This morning Jenna and I got up early and went straight to the Catacombs. On the way we grabbed croissants and 'take away' coffees which they put in little tiny plastic cups. They did give us each an extra cup to line them a bit, but still, it was strange. This is when it's actually nice to see a Starbucks in a foreign country. Although I do appreciate that the French don't eat while walking, driving, or standing around. No go-gurts here.
We learned a lot about the geology and limestone underground before getting to all the bones. I thought the sign at the ticket entrance 'warning: the ossuary tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition' was funny. And it's true, I'm sure it terrifies some people. The old writings above the entrance door to the ossuary reads 'stop! this is the empire of death'.
The skulls and bones were moved starting in 1786 to this location because of unsanitary conditions of the cemeteries. I was impressed by the meticulous and neat stacking of the bones. There were large stone plaques in sections listing which cemetery the bones were from. The skulls (among the other bones) were displayed in lines, hearts, or crosses along the bone-walls. I was kind of surprised that you could just touch them, and run into them (which Jenna almost did). I was saddened to see that jerks wrote 'A+T' on one and someone had the nerve to draw a picture of a penis on someone's skull forehead. Not cool.
The underground walking tour was about 45 minutes. Once we resurfaced from the stairs full of sludge we took the metro to meet up with Sophie and see a cabaret! The one we went to (Le Caroussel de Paris) was right down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We had Sophie look the options up for us and this one was the most French, and the least touristy. It was fun. It was us, another small table, and a group of about 60 retired Parisians. Along with the dancing you would expect at a cabaret, there was also a comedian, the host did an Elvis impersonation (dad, you would have liked it), and then there was a very talented man who did shadow puppets on a screen. My favorite was when he was a swan, his head the body, and he (the swan) was cleaning himself and pulling up tufts of his head hair (feathers). Not sure if that makes sense, but it was all very entertaining. Sophie did a great job translating for us during the talk-heavy parts, although some of the humor made her uncomfortable; some of it was apparently pretty racist, macho, and homophobic. The dancing included a French can-can, a rendition of the Chicago movie's 'all that jazz', and a Brazilian samba. We had a four-course lunch (included in the ticket price) before it started. All of the menu options that you select beforehand were meat-heavy, and they were very nice and accommodating for my vegetarian self. We even bought the photo they took at our table with one of the cabaret ladies.
After two bottles of wine and an on-the-house champagne toast we parted ways with Sophie, and Jenna and I headed to La Tour Eiffel. Our goal was to see it during the day and at night, which we were able to do. We watched the lights sparkle at 5pm and at 6pm. We ducked into a cafe to have a coffee and treat during part of the time, as it was really cold out. I must say the lights are a bit too fast, rave-like, and seizure inducing for me. I did love how it looked lit up at night without the sparkling lights, which last about 5 minutes at the top of each hour.
A few tidbits:
1. Before we got to the cabaret Jenna was making fun of me and my goofy self mimicking the automated metro announcements for each stop. I was trying to practice my French pronunciations! Well, post cabaret and a bit tipsy, I apparently embarrassed her and my seatmate who I thought was a woman but it was a man (my peripheral vision deceived me), by singing to her 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?' as that's all I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge. I confirmed what I thought it meant. No wonder I embarrassed the metro buddy to my left, and Jenna. I then told Jenna that we should have a contest of who could make more of a fool of themselves. She didn't even entertain the idea and said 'oh, I would not win'. Ha! I'm proud, I guess?
2. Sophie had dinner plans with friends of friends tonight. Since she only has one apartment key we headed back before she left and are getting takeout from the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, which is apparently the best in this Asian-heavy neighborhood. I 'called it' that Jenna would go downstairs to get the food and I would stay up here, so I could buzz her back in (since we don't have a key). She immediately responded, 'oh I knew that I was already doing that when we made our dinner plan'. Apparently I am a goofball and a princess, all in one. In my defense, I have been responsible for the metro and map navigation, so I consider it my reward. Although I like being in charge of that. :)
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