Day 1

>
> We love it here! Were having the best time so far, and had such a
> great day today!
>
> We went on the free walking tour today which took us all around the
> main area of the city and gave us a great history of the entire
> place. We got to see Notre Dame, the Louvre, the tuleries gardens,
> walk along the Siene, Champs elysses, and the other major sites. Our
> guide was lovely and we made friends with a nice girl from Chicago,
> a homeless backpacker from Michigan, and a bunch of Austrailians.
>
> The tour lasted most of the day, but afterwards we ventured to the
> Eiffel tower and made it just in time for sunset!
>
> I have to say this has got to be the BEST time to travel here! We
> found out that not only hasn't it snowed in 6+ years here, but it
> usually melts just as quickly as it falls. If Paris is beautiful
> normally, (which it is!), then it's absolutey gorgeous with all this
> snow everywhere!!! The park around the Eiffel tower was so pretty
> some of our pictures should be postcards or something! And it is
> cold, but with boots and coat and everything it's really not that
> bad! It's actually quite refreshing to get out of our overheated
> hostel! Besides, with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky,
> who can complain?! And there's absolutely no one here! The summer is
> so so crowded it's miserable and you don't evn get a real feel for
> the city, but this is just wonderful!
>
> Tomorrow we will take the morning off to get some practical things
> done...like buying water...and showering (hehe). And we'll spend the
> afternoon at Notre Dame, Shakespeare Book & Co., and then walk along
> the Champs Elysees to get a closer look, before seeing the Eiffel
> Tower lit up, and then the Louvre in the evening when it's free for
> students and open late!
>
> Were trying to take at least one picture a day with my phone so we
> can post it on the blog, but the one of us by the tower is so awful
> I'm posting this one instead! It's the view from our window today at
> sunset. Were staying along the water with boats tied up....the
> little park is covered in snow and I love watching the Parisians
> walk their little dogs along there in the morning.
>
> PS sunset at the Eiffel tower should be seen by everyone at least
> once in their life! It was the most amazing part of our day!