We arrived at Gare Du Nord around 2 in the afternoon on Saturday and stopped at a cafe to have lunch and get our bearings. We took the metro (lines 4, then 7) to VilleJuif - Luis Aragon. We had arranged to stay in a Korean hostel (more of a home stay) called Nam De Mun, located on the southern outskirts of the city. It was farther out than we might have liked but was very affordable so we booked our first two nights there, figuring that if transportation became an issue we could always head elsewhere. Turns out, Nam De Mun was a lucky choice. Very private, more like a home, the owners and staff were very friendly and the food was delicious: home made Korean breakfast and dinner is offered daily. Haha - I think after our first dinner there, Erin and I decided to extend our reservations for another two nights. Over the course of the following four days, we visited the Louvre, had cotton candy in the Jardin des Tulleries, walked along the Seine and snapped pictures of Place de la Concorde, climbed the Eiffel Tower, stood in awe of Notre Dame, walked around countless neighborhoods including the Latin Quarter and went to a concert in the oldest church in Paris, the Eglise Saint-Julian-le-Pauvre, featuring the music of Chopin and Beethoven. We squeezed in the Musee D'Orsay, a museum filled with the works of many of my favorite French artists, as well as the catacombs. We also met a new friend, Midan San, who works at Nam De Mun. He has traveled quite a bit in his time and has had many careers: he is a painter and is currently taking classes to learn how to restore paintings. But he has also been a sushi chef, a translator, a cowboy in Australia, and climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest. He offered to show Erin and I around one night, and we were able to experience the local nightlife. The next morning was slow going but we rallied and made the best of the beautiful weather. I loved the city, the people, the culture. Parisians are so fashionable, there were effortlessly stylish men and women everywhere, wearing tailored clothing at every corner. The food was rich and we couldn't get enough of the baguettes, the pastries, the creme cafe... Thank god we were walking all day, or we would have gained 50 pounds, everything had so much butter! We are now heading to Barcelona in an overnight train and will be meeting my friend Jax in a couple of days. Here are some of the highlights, now I need to get back to some Angry Birds :)
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