Hi everyone!
I am back from cold Paris (9 degree celsius) to nice sunny barcelona (20 degree celsius). I could almost go swimming here! Paris was really fun! despite the cold weather, we breathed the winds with our down jackets (SJ got kinda sick, maybe the cold and lack of sleep caught up with him)

Day 1
I managed to get on the crowded metro to Porte Dauphine, where SJ is studying. Remember that day the drivers were still on strike. There is one metro every 30 minutes. So when I needed to change the train at Place de Clichy, I had to literally push my way out. we were packed like sardines. literally. even in singapore, we don't squeeze like that!

SJ's sch is kinda like a NUS or NTU. it is big, crowded, a little run down but nonetheless filled with student activities. We took a nice stroll down to Arc de Triomph, where we climbed plenty of stairs up to the top to get a bird's eye view of Paris. Really beautiful. will post the photo.

Arc de Triomph marks the start of SG-equivalent of Orchard Road, otherwise known as Champ Elysses. There are plenty og shops lining this street, with restaurants. There is this building with a flag on it, and guess what? Welcome to Louis Vuitton. We went in. the prices were exhorbitant. I guess ppl are willing to pay for quality. they had their bags, clothes line, watches, shoes, children wear etc. really eye opening. unlike the LV boutiques, here, ppl throng through as if it was a flea market. and business is brisk!!

we walked down the entire street and reached the Ferris Wheel. Beautiful. I will take the Eiffel tower when I next come to Paris. Think by then, it would be even colder.

Then we took the metro to The Lourve. I am not a fan of museums, but this museum is great. i love it. it is free for students on friday nights and it was not very crowded. it is free every first sunday of the month. the paintings were awesome, and if u remember, here is the venue for the shooting of The Da Vince Code. We saw the Triangles and the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci is a genius, but two of his paintings spook me, as SJ tried to explain to me.

We went back to SJ's place. it is not bad. for 350 euros per person (he is sharing with my sec sch fren), his room is spacious and it is self-sufficient. cold, but there is heater. we try to save on electricity, cos the rent paid only includes water bills; he has to pay electricity and internet and what not. I did not feel like bathing at times, cos it was cold, but i guess i m still a clean freak.

Day 2
Saturday morning. we started off really late, but cos we were all geared up for a CHINESE FOOD BUFFET!!! I was really looking forward to it. SJ had managed to discover the chinatown of Paris and recee this restaurant. There was sweet and sour pork, steamed and fried chicken, plenty of rice, fried prawns, nice green COOKED veg (not raw salad), spring rolls. We ate so much we were very full and had to go back for a nap. but it was wonderful. SJ had been telling me over msn abt it, and made me really look forward to this meal.

in the evening, we did the unthinkable. we went to the eiffel tower, and stood with thousands of english fans and a handful of south african fans to watch the rugby world cup finals on a big screen behind the eiffel tower. boy the scene was chaos. ppl bought tons of beer and champagne to 'celebrate'. when england scored a try, ppl were spraying beer and sj got some on his hair, his jacket and his bag when he tried to cover me from the beer. haha. it kinda stink when u leave it to dry. oh well. i had smoke in my hair. i think europeans smpoke a lot cos the weather is cold. they smoke as and when they have a chance man. but i think they are considerate. like smoking in open areas and not in air con or enclosed areas.

day 3
sj cooked a sunday lunch. it was great. we had long bean,s pork, muchrooms and chicken cooked in honey! of cos with good old rice. SJ says any food placed in his fridge has soapy taste cos the cleaning lady used soap to wash the fridge. any suggestions how to remove the soapy taste?

and we went out, first to the opera theatre. It was beautiful (isn't my vocab limited?) here were statues of mozart and handel and inside was cold plated decorations in the hall. we could not enter as it was closed for a performance. nontheless, i could imagine royalties gathered in the hall for musicals and dances. relaly royal and rich

We walked down along key d'orsay and reached notre dame cathedral. there were many tourists taking the boat trip on key d'orsay. and there is a musee d'orsay, which i will go in january. apparently it is beautiful as well. there were stalls along the ricer selling interesing stuff. and the streets were generally lively.

We entered the notre dame. we borrowed the audio guide. apparently it houses the nail used to nail jesus and the wood from his cross. it was sunday and there were ppl in the church. choirs, prayers. there were plaques and statues from few hundreds years ago, some donated by napolean. and this place became famous cos of victor hugo (he has a metro station named after him) who wrote The Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

after the notre dame, sj wanted to have dinner at one of the french restaurants along saint michel. so we walked up and down the river, till we found a nice little restaurant, that had foie gra and set menu. we ordered a foie gra with egg for starter, Duck Confit, Bass poisson, and a tiramisu for dessert. I din know what to expect, except maybe the food will be Western style, small quantity, and too expensive for our liking. Guess what? The bass was a whole fish, with salt on it to remove the fishy smell. it was like how we cook at home! with a scoop of rice! and some salad (which carnivourous SJ ate it all up) and the duck confit was nice too. comes with potato and egg. I thought the portion was generous, for both of us were really full. The tiramisu was nice as well, haha i could feel a little high after eating the alcohol in it (just kidding)

after dinner, we made our way to out final venue - moulin rouge. i din know what to expect. SJ said there would be plenty of ppl asking to put a band ard ur wrist, as if it would be cool to do so. and once u wear it, they will extort like 50 euros from u to remove it. otherwise their gang will crowd ard u. we walked. there was the famous windwheel, plenty of shops and restaurants ard. and shops that were offering shows. hmmmm. it was safe, cos there was plenty of police and tourists ard. there is a church round the corner, can't spell the name, but it was closed when we reached. will try to visit that place again.

and now for some pictures after all this description!!!