Paris Day 3: Stomach ache and heat exhaustion

My tour at the Louvre wasn’t until 11:30am, so I finally got my leisurely morning (and 10 hours of sleep!).  I had a very nice breakfast and mapped out my route for the day.  I got to the Louvre about 30 minutes early . . . and that’s when my bubble gut started.  (*Bubble gut as defined by the Urban Dictionary: The noises made in your stomach when your ass is about to burst due to a case of explosive diarrhea.)  Could it have been all the rich, fatty French cuisine I’ve been eating?  Seems likely.  Could it have been the bottle of daily greens juice that I downed before bed?  Maybe.  Or was it the three cups of espresso I had with breakfast?  Most definitely.  Needless to say, my Louvre experience involved being hyper-aware of the bathroom locations.

But I also some art.  I chose to have a guided tour since the Louvre is massive, and the guide whittles it down to the big, prominent pieces.  I was also fascinated with the history of the building and its expansion and development over the past few centuries—that was a nice intro to the tour.

The crowd around the Mona Lisa is ridiculous.

I grabbed some lunch at the Louvre café and headed out to the Hop On/Hop Off Seine River Boat.  At this point, it’s close to 89°F and sweltering in the sun.  I had hoped that being on the water would cool me down, but there was no shade, so I just kept sweating.  By the time I got to the Eiffel Tower, I was feeling weak—my feet were swollen and starting to get sunburned.  I took a few photos but didn’t have the energy to walk about the Champ de Mars or go up the tower.  I got back on the river boat as a wave of nausea hit me and drank my second bottle of water on the ride back to try and cool down.  I didn’t expect Paris to have a record-breaking heat wave during my visit.

I got off at the Notre Dame stop near my hotel, and since it’s closed for repair, this will probably be the only photo I get.

To settle my still-reeling stomach, I opted for something familiar for dinner—a veggie sandwich from Subway.  I’ve had Subway sandwiches ‘round the world: US, Tanzania, UK, Ireland, and now France.