SANCTUARY!!!! SANCTUARY!!!!

London was like being able to look through a window into a past civilization. So rich in the culture of another era. Not only did I expect to encounter this in Paris but I expected Paris to somewhat exceed it. In France however things are a little different. I feel as though the need to advance forward and become modern had been entrenched in French culture. Whereas England is steeped forever will be so. Therefore in France you get this fantastic juxtaposition of cultures, the ancient and the modern. On one end of the street you have the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral with hundreds of years of history beheld in the eyes of the Gargoyles perched upon its walls. On the other end of the street lies the Centre Pompidou,  a bustling hub of French Culture and the arts housed in a modern architectural wonder. It is said that this single building was responsible for the revitalization of that particular area of Paris.

SANCTUARY!!!!!!

Ever since i saw the Hunchback of Notre Dame as a kid i wanted to see the Cathedral. Seeing Quasimodo hold up Esmeralda over his head and scream sanctuary at the top of his longs was by far my favorite part. Let me tell you my friends that i was tempted to go to the top and scream at the top of my lungs. Sadly i am not so bold, The experience however was just as epic. The view of overlooking paris and the Gargoyles towering over the sides of the Cathedral were quite breathtaking.

I have to admit that when i was in London I bought a book, something to do in my relax time. Now dont get your hopes up it wasn't real novel or anything like that. It was a book on some of the architectural wonders around the world. As if im not inspired to travel enough already, the book has furthered my hunger for world travel. I really want to see every single thing in that book. So for the rest of my Europe trip i am going to try to get as many in as I can.

The first one is the Centre Pompidou. As i have already mentioned before this center houses a great deal of French culture. It contains many things from a Museum, Art Galleries, Cinemas, Cafes and as all popular Parisian buildings, a spectacular panoramic view of the city, not free of charge of course. To see why its such a cool building please check the pics on Facebook, i really enjoyed just spending time in the building and chillin in the cafe.

Three main sights today, man am i exhausted, I really am glad my pace will slow down significantly after Paris. I think i will need the break to help me regain some energy for Rome in a few weeks time. But last but not least on the list today was the Eiffel Tower. I really wanted to do this one at night because i though it would make it all the more enjoyable... and i was correct. Every hour on the hour there was a flashing light show throughout the whole tower, i was there so long i saw it three times. I did fork over the cash to go all the way to the top and it was worth it. The night view of all of Paris was astounding, I especially enjoyed viewing the Arch de Triomphe from the tower.

Theme song of the day, i have no idea why but it just popped into my head today. (on a sad note i forgot my ipod at the room so was music-less the whole day, it actually wasn't so bad.

"California" By Phantom Planet

Tomorrow is another full day, where i will bask in the architectural wonder that is Paris, so i will try to get a good night sleep.

Bonsoir!