C'est si bon

Get ready for some touristy touristy photos!!!  These are actually divided up by different days, as you will notice two different outfits, but I thought it might be easier to combine them into one post for expediency's sake.  Because if you know Expediency like I do, she can be a fickle femme sometimes.

Once we landed in Paris and unloaded all of our luggage, both literal and emotional, we hopped on the tour bus with our German driver, Peter, and headed to La Ville-Lumière.  Obviously the first stop was the grande dame herself, the Eiffel Tower. Apparently one of the counselors saw a camper crying on the bus and went over to see what was wrong. Basically this was the conversation:

Ellen: Hey, is everything okay?

Camper: I just don't want to be like all those other stereotypical American tourist and embarass myself while in the French culture.

Ellen: Ummm, honey you're gonna have to get over that really quickly.  We are a group of seventy plus teenagers from Michigan wearing uniforms and traveling on a double decker bus. You're not going to blend in so just accept that for the next three weeks you are a tourist. Okay? Perfect.

So in embracing my inner obnoxious American... here are some hits from PARIS.

This ain't Vegas, baby

A view from the bridge. So maybe it's the wrong bridge, but I think Arthur Miller would be proud, nonetheless

Don't like the real one? How about one made of Louis Vuitton luggage! Sabrina and I were just meandering around the streets of Paris and somehow ended up in the ritzy shopping part of town.  And by meandering I mean sniffed it out. And by Sabrina I mean me.

That's MY name!!!

Look at me, Sabrina!

The good life. Well, except for Creepy McFrencherstien in the background.  (That's a French name, right?)

Paris trip Part Deux: Joseph Strikes Again occured on our day off from performances, and though the culture minister warned us that there were going to be strikes all day, a couple of us decided to risk taking the train and go anyway. Lucky for us there were absolutely no problems at all! Emily's (the mezzo soloist... keep up people, I don't want to have to keep explaining) host sister, Mathilde, acted as our guide and took us all over.

Mathilde right before we left Sucy. Why does no one look at the camera in France!?!?!

Croque madame, pomme frites and an espresso for lunch

                            

"Stop! Here is the empire of the dead."

The catacombs of Paris

Down down we go

I'm pretty sure I read that at it's lowest, one can go thirty stories below the streets of Paris. Don't believe me? Then look it up!! (Please don't, I completely made that fact up. Just call me Sarah Palin.)

Mqthilde told us that this graffiti and others like it are signs to lead people to secret parties that are held there... several of which she has attended

CREEPY!

And now the real thing

"Oh yes... I have a summer home in Paris"

Yup... that would be a cross made out of skulls. SLEEP WELL!

Quite a breath of fresh air: Notre Dame

SANTCUAAAAAAARY!!!!!!!!!!!

Oooh artsy

Myself, Mathilde, Jullian (another resident of Sucy), Emily, and Sabrina outside of Notre Dame

The reason one goes to Notre Dame on a Sunday

The Sacré Coeur

And finally.... a view of Paris from the steps of the Sacré Coeur