Paris
Paris was our second to last place to visit and we both were a little tired of packing and going at this time. After we walked what seemed like two miles to get to our hotel room, we decided to brave the humidity and climb the hill to see Sacre Coeur. Many people had mentioned the shady neighborhood it was in which it was located, but, we happened to choose the best route, around the back side, that brought us to the Moulin Rouge, some quaint little shops in Montmartre, and our first sight of the Eiffel Tower. Sacre Coeur is absolutely amazing. Too bad it was a little ruined by people trying to sell string tied to your finger (not kidding!). We did get our first taste of a French hotdog on the way back, it ruined us for the rest of the trip.
Sacre Coeur
Beautiful statues are everywhere
Erich at the Metro station at the L’Opera
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Our first destination the next day was the l’Arc de Triomphe, which took us down the Champs Elysées. While we saw plenty of cafes and high price clothes store, we did not come across a single convenience store. And we were in desperate need of water. We made it to the top of the Arc and got some great views of La Defence, the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysées. |
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La Defence, the Paris finance center
Eiffel Tower from l'Arc de Triomphe
Scott at the Trocadero with Eiffel Tower at back
As we walked to the Eiffel Tower, we managed to come across as bakery that had Coke Light and bottles water, I bought four. Our first full views of the Eiffel Tower were wonderful, at least for me. Erich wasn’t interested. It took two hours in line to get onto the Eiffel Tower and we made it to the second level. As I looked around and took in the breathtaking views, Erich stayed safely in the middle, so as not to see how high we were.
Parc de Champs Mars from Eiffel Tower
The rising Eiffel Tower
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We managed to get down and, as payment, I took a tour of the Paris sewers with Erich. We ended the day with a Starbuck’s, yes Erich managed to find the one Starbuck's in Paris, and French hotdogs. |
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Our second full day met with rainy weather and a trip to more residential neighborhoods. By noon, we made it to Notre Dame, which is astonishing to think it was built in the 1100s. After a lunch of French hotdogs, we headed over to the Louvre. The building was amazing (Erich wants it for his home!), but, the inside was even more muggy and humid than the outside.
Rainy start to our day, the Louvre in the background
Notre Dame
The Louvre with Scott in the foreground
We enjoyed the air conditioned rooms, hated the heated rooms! We did get to see the Venus de Milo and, for a brief moment, the Mona Lisa…no pictures allowed. We ended our last day in Paris with a dinner of French hotdogs and pastries! I said the hotdogs ruined us! Paris was absolutely beautiful, the grandest of all cities we saw. And despite their reputation, if you spoke French, even if it was broken, they were very nice. Not too sure I spend much time in France again, other than to see Paris at night, but, definitely worth the see.
