I actually really enjoyed staying in the business district. The buildings were new refreshing after being surrounded by Italian architecture on a daily basis, and the escalators weren't bad, either.
My name is all over Europe, by the way...
We arrived at the Pompidou before it opened, so we got in the very long line to enter.
Well, the line starts slowly moving, and after about half an hour, we've made it to the front. Where we realize.... WE HAD BEEN STANDING IN LINE TO ENTER THE LIBRARY!!! No wonder we were surrounded by people carrying bookbags and lunches!
So then we circle the building and get into another long line for the actual museum. This was quite annoying.
This line was even worse because we were exposed to the cold wind. After another freezing 30 minutes, we finally made it inside!
The circulation between different exhibits and galleries is through the tunnels on the exterior of the building.
Modern art is much more my thing than Renaissance.
I just enjoy how random, weird, and experiential it is. The artist isn't trying to please anyone. You don't have to like it. In fact, it might be better if you hate it. But it makes you think.
After the Pompidou, we ate savory crepes for lunch (delish!), then hit the Eiffel Tower.
We (errr... Abby and Alex) had initially planned to climb the tower all the way to the top. However, since it was snowing, we opted for the elevator (THANK GOODNESS!!!!).
I would love to go up on a (warm), clear day!
I think this is Gustave Eiffel...
Our wonderful tour guide, Eliza, had originally planned for us to stay at the top until the sun set so we could see the lights. But once again, it was snowing and WAY TOO COLD!!! Still, we had to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle. So we ducked into a bar to warm up a bit before sunset.
Drinks were 9 Euros, which is kind of steep, but we were willing to pay for the warmth and proximity.
This is Abby's gin and tonic -
Alex went for warmth and ordered an overpriced cappuccino -
And wishing I was in a warm, tropical climate, I ordered a tequila sunrise...
No, I did NOT drink anything out of it before I took the picture! The waiter brought me a less than half full glass of basically orange juice, quickly threw it on the table and took off. I didn't drink it for the longest time because I wanted him to make it right - put some more tequila in it, and where is the grenadine, for goodness sake?? But he kept (intentionally?) ignoring my cues for him to come over to the table. So after about twenty minutes, I angrily threw back the orange juice and continued to sulk about my 9 Euro glass of orange juice. At least it came with a glow stick.
So since I didn't get my money's worth from the drink, I decided to instead sit there as long as possible and use their free wifi. The waiter was so annoyed with us. He kept coming over and glaring and hinting for us to leave, and I kept glaring back, because he charged me 9 Euros for half a glass of orange juice!!!! If I spoke any French whatsoever, then I would have attempted to argue with the bill and tell him that I wasn't paying for that. But due to the language barrier, I resorted to passive aggressive tactics to make myself feel a little better about the situation.
It finally got dark, and we could leave that dreadful bar with the snooty French waiter.
After our adventurous day, we decided to stay in and have a movie night.
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