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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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
