It gets better....

Day 3
FINALLY landing in Paris, we arrived at the Novotel (4*s yaay).... and FINALLY got a shower. thank god. Squeaky clean we wandered the streets of the "city of lights/love." Enjoyed dinner and a scrumptious waiter with a group that found our southern twangs slightly less than endearing, but we can the same thing about them.
And what's Paris without the metro?... First stop, Trocadero, the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Strolled between scary, insistent street vendors and the Asian tourists only to approach the bateaux-mouches (double decker ferry boat touring the Seine).... Between the monuments and the oh so in love Parisians we happened to sit in front of the most ignorant teenagers we could hope to find in Paris. Not only did we get to hear their incredibly dispicable taste in movies, but their narrow-mindedness of different cultures... But I must say, the lights of Paris are truly enchanting.
We ended the night with a final twinkle of the Eiffel Tower. Our Parisian adventure had just begun.

Day 4
Ever woken up to the smell of hot French croissants?... I can truly say now i have. We hopped on a bus at 9am and toured all the sights you could hope to see in Paris. Traffic was CRAZY (no lanes) but the sights of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee, and l'Hotel d'Invalides made up for the horrible driving. Next to THE Notre Dame... Fully equipted, with scary men in gargoyle masks attacking Mrs. Rachel and Frances in the streets, Mrs. Royer breakdancing, cheap souvenir shopping. If nothing else, I have officially learned how to correctly wrap a French scarf.
For lunch... a croque monsieur and a chocolat crepe, Emily serving as my lunch splitting buddy. Bon appetit.
Can't stop yet... off to Versailles, the Neverland Ranch of Louis XIV. Though scorching hot and crowded, the body to body contact proved worth it to view the famous Hall of Mirrors. Off to the gardens of Versailles... A chilly breeze blew the the perfectly symmetrical "Garden of Eden," and as for the unsatisfied group we were joining, our first integration began. Indian Head Poker anyone?!?!
Headed back to the hotel and changed, then the entire group set off to a cafe deep in the heart of Paris. While Laura and Emily headed off to the Champs Elysee, Katherine and I followed the rest of the group to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was crowded and cold, but it was more than worth it. We went up the elevator... ground level.... 1st floor (gift shop and cafe)... 2nd floor (restaurant)... and as the doors dinged on the 3rd floor, the entire skyline of Paris appeared before us. As the sun went down and the lights began to sparkle, we made our way DOWN THE STAIRS to the ground level.

Day 5
Bright and early... What is Paris without museums?
First the Louvre and the "big three" (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo)
Discovered Laura and Kat sitting in a cafe and that is where Em and I spent the next hour.
Second stop the Orangerie, home to Monet and his famous "Water Lilies." Other artists included Pablo Picasso, Paul Guillame, and Marie Laurencin.
Hopped on the metro and headed to the modern Pompidou Centre. Emily, Laura, Katherine, and I enjoyed a Parisian lunch beside the Stravenski Fountain. Laura and her pigeon calls attracted more birds than one would hope. To escape the madness, we stepped into a creperie for some yummy cafe au lait.
The tour groups split up and we were given the right to roam. Can you say shopping?? On the way to the Lafayette shopping centre, Kat was almost mugged, but her mother, superwoman that she is, protected her as a lion would a cub. We entered the centre only to find the dress of Emily's dreams... After trying it on, and falling in love, she quickly realized it was unrealistic. She sadly replaced its designer tags on the hanger and walked away devastated. What she doesn't know is that Laura, Kat, and I will be recreating it for her birthday.
On the way home, Kate kicked some metro booty, single handedly navigating us back to Novo. PS we witnessed the art of a succesful pickpocket, even if it was only 5 dollars.
Planned to head to Sacre Coeur with our tourguide, but he left us. So instead we made a plan to head via metro. John gave up his taxi seat for Mrs. Royer and recieved a freebie for US History (that can come in handy...) so he joined us on the metro.
John, Dad, Emily, and I hiked up 267 steps to the beautiful Sacre Coeur. You've never heard music until you've heard the choir of the "Sacred Heart."
Met up with Mrs. Royer and Ms. King for dinner. While at SC, Mrs. Rachel and Kat were scheming to plan Laura a surprise 17th birthday bash. Upon returning to the hotel, we less than discretely ditched Laura to finish the birthday plans.
SURPRISE!!!!! We attacked Laura with balloons and cupcakes, almost giving her an epilepsy.
Spent the night reading Cosmo with the girls, returning to the room around 1am to pack for Dinard.

Day 6
Laura's Birthday
As Laura and Emily slept in from the late night girl talk, Kat and I headed down to breakfast a 6am. Hopped on the bus and headed for Giverny at 745am.
At Giverny, we toured Claude Monet's inspiration for his "Water Lilies," a home and garden more impressive than I've ever viewed before. Lots of pictures... thank you mothers.
Alright, back on the bus. This time, for a couple of hours.... Where should we go? The beaches of Normandy.
Imagine standing on the beach where children play, knowing that hundreds of thousands of young lives, just like mine had been lost upon the sand... After taking in the scenery, I joined the girls for a cup of coffee, protected from the rain under a small pavillion.
Back on the bus, a bit of European license plate trivia. GB? Yep, Great Britain. CZ? That's the Czech Republic. Let's just say, it's not as easy as it sounds. Oh and... Ms. King did a little shopping. Can you say secret society... well kinda. You know those little dog clickers they used to make them sit? Well Ms. King bought us each one. Somehow, they're supposed to bind us together.
Headed to the American Cemetery to witness hundreds of thousands of white crosses and stars of David bearing the names of dead soldiers... Facing home (America) of course.
After 3 more hours of driving, we finally arrived at our small boutique hotel. Dinner was encroyable and conversation was never ending. Thomas Head fed an invisible baby, and Ms. King laughed her head off. Shocker.
We then joined Mrs. Royer for a voyage up to the cliffs. Beautiful to say the least.
Laura and I now sit in a cafe overlooking the English Channel at 1am explaining to you exactly why France is so amazing.

a tout a l'heure

Sincerely,
Natalie