It's Not Personal...It's Just the Longest Blog Entry Ever!

After breakfast Monday, we checked out and tried to ship our one garment bag home. After finding out it would be 300 euros – which is like a million dollars because our money is worth NOTHING here- we left to check in at our next hotel. This one is closer to the Eiffel Tower and was very French, with a cute courtyard.

The concierge told us to take the bus to the Louvre, and told us how much it would be. Turns out he was way off. Bret, Jessica, Billy, and Teri scrambled on the bus to get the right change, but Shawn and Emily didn’t have enough and they missed the bus.

While the 4 of us were outside the Louvre waiting for the 2 others to catch up, a brother approached Billy and Bret because they were also wearing their badges. He had 2 extra tickets he accidentally bought and gave them to the guys. Just another example of how Jehovah will take care of us if we just obey him- in large things and small.

Once we got into the Louvre, we were in yet another line, and a girl from England saw Bret’s badge and asked about it. He told her he was a Jehovah’s Witness and was here for a convention. She was a bit puzzled for a moment, and then said to the woman that was with her, “Oh, hey they are the ones that came to our door.” Then she turned to us and said, “You guys know everything about the Bible, right? I’d like to know more about the Bible.” We almost thought someone was playing a joke on us. When we checked in for the convention, we were given a packet of French invitations to the convention and the “Would you like to know the Truth?” brochures. Of course the one person that is really sincere in asking us what we were doing here speaks English and all we have is French literature! Jessica gave her the brochure anyway, and showed her the back to fill out for a Bible Teach book. The girl asked how much it was, and we told her it was free. She was really impressed by that and said she would definitely send in the request.

These things happened all because we were wearing our badges- even after the convention. In such a large, foreign place we could have felt alone and unsafe. But since we saw brothers and sisters EVERYWHERE (literally), it was really nice. You see a badge and you instantly know you have something in common with that person. This time, the worldly people noticed that they were the minority- surrounded by witnesses. It makes me think what it would be like if we wore badges everywhere...

The Louvre can be done in 2 hours- you just have to not care to see anything! We didn’t have a lot of time, so we made a beeline to the Mona Lisa. Imagine being at a concert, and you are on the floor trying to get through the hot, stinky crowd. A few whiffs of B.O. and there you are up at the front of the stage. Only, instead of your favorite band, there is some little, weird lady smirking at you. You stare back for a few minutes while people are leaning on you, breathing down your neck, and then you get the heck out of there. That’s how I describe seeing the Mona Lisa.

Where's Mona?

She looks different up close...

We then went to see some things on a do-it-yourself Bible tour. If we got lost, we would just follow the convention badges. The highlight was the Moabite stone, that has Jehovah’s name on it. Very cool. This was of course where all the witnesses were- it was a little crowd and not as stinky as the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is a feat in itself. Every room is so ornate, and it goes on forever. It’s definitely a must see if you have time- just don’t go during busy season.

Witness mosh pit..

Next, we made our way to the Montmarte area to see the Sacre Couer and grab some lunch. A brother we met at the convention ran out when he saw us wandering the street. We went into the café he was at with some friends and ate. Oh and by the way- Dave, the term “ESB” and “IPA” don’t exist in Paris. The beer is watery at best. Hopefully it will be better in London.
One of the girls we met at the café is from New Zealand (she knows Leif!), but has lived in Paris for the past 6 years. She proceeded to tell us about the difference between the French and the rest of the world. This brings us to the Quote du Jour, “The French don’t care about you-they don’t care about anybody. It’s just not personal…they just don’t care. It’s quite liberating actually.” You could say this was our “Ah-ha moment” a la Oprah-style.

Sacre Couer..

The bees here are CRAZY. I have never had to swat so many bees in my life. They are everywhere and they are evil. They have been in my hair, in my face on my glasses- even in the porto-potty at the convention. One in particular wouldn’t leave me alone, and I almost had to run out of the porto-potty with my dress up around my waist and my underwear at my feet. It was the fastest bathroom break ever! I thought it was a miracle no one has been stung yet. Well, today at the café, Teri got stung. Every bee that came around after got smashed into the window behind us thanks to Bret’s shoe. Hitting things onto the glass probably added to the stupid loud tourist reputation that we have!

We walked around the area for a bit. Then we split up- Bret and I went to meet with my Aunt and Uncle at the Champs-Elysees. The others stayed longer to see more of the area, including the Moulin Rouge, then met up. Paris is expensive in general, but the Champs-Elysees is a very expensive part of town. All the designer shops and fancy restaurants are there. I was soooo thirsty, so I ordered water in the lobby while waiting for everyone. Turns out it was 7 Euros, which is like a 9 dollar bottle of water. This was just a foreshadow of the things to come…

My Aunt and Uncle live in London right now. They are letting us stay in their flat when we go, and we had to meet up and get the keys and directions. They just happened to be in Paris when we were so it worked out. We went to a cool bar for drinks- this place was really nice and also spendy. Emily ordered a half-n-half martini that came in –not a martini glass- but a beer pint glass. Turns out, all the vodka drinks that were made were accidentally made with black licorice vodka. Unless you really love licorice, they were disgusting. After, having the waiter-who spoke no English-smell the drink, he remade all the drinks. Which brings us to the new drink he made- a vodka gin and tonic. It had an interesting taste to say the least. She didn’t know the vocabulary to object in French to the drink (again), nor to dispute the 19 Euro price tag. Do the math…Ouch! With that being said, it was nice to hang out with family and it was a small price to pay for having a free place to stay in London!

Drinking our money away....in one drink!

My aunt, uncle, and cousins....they say hi!

We wrapped up the longest day of our lives, by seeing the Arc de Triomphe. We were so tired, and poor by then that we didn’t want to pay and wait in line to walk up to the top. Nevertheless, it was cool to see and a good way to wrap up seeing Paris.

The guys at the Arc de Triumph