How much would you pay for a cola?

My short answer is 7 Euros which is $9.80 USD. Ridiculous I know but I don't drink coffee and I wanted the caffeine. Being that I was in a hurry I decided to go to the hotel lobby and grab a Coca Cola. I knew it would be pricey but gooooolllleeey. Yes I brought the bottle home and the useless stir stick that came with it. You can't see but it is embossed with the name of the hotel on it. Just what I need is another dust collector. What a trip though. A damn good time and I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks to Tim Barron for making it happen along with Michael Jackman of International Tours / Collette Travels.

Paris Loo

I have never understood why there would be a phone in bathroom. I guess if you fall and can't get up it would be useful but this one is so high on the wall.

Entering the loo

Things seem pretty normal so far. I have a place to was my dirty self.

Roomy and plenty of towels.

Hair dryer - normal. Mirror - normal. Towels -normal. TP - normal. TP silver hat - I saw that in London but I  still don't understand the purpose. Oh look a facial tissue holder. What is that second 'bowl' doing there? It doesn't look like a urinal.

That is an interesting flusher mechanism but what in the hell am I supposed to do with the thing on the left. It doesn't look like a drinking fountain.

That there is one of them bidet thingies. Does it really need a stopper? I guess there isn't a way to lower and raise it. I have a lot of questions and I don't want to ask anyone about this.

I won't give you any details but I'll just say I did not like this apparatus. It felt weird.

Toilet paper 'squares' were actually a little longer than what we have at home. Toilet paper rectangles was more like it.

I think this is a better idea than than stupid toilets we sell here in the States now that are supposed to save on water. What usually happens if you have a lot of business is you have to flush a few times. That doesn't save water. These guys have this thing I called a "onesy twosy"

I know why am I shadowing my shot - horrible. The small button is for getting rid of number one and the bigger button is for, well... bigger stuff.

In both cities I kept feeling like I was falling out of the bathtub while I was getting out. Putting the tub a few inches off of the ground makes a big difference when you aren't used to it and have wet feet. I managed to NOT break a hip. Thank goodness because I wouldn't have been able to reach the phone anyway.

Concorde La Fayette

We were in Paris, France just off of Champs Elysees everything about this area was new and old. It was an enlightening juxtaposition. I was hoping this wouldn't be needed during our stay.

The room looked comfortable but I knew I wouldn't be spending much time in the room. 

The bed was two twins pushed together. Odd. By the time I got to sleep it was more like a pass out nap and I barely used a half of one of the twins.

Mirror, mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all?

Outside the room there was a doorbell. How cool is that?

The building that the hotel is in included restaurants, shopping, banquet facilities, gallerias, and penthouse suites. You could literally stay here and would never have to leave.

Eiffel Tower at Night From Hotel

In modern times many cities could be called "The City of Lights". However it seems that Paris was one of the first cities to light their streets. In 1828 they lit Avenue des Champs-Elysees with gas lamps. I guess the idea was to help with shopping. Definitely illuminating however, I was glad that the hotel had light blocking curtains.

To the West.

The moon over the middle

And to the East with the Eiffel Tower.

The Arc de Triomphe on the left with the Eiffel tower on the right.

At the top was a double illuminating beacon that rotated on the tower.

Shining like a giant inland lighthouse.

On top of the hour the tower would be lit with lights that blinked.

Parking in Paris

So in Paris the buildings have large doors - tall and wide. They open up to a driveway that enters into a courtyard. In the olden days the courtyard used to be an area that horses and carriages were stored. 

I got to capture the current process in several freeze frames. The motor carriage of today full of horsepower is brought home. This man opens the doors large enough to fit a horse and carriage.

His wife exits the motor carriage.

She enters the driveway and he begins to drive the motor carriage into the courtyard.

As he begins to disappear into the courtyard...

she follows the motor carriage into the courtyard.

And there they go.

I have no idea why this woman felt the need to look back towards the camera. Most people did all that they could to make sure that they were not caught in the shot.

Going Tinky in London

Everything is the same but different.

This is the hotel room in London.

There was a cool thing about the shower.

SOAP

Adjustable shower head. There was a short person before me. I had to bring it up.

Do you see the numbers on the left? You can set the exact temperature. That was badass.

Cool looking hot and cold.

The necessary room was compact but not too small.

Facebook pose. However the reason for the picture is because after a hot shower the mirror wasn't all fogged up. You can see the steam around the perimeter. It didn't work so well the 2nd day but I want to figure out how to do that at home. 

Down Around the Alley

Random stuff

Graffiti on wheels.

Paris - in the land of Bentley and Lamborghini vehicles we find something familiar.

Bobby gives up on giving me an opportunity for cartography.

In France it is just onion soup.

This Mercedes Benz...

is a taxi. Yep, just a regular ol' taxi.