Hi, I'd like to do an impression of myself? Here we go..... (*ahem*)

"Hi, I'm Meg, and apparently, I'm not allergic to anything in Paris. But, I did manage to come down with a sore throat and a cold!"

Ta-da! I think it's spot-on, personally. What do you think?

Um, yes. So I am kind of sick, which totally sucks. Luckily, it's not a raging head cold, and hopefully it won't get to that point, but yeah my allergies from yesterday? Are clearly not allergies when the strong medication doesn't make the symptoms go away. So very sad.

The good news is that our R&R day yesterday really helped us feel better as we walked around today. The bad news is that when we made a "quick" stop back at the hotel before dinner, poor Joe did something to re-aggravate his ankle (we don't know what he did, but it's hurting), and his stomach hurts too. I was so sleepy from this cold that I conked right out when I sat down on the bed. And when I woke up, Joe had just fallen asleep. So, we haven't actually gone back out again today! We still may. At the very least, I'll have to at some point, because since I'm already a little hungry right now, I would rather not skip dinner.

How are we so pitiful? I feel pretty lame at the moment. Though, I really shouldn't, because we have done a lot so far, and we did do cool stuff today. Would you like to hear about it? If you said yes, then read on, my friends! (And if you said no, then um, what are doing here anyway?)

This morning, Joe and I decided to visit the Arc de Triomph! On our way to the metro station, we saw several guys in red shirts that said, "Aides," carrying clipboards. One of them approached us and said something to Joe, who looked at me.

"Je ne parle pas francais," I said to the man.

He hesitated, and said something else equally as fast and unclear as the first thing, none of which sounded remotely recognizable to me. I looked at him blankly for only a second before saying, "Excusez-moi, je ne comprends pas." ("Excuse me, I don't understand.")

"Oh," he said quietly. "Au revoir."

"Au revoir," I said and waved.

As we passed them, Joe said to me, "Wow, hunnie, you did good!"

"Thanks!" I said, totally excited.

"You did so good, he didn't even believe you when you said you didn't speak French, because he just kept speaking French to you!"

Yay! That made me feel really good. For the first time since we've been here, I was able to think on my feet and not get utterly intimidated by language barriers. Go, me! (Too bad we're leaving just as I'm starting to get the hang of it all!)

We took the metro all the way to our stop, and then, as we climbed the stairs to ground level, Joe said, "Look to your right."

And suddenly, there it was. The Arc de Triomph right in the center of a major city circular street. Maybe even the major city circular street. It was beautiful. We stared at it for a while and took some pictures. Then we had to go back underground to walk through a tunnel in order to see it up close and personal, because there's no way any pedestrian was going to cross that street. Not alive, anyway! Heh.

In order to get to the top, it was a 284 stair climb. Joe was not up for it at all, and while I kind of was, I was afraid of injuring my still slightly sore foot. So, no climbing for me, which made me feel a little lame. I love climbing crazy-tall structures whenever I go to Europe! I can't believe I broke my tradition - and so early on, too! But this time, it just wasn't to be.

But it's not like it's very difficult to appreciate the magnificence of the arc from the ground, so that's what we did. All those names etched in the bricks, all the sculptures embedded in the stone, the spectacular designs on the ceiling... It was truly remarkable being there and taking it all in.

We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, which was pretty amazing, as well. The flowers, the shield, the way it's gently roped off, creating a boundary respected by all who visit there. It's so solemnly beautiful.

We walked around it, taking in the beauty of the entire structure for a while, before sitting on a bench jutting out from the arc itself. That's where this picture is from, Joe and I, just relaxing against the wall of one of the world's most famous monuments.

After a while, we began walking on the Champs Elysee, in search of food. The Champs Elysee is where the really expensive and extravagant shops are, such as Louis Vuitton, Mercedez-Benz, and Mont Blanc. However, there was also a Swatch store and a GAP, and even a McDonald's. Joe has never had McDonald's in Europe before (I have, in London), so we almost ate there. However, the idea of fast food made me feel a little queasy, so we ate at an outdoor cafe instead, called George V. It was pretty expensive, but it was also incredibly delicious and totally worth it! I had a mixed salad (called salade mixte, which I just like the sound of) and salmon (saumon), which was served with a bit more salad, a small bit of white rice, two small pieces of potato that had been positively drenched in butter and were SO good, and some zucchini. And for dessert, of course, creme brulee. It's so light and sweet and incredibly delicious, it's hard to choose anything else! It was a wonderful, sumptuous, and healthy meal, and I felt nourished and cheerful as we continued our walk down the Champs Elysee.

We stopped at a souvenir shop briefly, and I looked at shirts. I unfolded one, decided I didn't want it, carefully refolded it, and gently put it back, taking care to make sure it was nice and matched the others, like it had been before. The shop owner guy had come over while I looked at the shirts and the instant I put that shirt back, he picked it up, hastily shook it out and refolded it himself. Well. Excusez-moi. Apparently my folding skillz are not up to par in his world. We went ahead and left after that, because he bugged me.

We also stopped in a bakery, where I managed to order a baguette and 2 bottles of water all in French. However, she spoke English to me to tell me she only needed two cents, so as not to give me a ton of change. She was really nice and reminded me of an old friend named Rachel that I knew in Washington. But that is neither here nor there, really.

After that, we hopped on the metro, and returned to the hotel room, which brings us full-circle.

Anyway. I think it's time to see if I can acquire some dinner!

A bientot! (See you soon!)