Sights and suds: Versailles; Arc; Champs; laundry

Our second day in Paris started out a bit rough. After our baguette breakfast, we boarded a double-decker train to Versailles to see the Palace and the Gardens. We were excited about our daytrip, but immediately were bombarded by crowds of tourists from all around the world. We waited in long lines for a couple hours to find that the prices were twice what our guidebooks said. As if Paris weren't expensive enough! However, we were able to still have a lot of fun and make the best of it, touring around the Palace and taking a brief walk through the gardens, hopping in one of the famous Versailles fountains.

We've realized in Paris that sometimes we have to rely on our basic instincts for survival... hunting and gathering food. Lunch on the porch of a Parisian bistro was just what the doctor ordered... until we had to order in French. The food was delicious and we especially enjoyed our 3.5 euro bottle of Evian water. Don't ask... part of the translation difficulty.

The trip to Versailles came to an end and on the train back, we made some South African friends, after they finished mocking Tripp. Shantell and Helen were internationally saavy and had been in Paris for a week. We had a great time talking and laughing with them on the way home and even found out that Shantell is about to start shooting her own cooking show. (Look for her on the Food Network soon!)

We ended our evening with a nice stroll up and down the Champs 'Elysees and views of the grand Arc de Triomphe. This city's monuments are truly magnificent and give the city a fairy tale feel. After admiring this great sight we decided to dive into Parisian life and searched for a spot to end the night on a sweet note. A trendy restaurant had creme brulee with chocolate and pistachio cream on the side so we parked there for a bit before returning to the hostel. The last adventure of the evening was doing laundry in our hostel. We sat up stations for washing, rinsing, and drying before hanging everything on anything we could find- rails, ladders, chairs, lines... ANYTHING! We got it done, though, feeling like true backpackers, and called it a night.

ALERT!!!! Camping for a couple days..... who knows if we will have any internet! Will post soon, though. Also- post for last night in Paris to come as well. LOVE YOU ALL!!!