Paris was the second stop on our trip. This really is by far the most lovely city I have ever been to! I loved Paris and I think mom loved it even more!!
Nov 24
The Eurostar whisked us from London to Paris in just over two hours, so we were easily in Paris in time for dinner (note that we didn’t take advantage of this — i’m just saying we could have)! The train really is lovely to ride on and we had no problems whatsoever. Of course on our arrival in Paris, we had a bit of culture shock as we had never been in a country where English is not the primary language! I had done all my research but I was still a bit unsure as to what to do. I knew we needed an RER train to our hotel, but I wasn’t sure how to get tickets. But eventually, we found our way to the right platform and even managed to get on the right train so all was well.
We went straight to our hotel in the Latin Quarter, the Hotel Cluny Sorbonne. It is in a lovely location right across from the Sorbonne. There were also quite a few restaurants located in the general area. It is located on a quiet street, however. The hotel itself is extremely small. You have to “buzz” the door to gain entry and the lift (elevator) is only really big enough for one person. But it worked and eventually I figured out how to get into our room, which was equipped with two twin beds. It was small but clean and well-located.
Since we were in Paris, the first thing we really wanted to see was the Eiffel Tower. We kept thinking that is something you read about, maybe see in a movie or something — not something you actually get to go and SEE. In person! But there it was, towering above us, glittering in the night sky.
Ah, yes, we were now officially in Paris! It really is glorious to see and there was nothing quite like our first glimpse of it. We opted to just go to level #2, although I think we probably could have made it all the way to the top if we had wanted. Something to come back for, I think. The view from even the second level was spectacular, with the Seine River flowing out below us and the lights of Paris radiating in every direction. No picture can ever really do it justice. It was pretty cold up there but I think it was a long time before we even noticed! The view took your breath away, really. But, alas, eventually we had to come back down to reality (where of course many more pictures were taken). From there, we strolled along the Seine until I could figure out how to get back to the hotel on the Metro… Later, we managed to find a really amazing Italian place in the Latin Quarter, not far from our hotel. It was late, we were tired, but this was Paris!
Nov 25
After a good night’s rest, we were ready to do some more exploring. We stopped in a little cafe in the Place de la Sorbonne. It was a great little place and for about 6 Euros each, we got a breakfast of croissants, bread, jam, and coffee or hot chocolate. I don’t think I’ve ever had hot chocolate like they had in Paris. C’est Magnifique!
We then walked up the street and across the River to Ile de Cite. This is where several of Paris’ most famous sites are located. We headed first to the Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle. We got a 2-day Paris Museum Pass. I highly recommend this pass as it did save us some money, and saved us quite a bit of time waiting in lines at several of the museums. The Conciergerie is the prison where Marie Antoinette was held after the French Revolution, so there was quite a bit of information on what happened during that volatile period in French history. There was also an interesting display in the great room. There were several cells, along with her Chapel that I believe was built by Louis XVIII, after her death. Afterwards, we went to Sainte Chapelle. Of all the churches we visited, I truly think this one was the most spectacular. The stained glass was absolutely breathtaking. It was completely surrounded by glass, each of which apparently tells a different story. It was great to just stand inside there and take it all in. But, of course we couldn’t do that long — we had a schedule to keep!
Next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral, located on the other side of the (small) island. Of course this was an even larger structure, which is famous from the movie the Hunchback of Notre Dame (along with many other movies I would imagine). It is in the exact center of Paris, the point at which all other distances in France are measured. So it’s importance is rather obvious. The area around here was rather busy as it seems that we weren’t the only ones interested in this great piece of architecture. We did have to stand in a short line here to go through security, but it wasn’t bad. Once inside, the gothic masterpiece again inspired us. It was neat to just stand and look up at the great spires of the cathedral. There are monuments lining the edges of the church as well, so we spent a great deal of time taking all these in as well. Of course we couldn’t read much but I do think we got the idea. The Catholic symbolism was everywhere and again we felt very small and somber. But sad as well. Hard to really put a finger on that one.
