Day 41: The City of Lights

Tonight Paris lived up to it's nickname big time. I spent the afternoon at a museum called the Musee des Arts et Metiers which is basically an engineering science type of museum. I went alone obviously because everyone else thought it sounded super lame and nerdy. I got to see so many different historic inventions and machines though it was really cool. My favorite part were the textiles collection. Seeing all of the old looms and assembly lines was so interesting to me. Essentially it was the emptiest museum in Paris but it was really awesome to see the evolution of machinery through the years. I also loved that there was an iPod in a display case, it fit in perfectly with the exhibit but it was really bizarre to think that it could be a historical artifact already.
I almost write my entire blog when I got home from the museum but I'm glad I didn't because all of the fun happened tonight. We decided to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe tonight since we hadn't done it yet and we actually went at the exact perfect time. For anyone who ever plans on visiting the Arc de Triomphe, you should go at 9 pm. At this time the sun is just starting to set and by the time you reach the top you get to see the sun setting over the city and if you stick around long enough you see the Eiffel Tower light up. You also get to descend and see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the flame ablaze in the night sky. It's the perfect way to experience the Arc. I even got a semi-decent panoramic picture which is nearly impossible for me because apparently my idea of straight is wayyyy off.
We then walked down the Champs d'Elysees because on the top of the Arc de Triomphe we had seen a carnival and we didn't realize that just because you can see it from one of the highest monuments in Paris doesn't mean its close and we ended up walking the whole Champs d'Elysees past the Grand Palais, the Palais d'Elysees, Concorde, all the way to the Jardin des Tuileries in front of the Louvre where the carnival was taking place. Along the way I got officially baptised as a Parisian by stepping in Paris's biggest puddle and soaking my foot in what had to be 70% homeless pee, 20% garbage juice, and 10% sewage water.  It was amazing, full of lights and games and food. It was the most perfect fair I had ever been to because it had every ride and type of food I could have wanted and none of it was sketchy. It was way overpriced and even though we really wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, one ride cost 10 euro. It was absolutely stunning though and a perfect way to end a night in Paris. Another reason to love this city.