Paris, 358•

We've come not quite 360 degrees from our original assessment of Paris and are still not 100% that we would ever feel the need to come again...but it's better than yesterday!

First, we woke up, checked our email to see if Baby Girl Dufton, who was born yesterday, has a name yet...no. Little Girl is what Mom calls her, since Matthew sent me and Mom each 3 messages on Words with Friends that all said "Little Girl".

Then we checked email to see if we got anything from the owner or the company that rented Mom the apartment regarding our complaint about it's less than clean state (there was hair in the sink in the bathroom, stains in the toilet and food in the sink)...no again. Mom's pissed.

So we went out for a Brioche and cappuccino (again, twice as much as Italy and the coffee is bitter) and then walked to the Seine...we thought.

We went into the Bon Marche because Mom wanted to buy something for Little Girl and I saw a lovely Dior dress...size 3 months, only 375€...what? Not reasonable?

Turns out we walked the wrong way and had to backtrack, back past the apartment so we both decided to come in to change into something more appropriate...never have I felt like I stood out as "North American" so much as here. We had to get dressed up to sightsee so we didn't feel out of place...it's THAT bad. If the frickin kids are wearing 375€ dresses at least I can go out in the GOOD clothes that I bought at the grocery store!


Anyway, yesterday we booked a Segway tour of Paris for today at 2, so the only thing we had to do was be there, at the South Foot of the Eiffel Tower by 1:45pm. After the backtrack, stop to change, take laundry out and hang it (though the apartment is so damp it hasn't a hope to dry - Mom is fooling herself if she thinks she'll be wearing her jeans home) and head out again...we walk to the Seine and catch the first double decker "I'm a tourist, target me now" bus we can find!

We do all the majors in an hour and it drops us off at the Eiffel tower where we have time for our best authentic French lunch yet...french fries!

Anyway - the tour was AWESOME... AWE SOME! Andre our guide was funny and very enthusiastic about his French history (he's Portuguese) and we had 4 hours of fun and information on every site we saw. Mom said she would come back to Paris just for the Segway!!

We walked back, a little over an hour and quickly got changed to go out for dinner and went for the BEST food since arriving...we ate Italian! Listen, it's our vacation, we can eat what we want. Italian wine, Italian food - tres bien.

We'll eat Italian tomorrow and surely love Paris all the more!!

Then back to the apartment...down to the dungeon...pull open the door and say "Heave!!!" Mom nearly pisses herself, she didn't pee before we left the restaurant..."stop it!" she says.

We're getting ready for bed, our nightly ritual...her reading the blog and wheezing (laughing) and me saying "what are you laughing about now?". Her answer this time? "we paid money for this apartment! I picture Aunt Jo-Anne reading this!!"