Never tie your shoes in Paris

Oh what an interesting city Paris has been on the first day.

So even though we're tired this morning we decided to go see NUMER UNO, THE BIG ENCHILADA, THE STAR OF  THE SHOW !!!- Ladies and gentlemen - you seen it in pictures, on TV- THE EIFFEL TOWER!!!! (applause

So it's a two mile walk- a mere pittance in our long list of walks we have taken over the months. On the way, I stop at a small bakery for another French institution SI VOUS VOULEZ!  - the Parisian CROISSANT!!  Yes people, I got a croissant and a cappuccino and it only cost 3.50 euros!

I have found the Mecca and it's a bakery  on a non-descript corner a few blocks from the hotel. This place had all kinds of eye catching delights that could put back the weight I've lost on this trip in a couple days. The cappuccino and croissant were of course perfect. 

Getting back to the EIFFEL TOWER..we start on our journey. go about a block, turn and there it is in the distance- THE EFFEL TOWER!! Have to admit, all kidding aside, it's an impressive sight. It's almost like it's not real. That's not really the THE EIFFEL TOWER, but it is....and we really are in Paris.

So off we go, finally arriving and it is of course, teeming with people. So we join in the crowd, moving down the street and immediately are met by blanket after blanket of GITTERING miniature EIFFEL TOWERs for sale. Oh they have smaller, non-glittering ones for sale too, for those who are more boring and cheap. For the cheapest tourist, every blanket has a small corner of EIFFEL TOWER keychains, 5 for one euro. 

BTW, who is selling all of these EIFFEL TOWER trinkets? It's the same group as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia - Africans. 

As you move along, the blankets start selling berets, some vinyl hat wit a chain in front, PARIS ball caps, PARIS shirts, totes, backpacks, umbrellas. EVERYTHING PARIS for todays modern tourist. 

We cross the street to the bridge over the Seine and on the bridge are purveyors of that ancient hustle - the shell game. Fascinating to watch. This was not for a dollar or five dollars, this was for 50 or a hundred dollars. 

It was obvious that the few people around the guy were part of the hustle. They won some but lost once in a while to make it look realistic. The thing is most of the time the ball was never under any of the cups but in the guys hand. I wonder how much money they make in a day?

Moving on, you could take your picture with a with a bouquet of red balloon hearts for a price of course. Meanwhile people were out in the middle of the street between lanes of traffic taking pictures of  with the EIFFEL TOWER in the background for instagram.

So here's the thing- I bought a beret (and PARIS ball cap for tomorrow), PARIS tote bag and backpack, PARIS umbrella, PARIS t shirt. I attached the glittering EIFFEL TOWER to the top of the beret (not an easy feat) and had my picture taken in the middle of the street with the bouquet of red heart balloons with the EIFFEL TOWER in the background. That was after I dropped  $500 on a couple of shell games. 

That folks was my first day in Paree.

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October 30, 2022 at 06:35PM