Triumphant Day 2

After sleeping a total of 16 hours (no joke), the jet lag seemed to be fading a little bit.  On this day, we learned how to navigate the metro of Paris.  While this labyrinth may seem pretty scary at first, I can definitely say that it is on my list of favorite inventions man has ever made.  Once I got used to reading the map of the metro, I used it constantly.  While walking has the definite advantage of allowing one to really take in their surroundings, the metro system of France seems to also have a unique culture apart from the city above it.  You see people selling fruit along different tunnels, people playing music in the entry way as you enter the underground.  Even if you decide taking the metro is not for you, I think it is a very central part of Paris culture that should be experienced at least once.

After having our first adventure on the subway, we went back to the Arc de Triumph.  Seeing it a second time, you could really see the detail that went into making it.  While many of us would not give a second look to skyscrapers and towering buildings, the arc was built in the 1800s!  They did not have near the technology and machinery we have today.  You can't help but amazed not only at how beautiful it is, but how anyone was able to achieve something so great in the time period.