Mom will want me to point out that we had the most AMAZING sandwich at some little stand right across from Notre Dame. It was again a bit cold so I think we had a hot chocolate as well. But the ham & cheese was to die for. If anybody knows what kind of cheese that is, we would love to know, although we are sure it wouldn’t be the same here anyway….
From there, we walked along the Ile Sainte-Louis, where there were a few shops. Had some absolutely amazing chocolate and I think mom stopped in a few toy shops. It seemed that everything here was open, even though it was Sunday. Also stopped in the very famous ice cream shop, Berthillon. It was pretty good, although I don’t think it was the best ice cream I’ve ever had or anything. I think we had better food in Paris. Nothing was really what I’d call “bad”. Anyway, next stop was the Marais, as I knew mom would be ready to be getting some shopping in by this time. And shop she did, along with every person in Paris I think! It was wall-to-wall people along every street we were on. Yet, cars still seemed to flow through somehow. We stopped in at Place Voyages, which is a rather nice little park in the Marais. Restaurants line this area, so it would also be a good place to eat.
Our last stop of the day was the Pompidou Museum, which is open late so I thought we would try to squeeze it in. I actually did have a bit of trouble finding it, but roaming and getting lost is half the fun in Paris anyway, right? The museum itself is probably better than the Tate in London, but they are very different. This building is rather distinctive though! And the art is very “out there”, maybe moreso than any other museum I have been to. I think mom fell asleep though — maybe modern art isn’t her thing!! Afterwards, we had a rather forgetable dinner before strolling around the Latin Quarter a bit more. Another great day in Paris!
Nov 26
We awoke early for our date with Mona…. Lisa, that is! This was our morning to take in the Louvre Museum. It was a bright, sunny Monday in Paris so all was set for the perfect day. It wasn’t far, so we just walked over to the museum, entering from the backside into a huge courtyard. I rather think I liked this entry point as it took us a slightly less traveled way, although we did make it to the famous pyramid eventually. This part of Paris if very different from the Latin Quarter — much more businesslike, I think. Anyway, we took all the requisite pictures in front of the pyramid before entering the grand museum. There were tourists everywhere! By far the busiest place we visited on this trip. But, then again, this is the LOUVRE. I mean, this is the museum by which all other museums are judged, I think. And it certainly didn’t disappoint. There was artwork everywhere, each one more impressive than the last. Well, except for Mona herself. She was rather small, and isolated in this big glass cage. Not at all like we imagined, but maybe that is what it’s all about. She knows what’s going on, even if nobody else does. We only spent a few hours at the Louvre, really only doing one main “wing”. There is lots left to explore for a future trip…
We then walked through the Tulleries Park all the way to the Orangerie Museum. This was a last-minute addition on my part. Mom had mentioned how she enjoyed Monet, and I knew he was supposed to have some impressive painting in this museum (and it was covered by our pass). The “Water Lillies” as I think they are called are absolutely breathtaking. They take up 2-3 entire rooms, curved along the walls. You really have to stand back to really get the full impact of the art. I think these were my favorite works of art for the entire trip. Very much worth the trip.
Next, we hopped on the metro up to Montmarte. At this point I just want to comment that we overall preferred the London Underground to the Paris Metro. Both systems were managed well and the trains actually ran more frequently in Paris I think. But the trains were nicer in London and a bit easier to get onto. And both had lots of walking to switch, but the Les Halles Metro connection was especially tricky in Paris. Good systems both of them, however. Much better than what we have in most of the States!
Anyway, as to Montmarte. Very pretty area! And the Basilica was really amazing. I will note though that this was the only area that really made me uncomfortable. There were what I think much have been scam artists in the park right below Sacre Coeur. They were trying to tie something to you, after which, I’m fairly certain they would want some money. We managed to brush them off and get to the Furnicular, which takes you up the hill. But many, many folks got hit up for cash. Something to be aware of.
