso Museum and am going to head off to Sacre Coure ( where they filmed the end part of Ameilie where she leads him through the park) then I will climb the Eiffel Tower and on a night time bike tour to see all the lights and then a cruise. Busy fun day ahead of me!

I really like Paris so far and am enjoying my time here, also eating lots of crepes!! They have replace my gelato gorges of Italy.

I an staying in a nice hostel. I was supposed to be in a 4 bed dorm but a girl staying in one of the 2 bed dorms on the top floor is scared to sleep on the top bunk so they asked me if I would trade with her. So I get this amazing room with a balcony and a great view at the cheap price of a dorm room. Fate's paying me back for the Barcelona weather fiasco.