Feels like summer.

Oh my goodness. It was 42 degrees today!!! The warmest day we've had since I've been here and I'll have to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Went sans scarf and gloves today which was definitely a new concept!  

Went to the circus today with Padi, Didou, Marie-Cesare, and Gaspard.  It was in the suburbs of Paris...about a 20 minute drive.  From my perspective of an American circus, I'm expecting clowns, cotton candy, elephants, tight-rope walkers, etc.  I can tell you now that the French circus is nothing like that...at least not this circus!  

We got out of the car and it immediately smelled like a barn.  It was the smallest circus tent I have ever seen.  I wondered how all these people were going to fit in there.  We found our seats and sat down in front of the performance area...Didou called it a "piste."  Or to me a very small dirt-filled circle where the show was about to start.  

(Of course we weren't suppose to take pictures and I got yelled at for taking this one...)

The band started to play nothing other than Michael Jackson.  Am I surprised? No.  After the opening act the next song was The Jackson 5 hit, ABC.  Am I surprised?  Absolutely.  Jackson 5?!?! It was SO strange.  Some of the other American music featured were the Black Eyed Peas, Nirvana, The Beatles, and of course music from Mamma Mia.  Along with some popular French music including a very updated pop-like verson of La Vie en Rose.  

I'm not one to really go for the whole training animals for entertainment purposes thing, but this one was full of them.  Now, I am sure that these animals are treated very well, fed well, and loved...but there's something about taking a whip to a horse to get it to dance around in circles and stand on its hind legs that makes me cringe.  Marie-Cesare of course loved it...she's loves everything about horses...they are her absolute favorite.  There was a "talented" elephant, some juggler's (is juggler's a word?), magic tricks, dancing, a girl who could hula-hoop with about 20 hula-hoop's at the same time, and some very acrobatic dalmatians.  

Although it probably wouldn't have been my choice for a Saturday afternoon event, Marie-Cesare and Gaspard loved it and that's all that matters!  I also enjoy spending as much time as possible with the whole family.  Although Chloe and Franck didn't go to the circus with us, it was still nice to be with Padi and Didou.  

Since it was such a nice evening I decided to make the most of it and do exactly what everyone has been asking me..."When are you going to go to the Eiffel Tower?!" and "Why haven't you been to the Eiffel Tower yet?" So, I headed to metro Trocadero and started there.  Thanks to Mike's great advice I was able to get some pretty great shots!  (A million thank-you's!)  I'll put a few here and post the rest on my facebook.  

It was absolutely AMAZING.  It is one of those experiences that just makes you smile.  Doing things like this makes me appreciate the fact that I am in Paris for a year and I am so lucky.  And although there were a million tourists and there were probably 500 men trying to sell me neon, light-up, plastic Eiffel Towers and key chains...it was so worth it!  I didn't go to the top tonight, thought I would would save that for a time when I'm with a friend...not to mention the line was incredibly long.  

Going to church tomorrow with Ashleigh, it's a bilingual service so it should be interesting!  Then maybe a movie and/or the Christmas Market.  Talked to my mom tonight and heard all about her trip to the Cayman Islands...and to my Uncle Wade!! He said it was his first Skyping experience, and I was super glad to talk to him!