For me, Paris was, far and away, the biggest highlight of
These clocks were in our hotel lobby, and I thought it was very cute. And very true. Because when you are in Paris, no where else seems to really matter.
As I mentioned before, we took the train from Belgium to Paris. More specifically, we first took a train from Brugge to Brussels, and then caught a high speed train to take us from Brussels into Paris.
enjoying a tiny, delicious espresso at the train station
When we arrived in Paris, it was sunny and very hot. I asked a very kind Parisian lady to help me figure out the Metro system. She explained it to us, and then gave us her Metro map, which proved to be invaluable over the next 3 days.
The Paris Nord station, where we arrived in Paris
We arrived at our hotel slightly sweaty and slightly weary, but after splashing some water on our faces and changing our clothes, we were ready to begin our exploration of Paris.
lovely view from our hotel balcony
On the first day, we headed over to see the Place de Concorde and walk down the iconic Ave de Champs Elysees, which is quite a spectacular sight to see. At the end of the Avenue sits the Arc de Triomphe, another spectacular sight. And we, being tourists, of course had to climb up to the top - because that's what tourists do. The view from the top was quite amazing, definitely worth the 9 Euros.
standing at the start of THE Ave
Louis Vuitton flagship store
Some pictures from the top of the Arc de Triomphe
view of the Champs Elysees from the top of the Arc
spiral staircase all the way up
looking up, under the Arc
a slightly weary tourist
Actually, one of the things that we found most interesting was to watch the traffic in the massive traffic circle that goes around the Arc de Triomphe. We especially enjoyed watching from the top, and Greg took a short video of the chaos and confusion.
On the second day, we headed first thing for the Eiffel Tower. We had heard stories of the monumental lines that form to ascend the Eiffel tower, so we tried to get there early, but sadly we were not early enough. So we joined the longest line that I have ever seen in my entire life, and we waited, and waited, and waited. And over an hour of waiting, Greg went to look around and see what was going on. Well, apparently on the day that we had chosen to see the Eiffel Tower, they were operating with only 1 lift instead of 2. But Greg did notice another line that looked significantly shorter than the one we were standing in, as in one 5th of the size shorter. The shorter line was a line to walk up to the second level (a cool 1669 steps), and from the second level you could then catch a lift to the top. In the interest of saving time, we decided to switch lines and make the 20 minute stair climb to the second level.
waiting in line
some pictures from the very top
they say that from the top you can see 50-75 kms
taking a coffee break on the second level on our way down
After the Eiffel Tower, we headed over to "see" the Louvre. And by "see", I mean see the building, the pyramid, and the gardens. We had zero interest in going inside, and so we didn't. We did grab some baguettes, some iced teas, and sat in the gardens of the Louvre for a while to rest our tired stair-climbing feet. However, our idyllic rest was rudely interrupted by the sprinkler system.
oh - and I found a Starbucks. Obviously.
Next we headed over to La Galleries LaFayette, which is the grandest department store I have ever seen in my life. Truly a sight to behold. We didn't really shop here, we just wandered for a bit and then made a bee-line for the roof top terrace, which had a stunning view of the Paris skyline.
the Opera house, as seen from the rooftop terrace
a view from the roof
For dinner we went to a place called Chartier, which was a operational soup kitchen back in 1896. Nothing about the 'decor' had really been changed (and there was no air conditioning) It was not a touristy place, but a cult favourite of the locals. It was a very intersting dining experience. I loved it, Greg hated it. It's quite a story to tell, but if you want to hear it, have me over for coffee...it really needs to be told in person.
After dinner, we just strolled the streets with no agenda - other than wanting to see the Eiffel tower all lit up. Pretty spectacular.
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