Days 35, 36, and 37

Hey everybody! It's been a jam packed couple of days, and it is only going to get worse.
Tuesday was going to be just another day in London, when some girls approached me and asked if I wanted to go and see the matinee show of "Phantom of the Opera" with stall seats that normally cost 50 quid for only 23. Well, I am no fool. I jumped up and screamed "YEAH!" and we were off a few hours later. All I can say is "OH MY GOSH!" It was the best thing that I have ever spent $50 on (I bought the program, too....of course.) I never ever felt bad for the phantom until this show. I was crying as it ended. The music was phenominal, Christine was fabulous, and Raoul and the Phantom are going to be at an eternal tug of war in my head for the most attractive singing man in existence. It may be the phantom just because he was really tall and ripped, but he's the bad guy, so I dunno. All that matters is that a dream came true.
Wednesday we got up at 3:30 and got on a bus and went to the train station, where we took a train to Paris! We were only there for 12 hours, but here's what I did: Notre Dame cathedral and belltower to look for Quasimodo, crepe stand(duh), walked along the Seine River, saw the Louvre and danced in front of it, walked through the Place de la Concorde and took a picture of a really cute French couple, saw the Arc de Triomphe and ooohed, walked up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower and wrote our names on the stone railings and ate a croissant, went to the National Opera House and pretended we were in Phantom of the Opera, walked through the Cimeterie du Pere-Lachaise and saw Chopin's grave, ate at another crepe joint near the Pompedu and watched my friend get her portrait drawn, walked up some more stairs to the Sacre Coeur and enjoyed the war memorial there, and then raced back to the train station where we had to go through some rigorous customs stuff, and then jumped on the train and got back here at 11:00. EXHAUSTING! And I am very sore today. No more stairs EVER!!!
Today wasn't going to be very exciting, but I went to the Houses of Parliament with two girls, and it was SO cool! I am not a government person, but watching the debating and things was really cool! And we met people from Winamac, Indiana and South Bend, Indiana. Crazy as my friend was from Zionsville, Indiana.... The security guy thought it was hilarious that we all met up in London. I also learned about Malta from one the guards, and had another warn me about tall, dark strangers. He then added, "Unless they're rich, o'course." Of course.
Tomorrow we're off to Bath, and I am so excited about it! Time is winding down!
Cheers!

Rachel and I at Phantom. We sat next to each other and squealed as soon as we got in. Couldn't help it; we were in the 9th row, for crying out loud!

The elevator, yes, elevator, that took us up to the street from the metro.

Notre Dame. Really cool.

I made friends with the gargoyle at the top of Notre Dame.

My first crepe of the day. Nutella......mmmmmm.

In front of the Louvre. Didn't go in, it was too expensive.

The Arc de Triomphe.

A very pretty view of the Seine.

The accordian guy by the Eiffel Tower. Can you GET more French???

The Eiffel Tower, obviously.

Directly underneath the tower.

The view off one side of the second level of the tower.

Those great stairs at the Opera. MASQUERADE!

Typical French street.

Sacre Coeur, which is French for Sacred Heart.