Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 3)

Here's part three of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4

Day Three - January 4th, 2012

Weather:
- Morning = sunny, blue skies (hazy)
- Afternoon/evening = cloudy and rainy
Places:
- Basilique du Sacre Coeur and the Musee du Louvre
Events:
- woke up with a sore throat, ear infection, and nasal congestion (why do I always get sick on trips?!)
- dragged myself out of bed, and by the time I was showered & ready it was almost noon
- went to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur
- crazy steep incline to get there (stairs and steep hills have invaded my life here in Europe)
- surrounding Sacre Coeur are house and shops (very touristy, but had "old Paris" feel to the neighborhood)
- bought 2 croissants (very buttery)
- in one of the squares there were a bunch of artists with their paintings (selling them) and portrait artists trying to get everyone to commission them
- I got hit on yet again. This time it was a portrait artist. He told me my face was "a vitamin to the soul" and the convo went downhill from there. Nice... but creepy. Ugh
- got to the church, amazing views of the city standing on the steps
- went inside church (no pictures aloud)
- still was feeling lousy (fever) I went to a restaurant for tea
- waiter was a jerk. Talked about me to a guy at my table, and was like "the table's not the greatest location, but the view is great (they both then stared at me.... oh good Lord).  At least they didn't try to hit on me....
- did some touristy shopping (got cool posters and postcards)
- met nice lady traveling alone, we chatted a bit
- decided to go by hotel to drop off posters (so they wouldn't get bent)
- realized just how sick I was once I sat down on my bed
- rested for a bit, then seriously debated just staying in the hotel the rest of the day to sleep and feel better
- dragged myself out of bed and across the city to see the Louvre
- got lost once I got out of the Metro, enjoyed a walk in a non touristy part of town
- stopped at Bistro Pyramides for dinner
- sweetest waitress & bar tender (both were my servers... it was a small place)
- got a coke, fish & chips, salad, and bread
- liked the food, but it wasn't my favorite of the food I had had during the trip
- for dessert I got a Tarte aux Poires (weird/strange)
- once again debated on going back to the hotel to sleep
- was dealing with a really nasty fever, shakes, congestion, and my ears hurting (was so over it)
- ended up going to just look at the outside of the Louvre, but once I got there I knew I would have to go in, no matter how sick I was
- great decision, the Louvre is the best museum ever. I was giggling the whole entire time, I'm such a nerd
- saw Egyptian artifacts, Roman sculptures, Greek artifacts, and Italian paintings (including Mona Lisa)
- bought a poster in the gift shop
- Thoroughly exhausted, I went back to the hotel to sleep. Tossed and turned, wishing I had medicine with me, but I finally fell asleep
Thoughts:
- My hotel key was so freaking heavy. And it was an actual key, not a card. So strange.
- I always get sick on fun trips! It's beyond annoying.
- The Sacre Coeur is really cool, but the surrounding area and the view impressed me the most.
- The hotel wifi sucked. But, on the bright side... at least they had free wifi.
- I love the posters I bought. Can't wait to hang them up at home.
- The Louvre is like crazy huge and amazing, and it's the best museum I have ever visited. I must return!
- It's impossible to see everything in the Louvre. It's also very easy to get lost, which I managed to do.
- My favorite thing at the Louvre was the Egyptian artifacts. Especially seeing the eye of Horus everywhere. I am such a nerd.
- Even though I was nasty sick, I am really proud of myself for pushing through and continuing my exploring of Paris. I really would have regretted not getting to go to the Louvre if I had just slept.
Fun Facts:
- Basilique du Sacre Coeur
    ~ Very well known for it's "white onion domes."
    ~ Was built to repay a war debt to Germany.
- Musee du Louvre
    ~ over 30,000 items in the museum.
    ~ organized into 3 different wings.
    ~ General admission is 9 Euros.
    ~ People 26 and under can get in for free Wed & Fri after 6 p.m.
Photos: 

Looking back over my shoulder at one of the streets I walked up to get to the Sacre Coeur.

The amazing view from the steps of the Sacre Coeur.

See what I mean about "white onion domes"?

It was really windy!

Enjoying the sun after so much nasty weather. It was still really cold though.

Smiling through the fever... I'm fierce like that.

Me in front of the Louvre.

Statue that is apart of the Egyptian exhibit in the Louvre.

Hieroglyphs.

This Egyptian lady would fit right in with today's fashions haha.

Where did the mummies go?!

I got a poster of this artwork! Love it.

I immediately recognized this, not because I'm so art smart (sorry Mrs. Akashi), but because this is on a Coldplay album. I'm pathetic.

The Mona Lisa! Small and fierce, demanding a loooot of security.

A Roman statue.

To continue the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4