About three hours (and one nap) into the drive we stopped at our first French comfort stop. It was by far the nicest truck stop we have been to all trip and had free bathroom. Score. I got a pain au chocolate which I was unimpressed with, but had wanted to try. I had never had one before and this one looked way better than it tasted. That usually seems to case with pastries. This stop also had a mini mart just like all the other stops in the other countries. I love looking at all the local snacks (chips and candy) at these. This one had a of cookies and chips I wanted to try, but I refrained. Perhaps the most interesting chips I saw were Cheeseburger Lays potato chips and Roasted Chicken Lays potato chips. They were both large bags so I didn't buy them. One surprise here was that I finally spotted Vitamin Water, but no Vitamin Water Zero. Bummer. In a few more days I can drink as much as I want!!
It was back on the bus for another two hours until a quick photo op over a French Vineyard and a bathroom break. The toilets here were just drains in the ground, aka squat toilets. Ew. I opted to pass on that. No freaking way. Had I had a Go Girl, perhaps I would have probably gone, but not a chance otherwise. After the quick pit stop it was back on the road again for a two more hours until our lunch stop. I got yet another delicious salad for lunch for the third day in a row. I missed big salads and have been happy to have them available for meals again! After lunch, you guessed it, back on the road. Again. Long bus day today. Our longest thus far but I was so excited to finally be in Paris.
When we finally got to the hotel, it was 4:15 and it turns out there is free wifi in the lobby. Big relief. Woohoo! I need to stay connected at least once a day. It's a mini addiction. We had to be ready to leave for dinner and our cabaret show at 5:45 so that left little time to explore by the time I got settled. I asked concierge where to go and he sent me to a building about 20 minutes away to get an aerial view of the city. However, by the time I got there, the line was too long for me to have time to wait and go up and enjoy the view and get back in time to shower and be ready. I was pissed!! We basically lost a whole day here. Ugh. Had there been no line I would have been totally fine time-wise. Damn tourists! I am going to try and get over there tomorrow now that I know the way and as I've said quite a few times, I am a sucker for a panoramic aerial view. And for the record, I got there all by myself without getting turned around once. Bravo to me.
Tonight we went to dinner and a cabaret show. It wasn't the Moulin Rouge, but a smaller show called La Nouvelle Eve. Another Parisian variety show, and it was excellent. Both the food and the entertainment were great. Lets start with the food first... I started with liver pate, followed by chateaubriand, then a cheese plate, and finally an apple tart for dessert. All so Parisian. All so very good. As for the show, there was dancing, acrobatics, juggling, and of course the can-can. Oh yeah, and boobies. Lots of boobies and thongs. Oooh la la. It was a cabaret after all, and all very tasteful. I LOVED the dresses worn for the can-can and the dance itself. The whole show was quite enjoyable. Afterwards, we walked down the block to see the Moulin Rouge. Its bright lights and windmill were awesome to see in person. And of course, to myself I started singing the song "Lady Marmalade." It's from that song that I learned the only French phrase in my vocab: "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir." Thanks Christina, Pink, Missy, and Lil Kim! I am really glad I got to experience a real Parisian cabaret even though I was originally irritated it cut into my short exploration time earlier. I'll get over it as long as I see everything on my list tomorrow!
Although today was pretty much a waste of a day, it was a fun first night in Paris and I can't wait to see everything tomorrow. I better!!!
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