Paris, Day 4

Sorry for the hiatus in posting my Paris pictures! We've been enjoying the college football kickoff weekend (Go Gators!) and were able to spend a little bit of time with Chad, Janet & Violet (who is so cute!).

Our fourth day in Paris was spent at the Louvre. We found ourselves just as amazed at the building itself as we were with the treasures inside. So much to see, so easy to get lost! I particularly enjoyed the sculptures and was a little disappointed in their audio guides (too technologically advanced to really be useful). The museum was packed with people, making it really warm inside (the French haven't really got on board with the central AC-thing). We wandered into several areas that we did not intend to and really enjoyed seeing the off-the-beaten path pieces, with cooler temperatures, and a lot less people!

That evening we enjoyed a dinner cruise along the Seine. I don't have any of those pics (Ashley has them) but, it was very enjoyable! The food and live music were great. Although, we ordered the fillet mignon expecting beef and got pork instead...the waiter was kind enough to clue us in, "In France, fillet is pork." Oh...we thought they were pulling a fast one on us! It was a nice way to see the sites at night.

We went to bed early that night so that we'd be fresh and ready for our road trip to Normandy the next day!

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Kickoff in 24 hours!!

I'll post our Day 4 Paris pics later today but, in the meantime, Gator football kickoff is in 24 hours! Whoopee!! It's officially my favorite time of year! GO GATORS!!

Paris, Day 3

Our third day in Paris was a Sunday, and so, we went to all of the churches!

We started at the Eglise du Dome, where Napoleon I is entombed. We really enjoyed this place. As you can see, it's just beautiful inside. It's definitely a must-see and was just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Then we found our way to Notre Dame, where we walked through the inside of the cathedral (pretty cool that it was built in the 1300s...it's amazing what they could do back then) and then decided to climb to the top. The climb is definitely worth it. It's a windy, narrow, path to the first look-out. You essentially walk along the roof and can go see the big, Emmanuel, bell. However, just when you think you're headed back down, they usher up more stairs to the very top of the cathedral tower...and I thought the height of the Eiffel Tower was disconcerting! I was thinking even more about earthquakes up there! You basically walk along the very edge on a little path about a foot and a half wide with nothing but a little fence keeping you from plummeting to your death. The spaces are so tiny that I believe most people in the Southern states (as they all tend to be obese) couldn't make it around the corners! It was cool, but scary! We did our best Quasimoto impersonations and even saw a little lady that was sitting up there guarding the doorway that looked pretty Quasimoto-ish! I thought the "Hi, you look like Quasimoto can we take your picture" bit would be a little rude.

After a brief walk through the Latin Quarter and a delicious sandwich, we made our way to Sacre Coeur. This is a beautiful church on top of Montmarte. Another climb but, totally worth it. We happened to be there for a mass, which was really cool. I loved hearing the cute nun sing.

After the churches, we took the subway all over, popping up to see the Opera de Bastille and the Moulin Rouge. We had dinner in the Latin Quarter and caught a special presentation at Notre Dame on its history. Very interesting...

At the end of the day, we were pretty beat and Ashley's feet (and knee) had about had it! We needed a good night's rest before we hit the Louvre the next day!

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Paris, Day 2

While I loved each day in Paris, our second day at Versailles was definitely my favorite. It is an absolutely incredible place and we had such a great time driving around in our little golf cart, listening to our narrator and the lovely classical music that played as we drove. It was such a great way to see the grounds that a French couple tried to steal our cart while we were walking through one of the gardens! We're not sure in what country that's acceptable but, thankfully, we had our key!

We also climbed the Eiffel Tower that evening when we went back to the city. We thought we were in line for the elevators but, we quickly found ourselves climbing the 330 stairs to the first platform. It was here I realized that I have a little issue with heights...it was very disconcerting to see the ground and wonder...what if there was an earthquake!?! I held on to the handrails firmly all the way up.

We finished the day with a delicious dinner at a cafe near our hotel. I had the quiche, Ashley had the mussels, and we ordered the "cream cheese and strawberry sauce" for dessert. Surely, we thought, this would be like cheese cake...and then we thought, wouldn't it be funny if it were a block of cream cheese with jam on top? Alas, it was closer to the latter...a cup of really creamy cream cheese with a strawberry sauce on top. Funny and delicious all together. :-)

Enjoy some of our day 2 pics! Tomorrow, Day 3...the churches! (It was Sunday after all!)

