Paris New Year's

Dec. 31
Kyle and I departed Schweinfurt at 0230 in a van. We then transferred to two different buses before we finally arrived in Paris around 1400. It took so long due to all the stops at different military installations. We had a couple of hours to freshen up at our hotel before we headed to dinner. Let me tell you, real French Onion Soup is the best. I got it as an appetizer at both dinners and it was just great! After dinner we went on an Illuminations tour down the Seine River on a glass boat. After the boat ride we found our spot for the New Year's Celebration. Close enough to the Eiffel Tower for our liking, yet far enough away to avoid the major crowds. We found out the next day we were standing right next to the tunnel that Princess Diana was killed in.
--The Eiffel Tower was blue with yellow stars to honor the French's Presidency of the European Union. Their six month of presidency ended on the 31st, so we got to see it go from blue to the normal orange-gold. Apparently it won't be blue for another 13 years.

Jan. 1
After getting to sleep in a little, we left our hotel around 1030 for our City tour. We started out back at the Eiffel Tower. Kyle and I opted not to go up it because it was so foggy. Instead we went to the French Officers Military School and checked out some other sites close to the tower. It was nice just to walk around rather than be on the bus. After the Tower we went to the Arc of the Triumph then Kyle and I went and found some lunch, only to get back on the bus. We drove around and saw some sites, ending at the Notre-Dame Cathedral. After the Cathedral we went to another French Restaurant for dinner, and then back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Jan. 2
We got our wake up call at 0640 after a good breakfast and checking out we went to the Palace of Versailles. There was art throughout the palace by Jack Koons. The art was really distracting and took away from the art inside the palace, but it got people talking, which I think was his point. After the Palace we went to the Louvre and had about 2 hours to walk around. We made sure we saw the Mona Lisa, but with so many people bumping into me, and so many people who neglected to put on deodorant that morning I really couldn't take it to long so we didn't stay long and went and walked around outside. After the Louvre we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe, had an undercooked burger and then had about an hour of free time. Kyle and I just wanted to go home, but we walked around and bought baby Pettit a puppet and stuffed animal...the first thing we have bought for him ourselves. Around 1800 we got back on the bus and headed back to Germany.

Jan. 3
We arrived at home around 0430 and went straight to bed. I found it nearly impossible to get any sort of rest and get myself comfortable on that dumb bus and van. Once I got comfortable or asleep it was time to switch vehicles again for us. Kyle had no problem sleeping on the bus. We woke up around 1100, I ate some breakfast/lunch and went back to sleep until around 1600.

To say the least we had a really great time. We enjoyed our tour of Paris very much. I am just extremely exhausted and need to get back on a regular sleeping and eating schedule.