Paris, Day 1 & 2, Jan. 2-3, 2007
After leaving the internet cafe on January 1st, we returned to the hotel to pack for Paris! The goal was to pack ultra light, since we wouldn't check into our hotel until the end of day one. Dad and I each just carried our backpacks and Katie brought one of her carry-on bags. Super efficient!
Unfortunately 4:30am rolled around a bit too quickly and we managed to get ready just in time for our 5:00am taxi to Waterloo. Too bad the Tube wasn't running at that hour, because the taxi was probably too pricey for that journey.
Each of us slept about half way to Paris, and then the sun began to shine so brightly through the windows that there was no hope for another quick power nap. We were thankful though, because the French countryside was absolutely beautiful. If you ever want to get from London to Paris (or vice versa) quickly, the Eurostar isn't a bad deal, but the seat backs were kind of awkward and the train wobbles *a lot*.
Once we arrived at Gare du Nord, we exchanged more US$ for Euros and decided to start walking towards the Arc de Triomphe, my favorite monument in Paris. We figured we'd just take the Metro when we got tired, but we kept getting confused by the streets and our map. Eventually we found ourself on the Champs-Élysées, a very famous street, and decided to just walk the rest of the way.
As soon as I saw the Arc, I smiled and finally felt like I was really in Paris. We took the underground steps to get to the monument and paid to climb to the stop, 284 steps! We didn't stop the whole way up, but all of the tourists were beat by the time they got to that last step!
The view from the top was so beautiful. Twelve roads lead to the Arc and meet at Place Charles de Gaulle, a traffic circle/roundabout around the Arc. We kept walking around the top, taking in the entire city, and for the first time, we saw the Eiffel Tower.
When we left, we found the toilet situation to be interesting once again! Every time a sign pointed to a public toilet, it was closed. When we did find one, there was no toilet paper. What's a travler to do?! Maybe remember to bring the Charmin mini roll we'd left in London!
It didn't rain as much that first day as it had in London, but it rained off and on *all* day. Drizzle for an hour, clear for an hour, repeat. We stopped in a Starbucks for a break and a man got in line behind dad and started speaking to him in French :-) Later, a woman on the street came up and asked Katie and I for directions in French.
After the Arc we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and stood in the longest queue ever! We were blessed to see the tower the moment the lights turned on, and from base to top, lights blinked off and on, making everyone in line ooh and ahh. Later on, the flashing lights stop, but the entire tower is still bathed in light.
The lifts take quite a while to get you up to the top and the queues were long, but the view from the top was of course spectacular! We didn't get to stay up long because the wind was so powerful that everyone had to stay on one side, and the rain had soaked through our boots! Once back on the ground, we finally opted for the Metro and headed to the hotel. Oooooh, the hotel....
I booked the hotel based on its location and price. When we first opened the door, I remember thinking, "Well, this will have to do," and I can stay in some pretty bare/old places. After more exploration, however, we all declared it the worst place we'd ever stayed and kept finding the greatest things to laugh and giggle about. Thank goodness it was only for one night O:-) It's certainly something we'll never forget!
The next morning we headed out on foot towards Notre Dame and passed a couple of interesting looking Brasseries and other eateries along the way but wanted to wait a while to eat. The street leading up to Notre Dame is filled with souvenier shops, as well as little crepe stands. We stopped at the first one and Katie and dad had one with chocolate and banana, while I had apple.
When we arrived at Notre Dame we saw a queue, so we joined in at the end. When it never seemed to move, dad and I investigated and learned they were only letting 20 people in at a time. This didn't seem to make sense, but we shrugged and rejoined Katie. After an hour, I decided to explore further and realized that we'd been standing in the queue to go into the tower. There was another, FAST-moving queue on the other side of the church with FREE entrance (the other was 7.50 Euro). Needless to say, that was probably our biggest goof of the trip thus far, but oh well, we got in very quickly after that! We'd only just stepped in when a service began and we heard a bit of it while walking around. Unfortunately, we didn't stay for too long, as our earlier mistake had cost us a lot of time.
Next we walked to the Louvre and enjoyed a long queue but great views. By the time we got inside our first exhibit, we were short on time and decided that the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo were our two priorities. Despite the signage, I think it's pretty confusing to get around the Louvre, and finding the Mona Lisa was an adventure unto itself! Leading up to the painting are TONS of signs specifying that photography is NOT allowed. Of course there will be a person or two who tries to take a picture, but Katie and I were shocked and actually appalled by the number of people ignoring the shouts of security guards and the signs and snapping pictures and taking videos left and right. There's just some things you should respect.
After a bit more of the Louvre, we realized we had to leave to catch our train back to London, and after we failed to find one of the places Wendy suggested we visit, we hurried back to Gare du Nord. Wendy, I was bummed that we didn't have time after the queues to eat anywhere you suggested, but all of your advice and tips helped us out!
As the Eurostar got back to London, the cutest little girl went down the aisles waving and saying "Au revoir!" to everyone :-) When we left the station, we thought we'd take the Tube from Waterloo to Victoria. Instead, it was such a beautiful night that we decided to walk back. I'm not sure if I'd ever seen the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (I know, I know, it's really the bell) look prettier.
Couple of observations:
1) I missed not hearing the upcoming stops on the Metro like you hear on the Tube.
2) The streets are more confusing in Paris, but they're prettier.
3) Brasseries are *everywhere*!
That's our brief visit to Paris!