P.S. A disclaimer about our hair...none of our usual hair tools worked in France. We had to rely on a vacuum-cleaner type hair dryer that wasn't worth its weight. I'm going to see what Photoshop can do to clean us up before I put these all in a scrapbook! Just know that we are not at the top of our game!

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Paris, Day 1

So, traveling to/from Europe is not my favorite thing. The flights are long and if you didn't sleep on them (like me) it makes for several days of feeling like the walking dead! I think springing for first- or business-class would definitely be worth it.

We arrived in Paris at 8am and caught three trains into the city to our hotel. The subway stations are definitely not wheelchair, or wheeling luggage, friendly! We climbed a lot of stairs with our heavy luggage and realized quickly why people backpack Europe! We were on one train that we thought would take us several stops down the line but, at one of the main train hubs, it stopped and we sat as everyone started getting off. A nice French woman starting saying a whole bunch of stuff to us that we didn't understand, except for one word, "terminae." Ashley figured out she was telling us that we needed to get off the train unless we wanted to go back to the airport! It was nice of her to give the clueless American girls a heads up before we started going back the way we came!

Ashley on the subway into the city. She looks refreshed because she slept the whole way!

Amy looking not so refreshed...I didn't sleep a wink!

Amy's hands after hauling her luggage through three subway stops and a few blocks to the hotel. We figured out why people backpack in Europe!

We weren't able to check-in to our hotel early so, we dropped our luggage and set-off to the Rodin museum. 

Ashley, on our way to the Rodin Museum

Amy, outside the Eglise du Dome (where Napoleon is entombed)

The Hotel Baron (the Rodin Museum), where Rodin lived.

The sculptures were dark and scary but the gardens were peaceful and beautiful

In the garden,you can see Rodin's most recognized work, "The Thinker," and the Eglise du Dome.

In the Gardens....

we were reminded of our Great Grandma Murray and her rose gardens that she so lovingly tended.

The gardens were the most beautiful part of the museum. The sculptures themselves were pretty scary!

Amy is a Thinker...

Rodin's signature in all of his works

Ashley, at the Gates of Hell. This piece includes smaller versions of all Rodin's works. Pretty disturbing if you ask me!

The view from the porch

Inside the Hotel Baron. Our faces were red because we were quickly learning that none of these historic buildings have air conditioning. Yikes!

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower near our hotel.

Our accommodations for the week. I highly recommend this hotel! It was lovely and in a great location!

I was surprised at how small the room was but, apparently this was pretty big for Paris!

After getting settled into our hotel room, taking a shower and a quick cat nap, we headed off on a long walking tour. We went to the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine to the Pont Alexander bridge, and down Churchill avenue to the Champs Elysees. While walking up the Champs Elysees, a nice French guy tried to pick-up Ashley, being very complimentary and asking her to have coffee. She politely declined and we continued on our way to the Arc de Triomphe (Ashley, walking a little taller along the way :-) Although, thinking now, it reminds us of the movie "Taken" Hmmm...). We climbed the 234 winding stairs to the top of the Arc and watch the sunset over Paris. It was very beautiful and a great way to see the city. 

We thought of our Dad a lot...He was named after Winston Churchill and we found several statues and restaurants with his name!

Looking down the Champs Elysees towards the Louvre.

Looking the other direction, down the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe

 

A cute little park along the Champs Elysees where we took a little rest.

The Arc de Triomphe and the crazy circular road that surrounds it. Twelve roads feed into the circle with no lanes...crazy!

Sacre Couer from the top of the Arc

The Champs Elysees, from the top of the Arc. You can see the Louvre at the end.

Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc.

Two of the twelve roads that lead to the Arc.

Moon rising over the city.

The sun setting over La Defense

We finished our first day by walking back to the Eiffel Tower to get a delicious ham and cheese crepe and watch the tower sparkle in the Trocadero park. A great end to our first day in Paris!
 

Stay tuned for Day 2...Versailles!