Let me start off by saying the people of Paris completely banished any “snob” stereotype I might have had. The people are charming, the city is beautiful and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the ornate architecture. Secondly, the beginning of my trip followed the script of TAKEN word for word. A girl and her friend Amanda travel to Paris share a cab with a boy named Peter, he invites them to a party and they are kidnapped. We skipped the kidnapping aspect, but we couldn’t help but notice I was traveling with my friend Amanda to Paris, sharing a bus with a boy named Peter and he invited us out to a Party that night. WEIRD. But our Peter was Polish and insisted that if you drink Polish Vodka, you know EVERYTHING.
Continuing, our first night in Paris we spent a good two hours trying to find our Hotel, but after two trips on the subway, I felt like I knew it backwards and forwards. My friend Amanda and I pulled a total tourist move and booked a double-decker bus tour for our first night there so we could see all the monuments lit up at night. That was 22 euros worth my money. We saw the Eiffle Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, Les Invalides (Napoleon's Tomb), Opéra Garnier, Moulin Rouge, the Luxor Obelisk and so much more in all they’re sparkly glory. When we approached the Eiffel Tower I had jaw-drop syndrome. If I wasn’t already a hopeless romantic, the Eiffel tower had converted me. I know it’s a “tower,” but it literally TOWERS over the entire city. The nearby buildings bask its golden glow and when it sparkles, it’s like the world stops to stare. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but really, it’s one BIG work of art. Another interesting sight was all the jovenes drinking by the Sien River. Groups of party goers had set up blankets along the canal and were drinking wine to their hearts content. I had Dorothy moment and told Amanda, “We’re SO NOT in America anymore.” Paris was just like Spain when it comes to drinking. It’s casual and in public. I still get the urge to tell people, “OMGOSH, I hope the cops don’t come!” Before I remind myself that the cops are probably drinking down there with them.
My next favorite excursion was the Louvre. Lucky for us we went of the first Sunday of the Month (April) when the Louvre was free. Que Suerte! We saw the Mona Lisa and just about every other famous painting my art teachers made me interpret in elementary school. And just in case you didn’t know, the Louvre is HUGE. I swear they’d need a search and rescue team if someone went missing. It took us about 4-5 hours to cover all the floors and we spent the rest of our time browsing all the shops below the museum. It’s a chic mini mall down there.
The next day we walked the inside of Notre Dame and caught up with a friend for lunch and chit-chat in the Luxemburg gardens before scaling the Eiffel Tower. The gardens of Luxemburg are impresionante. There are tulips in bloom everywhere you look and the landscaping is immaculate. It’s a great spot for reading a book and enjoying on gelato.
When it came to the Eiffel Tower we really didn’t “scale” it. We cheated like 99% of the rest of tourists and took an elevator to the top. From the top, we received 360 degree views of Paris. We could point our every important monument and watch the Sein River twist through the city. The sky was blue, the clouds were puffy and we were some VERY happy tourists. We spent that night wandering the streets before sitting down at a cute little restaurant.
It’s difficult to find a place to eat that doesn’t cater to tourists in Paris, but I was perfectly content with this restaurant. Amanda and I paid ten euro each for our meal, which included an appetizer, main course and dessert of choice. The waiter even gave us wine on the house since we were his favorite costumers that night; which may or may not have anything to do with our picked tulips and lilacs that we placed in a vase the table. I think it was a good trade, we helped them with interior design and they gave us free wine. Our last morning in Paris was a quickie. We grabbed muffins at the McCafe and some photos in front of the Eiffel Tower before catching our bus to the airport. Basically I LOVED Paris because I got my fill of Monet, Nutella and bannana crepes and architecture in one swoop.
No comments:
Post a Comment