After leaving the internet cafe on January 1st, we returned to the hotel to pack for Paris! The goal was to pack ultra light, since we wouldn't check into our hotel until the end of day one. Dad and I each just carried our backpacks and Katie brought one of her carry-on bags. Super efficient!
Unfortunately 4:30am rolled around a bit too quickly and we managed to get ready just in time for our 5:00am taxi to Waterloo. Too bad the Tube wasn't running at that hour, because the taxi was probably too pricey for that journey.
Each of us slept about half way to Paris, and then the sun began to shine so brightly through the windows that there was no hope for another quick power nap. We were thankful though, because the French countryside was absolutely beautiful. If you ever want to get from London to Paris (or vice versa) quickly, the Eurostar isn't a bad deal, but the seat backs were kind of awkward and the train wobbles *a lot*.
Once we arrived at Gare du Nord, we exchanged more US$ for Euros and decided to start walking towards the Arc de Triomphe, my favorite monument in Paris. We figured we'd just take the Metro when we got tired, but we kept getting confused by the streets and our map. Eventually we found ourself on the Champs-Élysées, a very famous street, and decided to just walk the rest of the way.
As soon as I saw the Arc, I smiled and finally felt like I was really in Paris. We took the underground steps to get to the monument and paid to climb to the stop, 284 steps! We didn't stop the whole way up, but all of the tourists were beat by the time they got to that last step!
The view from the top was so beautiful. Twelve roads lead to the Arc and meet at Place Charles de Gaulle, a traffic circle/roundabout around the Arc. We kept walking around the top, taking in the entire city, and for the first time, we saw the Eiffel Tower.
When we left, we found the toilet situation to be interesting once again! Every time a sign pointed to a public toilet, it was closed. When we did find one, there was no toilet paper. What's a travler to do?! Maybe remember to bring the Charmin mini roll we'd left in London!
It didn't rain as much that first day as it had in London, but it rained off and on *all* day. Drizzle for an hour, clear for an hour, repeat. We stopped in a Starbucks for a break and a man got in line behind dad and started speaking to him in French :-) Later, a woman on the street came up and asked Katie and I for directions in French.
After the Arc we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and stood in the longest queue ever! We were blessed to see the tower the moment the lights turned on, and from base to top, lights blinked off and on, making everyone in line ooh and ahh. Later on, the flashing lights stop, but the entire tower is still bathed in light.
The lifts take quite a while to get you up to the top and the queues were long, but the view from the top was of course spectacular! We didn't get to stay up long because the wind was so powerful that everyone had to stay on one side, and the rain had soaked through our boots! Once back on the ground, we finally opted for the Metro and headed to the hotel. Oooooh, the hotel....
I booked the hotel based on its location and price. When we first opened the door, I remember thinking, "Well, this will have to do," and I can stay in some pretty bare/old places. After more exploration, however, we all declared it the worst place we'd ever stayed and kept finding the greatest things to laugh and giggle about. Thank goodness it was only for one night O:-) It's certainly something we'll never forget!
The next morning we headed out on foot towards Notre Dame and passed a couple of interesting looking Brasseries and other eateries along the way but wanted to wait a while to eat. The street leading up to Notre Dame is filled with souvenier shops, as well as little crepe stands. We stopped at the first one and Katie and dad had one with chocolate and banana, while I had apple.
When we arrived at Notre Dame we saw a queue, so we joined in at the end. When it never seemed to move, dad and I investigated and learned they were only letting 20 people in at a time. This didn't seem to make sense, but we shrugged and rejoined Katie. After an hour, I decided to explore further and realized that we'd been standing in the queue to go into the tower. There was another, FAST-moving queue on the other side of the church with FREE entrance (the other was 7.50 Euro). Needless to say, that was probably our biggest goof of the trip thus far, but oh well, we got in very quickly after that! We'd only just stepped in when a service began and we heard a bit of it while walking around. Unfortunately, we didn't stay for too long, as our earlier mistake had cost us a lot of time.
Next we walked to the Louvre and enjoyed a long queue but great views. By the time we got inside our first exhibit, we were short on time and decided that the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo were our two priorities. Despite the signage, I think it's pretty confusing to get around the Louvre, and finding the Mona Lisa was an adventure unto itself! Leading up to the painting are TONS of signs specifying that photography is NOT allowed. Of course there will be a person or two who tries to take a picture, but Katie and I were shocked and actually appalled by the number of people ignoring the shouts of security guards and the signs and snapping pictures and taking videos left and right. There's just some things you should respect.
After a bit more of the Louvre, we realized we had to leave to catch our train back to London, and after we failed to find one of the places Wendy suggested we visit, we hurried back to Gare du Nord. Wendy, I was bummed that we didn't have time after the queues to eat anywhere you suggested, but all of your advice and tips helped us out!
As the Eurostar got back to London, the cutest little girl went down the aisles waving and saying "Au revoir!" to everyone :-) When we left the station, we thought we'd take the Tube from Waterloo to Victoria. Instead, it was such a beautiful night that we decided to walk back. I'm not sure if I'd ever seen the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (I know, I know, it's really the bell) look prettier.
Couple of observations:
1) I missed not hearing the upcoming stops on the Metro like you hear on the Tube.
2) The streets are more confusing in Paris, but they're prettier.
3) Brasseries are *everywhere*!
That's our brief visit to Paris!
1 Comments:
awesome! :)
Dad has been to France a few times on business trips, wine related stuff, and Mom went with him one year. They saw some of those same things... reading this reminds me of when I heard those stories. :)
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math jedi, at 7:50 PM
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