Oui, Paris...

The Tattoo and Toy Baronesses recently enjoyed some time away from their respective baronies on a winter vacation to France. Nichole and I flew out of JFK last Friday at 11pm. Went to sleep shortly after we were in the air, and woke up in Paris. We did everything a good tourist should, saw the sights, ate the food, butchered the language, and got a tattoo. We mastered the Metro, and walked so much we had shin splints. God bless my AF1s. Here are some highlights...

We saw the Eiffel Tower at night, and it was beautiful. I love the first picture because it looks like a Photoshop fake.

Next was the Arc de Triomphe, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Champs-Elysees aka the place of the last stage of the Tour de France.

We spent almost all of the following day in the Pére Lachaise Cemetery. Père Lachaise is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. Among those interred there are: Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Frederic Chopin. Pictured below in that order.

By tradition, Wilde's admirers kiss the art-deco monument while wearing lipstick.

Nichole the traditionalist applies her signature lip print.

The day started out with brutal rain that turned my umbrella inside out on the walk there. As soon as we got inside the cemetery however, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Awesome. It was so peaceful, and the monuments were amazing. Here's one of our favorites... This is the tomb of Victor Noir. "It is notable for the realistic portrayal of the dead Noir, and for the fact that he appears to be at least partially sexually aroused, his large penis pushing his part-unbuttoned fly open. In consequence, the sculpture has become a fertility symbol. His lips are kissed, the genital area is rubbed and flowers are left in his hat. In 2005 a fence was erected around his tomb to prevent people rubbing the said area, as this was damaging the sculpture, but it has subsequently been removed. " Thank you Wikipedia.

Here are some more fun shots taken inside the cemetery...

On the walk back to the hotel from the cemetery, we stopped at a cafe to grab a quick late lunch. The Fox Cafe is where we had our first experience with "you know they hate Americans". We had one nasty waitress. Who drinks tonic? Nichole and I do, because she won't bring us anything else!That night, we climbed to the highest point in the city to check out the Sacre Coeur. The views were amazing, and the basilica itself was epic. Unfortunately, they do not allow photos inside.

After visiting the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, we walked the streets eating crepes with Nutella and molested small vehicles.

We spent the entire next day at the Louvre. You know, Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, and Michaelangelo's Dying and Rebelious Slaves? It was overwhelming and over stimulating, and I loved every minute of it. You really could spend days there just trying to absorb it all.

To shake off all of the culture of the day, we spent the evening in the red light district. We visited the Musée de l'Erotisme also known as the sex museum. Looks like I'm on a roll. I did like the NYC sex museum better. If you're in the red light district, and find yourself pressed for time, and you have to decide between visiting the Musée de l'Erotisme or getting a hooker. I'd recommend the hooker.

When we had had enough of the sex shops, we headed back to the hotel and turned on the TV, only to find porn on 3 of the 10 basic channels we were receiving. We discovered that after 10pm if you're over 16 and in Paris, it's OK to watch hardcore pornography with your friends while you eat pastries and baguettes. Awesome.

The next morning we headed down (literally) to the catacombs. This was one of my favorite things on the trip. You have to go down a narrow and steep spiral stair case until you have to stop for a break because your dizzy, and then you have to go even further. Not for the claustrophobic. It's dark. It's wet. It's cold. At the bottom of the stairs, you walk through a maze of narrow low ceiling tunnels until finally... you arrive. Through an arch, and there they are. Bones. Skulls. More Bones. It was dark, and quiet, and for most of our time down there, it was just Nichole and me. Creepy. It goes on for so long, you start to wonder if there can possibly be this many dead people anywhere.

After the catacombs, we got tattooed here...

We had such a good time at Tin-Tin's I'm going to post a separate blog about it.

After getting tattooed, we went to Notre Dame, and the Salvador Dali museum, Espace Dali.

I started to wonder how many miles we've accumulated on foot on this trip. Though without all the walking I could've gained 10lbs in 5 days! I loved the food!

Nichole had to be in London on January 22nd for Kidrobot's "Ye Olde English Dunny Series Release and Opening Party", and I was expected back at work, so we left Paris and went our separate ways on the 21st. We had a great time, and I'm already looking forward to our next trip!