Day 7-paris - sacre coeur - champs-elysées - arc de triomphe - Eiffel Tower

Woke up very very early for a full day of sightseeing. Called Ric at his hotel to inform him about my plans to set up lunch with him and his kids. We decided that I meet them at their hotel at 11:00am.

I quickly got ready and I headed to the Metro to go to Sacre Coeur first. I wanted to beat the crowd so I need ed a head start. I stupidly got off at Abbesses instead of Anvers because I thought it would be closer but it was a huge mistake. Once, I got outside, I was immediately lost so I decided that I needed to go up. So I started walking up the hill, passing houses, and poop. A couple also seemed lost probably looking for the church.

We just kept on walking when I finally talked to them and Ifound out they were from Egypt. We decided to find Sacre Coeur together and we kept walking up the hill and I was so tired from it. I thought I wasn't going to make it and we were still lost. So we asked strangers where it was and they pointed up.

When we finally found it, no one was there which was the best! I watched the view from the top and I loved it. I was in Paris!

Paris!

I always wanted to be in Paris! And for the first time, I felt the love that I needed to feel. All because of the panoramic view of the city.

I climbed the stairs slowly, stopping in between to catch a glimpse of the expanding view. When I finally got to the top of the stairs, I started taking pictures when I noticed a man climbing the steps . He looked vaguely familiar and then he called my name.

And then I knew it. It was Ric!!

I was so surprised but really happy at the same time that I wasn't alone anymore. I started feeling crappy about going to see many new places alone. Finally,  I had someone from Toronto in Paris with me. My luck was changing!

So, we posed outside and some stranger took our picture and we went inside the church. I completely forgot that you can't wear sleeveless inside the church, a man quickly reminded me, and asked me to put on my jacket.

The church was really nice but not as nice inside as Notre Dame. I liked the outside part of Sacre Coeur more. And I couldn't take pictures inside the church this time. Ric and I walked around for a bit before stepping outside and going to the back part of the church. A little garden was there and we sat on the benches for a bit before deciding to head back out to get some coffee.

We went back near his hotel and we found a cafe nearby. We had espresso and sat outside admiring the Parisian street. The sun was shinning brightly and it couldn't have been more perfect. We exchanged travel experiences and we were thankful about being in Paris at the same time. It was really great! We enjoyed being out and watching people pass us by.

Ric left me for a few minutes at the cafe to wake his sons up for lunch. They were hard to peeled off the bed but they finally woke up enough to get dressed and stumble outside. We all walked out and I lead the way to Champs-Elysee's to find a restaurant. It was fun walking with giants. I felt so tiny between the 3 of them.

We walked along the Champs-Elysee's with the hordes of tourists milling about. I felt claustrophobic. The boys picked a restaurant and we decided to dine al fresco. The tables were really tiny and the space  in between the tables was so minimal that one of the boys actually bumped into the other table next to ours and broke 3 wine glasses and we didn't even sat down yet.

It was pretty funny.

Ordering was really tricky. No one spoke a word of french, thankfully our server was nice and he spoke english. I think we offended him a couple of times and I sat there cringing. Everyone managed to get food they wanted. Boy number 2 ordered a beer. We didn't know that you can order small or large. It was weird. He went for small and when we saw it, it was tiny. And this boy is big. The beer was like baby juice size.

Ric and I ordered wine and toasted Paris. During lunch Boy number 1 got his food and started eating when the server realized he gave him the wrong order. He practically ate half of it already so he had to swap his food.

When we were done eating. Boy number 2, Ric, and I stood up to leave. Boy number 1 just there looking at the crowd. We just went out and looked back at him laughing when he finally realized he was the only one sitting at the table.

Hilarious!

After lunch, we parted ways. I was off to the Arc de Triomphe while they went to the Louvre. I walked to the Arc because it was really close by. I decided to go up and it was really tiring once again because of the stairs. I thought I was going to pass out but once again I made it to the top. The view was sooooo beautiful. I could even see the Eiffel Tower, La Defense, and Sacre Coeur. It was really worth the trek up and there was no line up so it suited me just fine. I looked out and took a million photos. The funny thing when I was up there was, so many Filipino people approached me and asked me where I was from in the Phillipines. I got stopped so much and they all made conversations with me. I was getting tired of it so I went downstairs and enjoyed my peace.

I decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower, I thought it was easy peasy. I was dead wrong, the sun was really intense that day and I felt so icky from the heat. I stopped by a cafe, got some pastries ,and water and decided to keep on walking. I found a bench along the way and had a mini picnic while watching a moving company. It was weird how they had a truck with a huge ladder in the front of a large apartment window. They would just slide things down instead of going up the apartment. I guess it's easier to navigate than using the small long stairs in France! I thought was brilliant. Too bad I didn't take a picture!

I went to Tocadero and people watched. It was really nice there and I got to see little kids roaming around. Then, I went down to the Eiffel Tower. It was jam packed with tourists lining up left and right. It was disgusting so after taking a couple of pictures, I didn't even dare line up. Instead I went to the garden and sat there to enjoy the sights. It was packed with people and everyone was gearing up for the Bastille Day.

I was minding my own business when a young man asked if he could sit down near me and I said yes (I didn't own the park). I went back to what I was doing when he started making a conversation.

guy: my name is faisal. you know what that means?
me: no
guy: judge
me: oh really. that's nice.
guy: are you alone?
me: no, my family is here....they are getting something.
guy: would you like to have drinks with me?
me: no

I ignored him and he got annoyed and left, THANKFULLY! That man was a creep and I saw him trying to talk to other women.

I left shortly after that because I was scared that bastard was going to come back and hunt me. I took the Metro home and relaxed until the phone rang and I was summoned to go back to the Metro to meet my mom's friend.

We went to La Defense and visited one of my mom's other friends. We had a very late dinner there and it was pretty fun but I was really tired from sightseeing.