Thursday, May 10, 2012

Paris!

After a few days of touring around Southern England with Amy, the three of us hopped on a train and spent three wonderful days in Paris, France.  We rented a lovely apartment for our stay, which was only two blocks from the market street of Marché Montorgueil.  This street was fantastic, and felt very 'Parisian'!  We ate lunch at a bistro here after our arrival, and returned to the street each day for croissants, sweets, souvenirs, and window shopping. 
Marché Montorgueil Market Street
Parisian Sweet Shop

After checking in at our apartment and studying the city and metro maps, we embarked on a walking tour to familiarize ourselves with central Paris.  We started with a walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, which had massive sidewalks and pathways just meant for strolling.  When we reached the end of the avenue, we saw the Luxor Obelisk, an ancient Egyptian monument that was a gift from Egypt to France.  Next, we walked through the beautiful Tuileries Garden, which was filled with flowers, statues, and fountains.  At the opposite end of the garden was the Louvre Museum.  We didn't go inside, but we had a great time taking pictures with the massive glass pyramid.
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Luxor Obelisk
Tuileries Garden
The Louvre
The Louvre Pyramid with Amy

After leaving the Louvre, we took a scenic walk along the River Seine, just taking in the French architecture.  Eventually, we reached a bridge, and crossed over to the Île de la Cité, an island in the middle of the river which is the home of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral was already attractive from the outside, but we were unprepared for how impressive the inside would be.  We've visited several cathedrals since coming to Europe, but in comparison, the stained glass of the Notre Dame is unmatched.  The huge circular rose windows dwarfed the worshipers who had come for evening mass. 
The River Seine Looking West
Notre Dame on Île de la Cité
Notre Dame Cathedral Interior
Notre Dame Evening Mass (1)

We took the metro to the Eiffel Tower with just enough daylight left to walk around underneath the structure and take photos.  We stopped for dinner at a corner cafe and ordered croque monsieurs: a to-die-for baked ham and cheese sandwich.  After dinner, we returned to the Champ de Mars, the large park in front of the Eiffel Tower. When night fell, we were treated to a light show that set the tower twinkling.  It was a great end to a great day.
Under the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower at Twilight

The next day, we wandered the market street for croissants before journeying to the Palais Garnier Opera House, famous as the setting of The Phantom of the Opera.  The theater was unfortunately closed for rehearsals but we were able to see the facade of this beautiful building.  Our next stop was the Paris Catacombs.  Deep underground, an extensive network of tunnels houses the skeletons of 6 million dead Parisians.  It was creepy and fascinating! 
Palais Garnier Opera House
Paris Catacombs Skulls

After the catacombs, we reached our next tourist destination only to find that they closed entry an hour sooner than their website had advertised.  Rather than stand out on the street in the cold rain, we headed for a nearby cafe to warm up with fresh hot chocolate and crème brûlée.  The hot chocolate came on fancy trays with warm creamy milk in one pitcher, rich liquid chocolate in a smaller pitcher, and a mug to mix the liquids in.  The top of the crème brûlée was warm and crispy.  It definitely helped warm our spirits!  After our snack, we explored a home and garden street market that was really neat, and saw one of the original art nouveau-designed metro stations.  That night, we had French food at a local restaurant, followed by fresh crepes at a street stand on our walk back to the apartment.  Yum!
Paris Metro

On our last day, we had some croissants, followed by shopping and colorful macaron treats.  We then hit the Centre Pompidou.  Inside was a fun and whimsical French book shop, and of course the National Museum of Modern Art.  We had a great time exploring the artwork: from the famous, to the imaginative, to the chic, and of course the weird.  It was highly entertaining!  After the Centre, we walked some more of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, which culminated with the impressive Arc de Triomphe (and a giant roundabout!).  A few blocks down a side street and we arrived at the shop of Patrick Roger, famous French chocolatier.  A huge chocolate sculpture of two hippos took up half the shop, and the little chocolates were works of art too.  Needless to say, we bought plenty to take home!
Alexander Calder - Horizontal
Carston Holler - Giant Triple Mushroom
Arc de Triomphe (2)
Patrick Roger Chocolate Hippopotamuses Sculpture (1)

Paris was a blast.  I think it’s fair to say we ate our way though the city, with some of the best food we’ve had in Europe.  But best of all, Amy was a great interpreter and guide, and having her with us made the trip so much more special!
~Lindsay

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