BANDU

Today we started out with the goal to put our lock on the bridge at Pont des Arts.  We got off the metro and walked around the garden area right outside of the Louvre, Jardin Tuileries.  This park reminded me of the Great Park in Orange County (a finished version.)  There were a lot of cool statues, fountains and ponds.  It rained today so the park was fairly empty.  It was nice walking around in the not crowded post-rain park.

Couldn't get her shoe back on :(

Dramatic umbrella photoshoot

We walked up the street to the Opera and back down the street (got macaroons on the way), ending up at a bridge (not sure which is Pont des Arts) there are lots of bridges with locks on them.  But we will know where the lock we left is; it is on the bridge right out of the Jardin Tuileries on the 13th panel, its 2013 after all!  Udara took some cool pictures of the lock on the bridge. 

Miam! Miam!

Udara's raspberry & my chocolate macaroon!

So explination for what I carved into the lock:
1. BANDU= Bethany and Udara
2. Homance= Female equivalent of a bromance

BANDU

#homance

Today there was also a second spider sighting.  A few days ago I found a spider on the shower curtain and it got away....I was kind hearted enough not to tell Udara until after she showered.  I spared her from the thoughts of a spidery death I had while I showered.  Today Udara found the spider again...freaked out and came to get me to 'take care of it.'  Couldn't find it again.  Now she refuses to shower until we find it....she is truly embracing the French culture.

Tackled under the Tower

Today Udara & I worked on trying to figure out our Eurail pass & which trains we need to make reservations for.  It is all pretty confusing so we figured out what stations we need to go to and we are going to go to the train station tomorrow to the Eurail booth to figure out which trains we need reservations for.  Maybe it's easier than it seems...
This afternoon we went to the grocery store....I can't get over how cheap the food is here.  Norway first was a good idea, start with the most expensive, it only gets better from there price wise!  We had sandwiches & chocolate eclairs....and I bought a reasonable amount of chocolate bread....it's delicious, chocolate infused croissant.  So much chocolate!!!

Obsessed with chocolate bread.

Tonight we went out...Paris at night is always interesting.  We wandered to a cool looking building which we saw a group of people sitting in front of with candles lit.  Udara, Nishadhie (Udara's cousin), and I were trying to listen and figure out what it was for.  Eventually Nishadhie asked a woman and she said it was a group gathered to protest gay marriage through poetry....so we left.  Too bad it wasn't something worthwhile. 

We walked to the Pont des Arts bridge where people put 'love locks' which are padlocks locked on the fenced wall of the bridge. 

After, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower area, we bought crepes and were eating them on the way to the tower when we heard whistles and cheering.  From the sounds at first I thought it was a street preformer.  As we got closer we saw a huge group jeering police officers and one break away out of the crowd, sprinting.  Six officers chased him and tackled him to the ground.  I have no idea what he individually did, but the people in the group were yelling at the police officers and marching towards them in formation.  It was a crazy thing to see.  After, many more police came and the crowd dispersed to blend in with the tourists around the tower.  Crazy!  I think they were chanting about oppression and anti-socialism.

Udara's Instagram Collage!