Mimes, miniature ponies, topless ladies, and much much more!

On the second night of the trip, we all got dressed to the nines and headed out to see the Moulin Rouge! I really had no idea before I went to Paris what exactly the Moulin Rouge was, but I knew I was really excited to go. I mean if it has an entire movie based on it, it must be pretty good. But, now that I have been, I would say if I had to compare the Moulin Rouge to anything, it would be most like a Vegas show. But, I feel like the Moulin Rouge has more prestige. But maybe that's just because it's been around longer. Anyhoo, this night was probably one of my most memorable.

When we walked into the building, we had to give our cameras away, because no one is allowed to take pictures once inside. When we got inside, I was completely absorbed by the mood set by the lighting and set up of the place. It was very dimly lit with red lamps at every table, and there were performers on stage singing all through out our dinner. At dinner, we each got a half a bottle of wine with our meal, which was great. The food was also pretty good. Not really comparable to the food we had in Italy, but I'll talk about that later.

After dinner, the show began with a stage filled with people (boys and girls alike) dancing and singing in bright pink sequin-covered outfits. It was a sight. The show had many acts, but there were a few that stood out in my mind. There was one act where a man and a woman spent about two songs doing acrobatics. The things that these people could do blew my mind. The amount of balance and strength they must have is unbelievable. There was another act where this tank of water rose up from the floor, and it had snakes swimming around in it. Then, this lady jumped in and started swimming with them! Crazy. There were many more acts including everything from miniature ponies, topless clowns, and mimes, to ping pong ball magicians and of course the can can. Overall, the show was amazing. Oh! And there was one act where the girl sang "I will survive." At the point the wine and champagne was flowing through my body and for some reason, I found that to be very funny and entertaining.

The Moulin Rouge was a perfect way to end our time in Paris. It's not as cliche as the Eiffel Tower, and, if you ask me, it's way more interesting. At this point in my trip, I felt like we had done so many things already, and I felt like I had been gone for at least a week. But, believe it or not, Paris was actually pretty laid back and tame compared to what the rest of my Contiki...