La Legion Etrangere

Having visited the Notre Dame, we travelled up to another significant church on the other side of Paris? the Sacre Coeur. Although the place was beautiful, our trip was somewhat marred by hordes of Senegalese immigrants who would poke pull and push us in an attempt to sell us bracelets. I told one of them that I was from Turkey? which he didnt believe? but I got rid of him.

The proceeding night, we met some members of the French Foreign Legion, or as the French call it, La Legion Etrangere. Having studied them for French Oral AS, it was incredible talking to them. Basically the Legion was established some time before the First World War (I think, maybe it was after) as a peace keeping force in Frances colonies. It accepted soldiers from all over the world who had to go through a test and training. As these two guys, one from Venezuela and one a Japanese Californian, told us, nowadays their purpose is almost useless. They clean all day and live a lazy life. The Venezuelan guy is in it for the money and the American Japanese for the guns. It sounds like an incredibly bizarre life, but they seem to enjoy shooting and blowing up patches of land, and actually sold it very well.

We went out with thel, and afterwards met a Tunisian man who gave us his views on Bush and bin Laden in mime and then sold us some chips.

We leave Paris today, and managed to fit in the Louvre, which was incredible, both the building and a few pieces of art, and the Eiffel Tower, which fascinates me every time I see it. We shall see how Vienna bodes in comparison.