Once at the top of the hill though, we experienced no troubles and the view was really amazing. You could pretty much see all of Paris from up there! I did walk down the stairs a bit to try and get a few pictures. The Eiffel Tower was rather far in the distance. Sacre Coeur itself is totally different from every other church we saw and beautiful in its own right, I think. This is a great place for tourists to come and spend an afternoon. Down the street, there are lots of touristy shops and cafes. And Place du Terre, which is where all the artists congregate hoping to sell you a painting. I thought they were great, but I’m no art expert. If I had a way to bring it home, I certainly would have been tempted.
As you can see, this was nothing if not a busy day! I wanted mom to get in some shopping, so we headed for the area around the Opera, where the Galleries Lafayette and several other major stores were located. This certainly didn’t disappoint as they had really gone all out for Christmas. The lights flowed up and down the grand avenue. Inside the store looked more like a great cathedral than a store. And there were shoppers everywhere — very busy place indeed. All the windows had cute little themes, just like in New York but maybe even better yet.
Here I made a bit of an error in judgement, thinking we could just walk over to the Champs Elysees, where the lights were coming on that evening. Turns out it was *much* further than anticipated! (Google claims it was actually 2.6 km but it felt much further than that, especially on our weary feet — we should have taken the Metro). Anyway, after our very long walk we arrived at the most beautiful “street” (almost feels wrong to call it a street) in the world! This is the opposite of most streets in Paris — very wide and lined with wonderful trees. And, of course, at the end of it is the Arc de Triomphe. Of all the grand sites in Paris, this may be the most impressive of all. There were more shops to go into, but at this point I think we were a bit too tired to really enjoy them anyway so we focused mostly on siteseeing (and taking lots and lots of pictures). I thought this would be a great place to end our Paris experience in any case. So we walked all the way up to Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc is actually located. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a place with so many camera snapping up pictures. Everything was just perfect though — from the lights to the trees to all the monuments. It really is Paris at its finest. Mom couldn’t quite handle all the stairs, but I ran up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and went crazy with the camera. Up there may just be the most lovely vantage point to see all of Paris. The view of the Eiffel Tower is unparalleled, at least from all the places we went to. It was cold though, so I think that’s why some of my pictures came out so blurry!
We took the Metro back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. There were so many restaurants there it was really hard to choose one. Whether we always picked the best one didn’t really matter. We were in Paris and everything tasted wonderful to us. This was one long day though, so we were awfully glad to get back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Nov 27
Our last morning in Paris! 
We had breakfast in the hotel. I do think the little cafe on the corner was better but this was good as well. The jam and butter tastes so good over there! Maybe it is just fresher. We only had a bit of time so we did a stroll around the Latin Quarter. We walked by the Pantheon and headed for the market on Rue Mouffetard. I think mom enjoyed this market almost most of all. There was a little shop for every item one might need. It was quiet as I think it was just getting going for the day but that was probably best for us as our lack of French didn’t hold us back nearly so much! We bought some basic things to eat at the train station before heading back to London. The trip back to Gare du Nord was uneventful and we arrived with plenty of time to spare this time.
Overall, I must say that Paris truly is a city to fall in love with, or a city in which to fall in love. It is really amazingly beautiful. I have never been in a place where almost everything you see is a work of art in and of itself. They are a proud people but we didn’t find them to be rude at all. On the contrary, I would say they were nothing but polite to us the entire time we were there. And we never had any issues with the language either. If english was a problem, we could always muddle our way through. Paris is great! 
To continue reading the last segment: London, Part 3
(Return to London, Part 1)
To view all my pictures: London Paris Album
Tags: arcdetriomphe · eiffel · france · louvre · love · marais · montmarte · notredame · orangerie · paris · pompidou · seine2 Comments
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