The trip to Paris took about 2.5 hours but the train ride was amazingly smooth. This is not at all like the local subway systems or like Amtrak back us the states. Anyhow, I booked a room ahead of time at the Vintage Hostel. Before I got there, however, I had to figure out how to navigate the streets of Paris. This place was tremendously difficult for me to figure out, and I ended up getting lost for about 45 minutes prior to arriving at my lodgings.
This would actually be the first hostel that I have stayed in on this trip (or ever) and I was somewhat worried about the experience. This time, my worries did not come to fruition. The hostel was clean, the staff were friendly, and the chaps that I shared a room with were friendly and quiet.
After checking in at the Hostel, I asked for some tourist info. Were there any good sites to see that were nearby? Indeed there was. The Montmartre Church. Or, as I will probably call it in the future: the church on the hill. Actually, searching wikipedia, this is more appropriate than I had initially thought. Montmartre means church, so it is the hill church. Anyhow, here it is, through the cracks of some buildings.
It was quite a walk up to the church, and even then, you had a ton of steps to climb before you were to the top. They actually have a lift car setup that you can pay to ride if you don't want to climb them.
Oh, but it was worth it! Pictures inside of the church were not allowed, but the view from the top was spectacular, and you could see all of Paris stretched out before you.
After that, I headed down the hill through the fabric district of Paris. There were so many fabric stores! This section gave me a bad initial impression of the city. It was crowded and not too clean. Plus, you were constantly bombarded with gypsies asking for money. I found that they best was to avoid trouble was to respond to them that you didn't know English. I caught the subway to the Eiffel Tower after some initial trouble purchasing tickets. But I know have another subway system under my belt. New York, here I come! By the time I reached the tower, it was dark out and the tower was lit up. Gorgeous.
But here is another picture, this time without that green headed bloke ruining the shot.
After the Tower, I thought about taking a river boat ride, but the cost turned me off to the idea. Instead, I headed back to the section of town I was staying in and looked for a place to eat. A nice guy on a bike told me a place to eat, but sadly I couldn't find it. Instead, I found a restaurant that was crowded and took my chances. I lost that bet. A good half of my rib-eye was raw when I cut into it and it was simply not that good. Bleah.
After dinner, I went back to the hostel, severely wiped out. I read for a good two hours and then went to bed. I'll post more in a few minutes, but under a new post. I don't want it to be too long. Here is one more picture though. It seems that there are two examples of neat underground art springing up around the city. One guy made a mold of his face and has plastered it on walls around the city with different paint patterns. The other, below, are tiled pictures of Space Invaders from the old video game!
Don't be too sad about the game store. I went in last time I was in Paris, and it smelled horrible, due to the Miniatures players who apparently cared more about their models then personal hygiene. In all fairness, it was in the middle of a hot summer, too.
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