PARIS, PARIS, PARIS, ONE BEAUTIFUL CITY

Trip Start Oct 01, 2008
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Trip End Sep 02, 2009


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Flag of France  , Île-de-France,
Sunday, June 21, 2009

We are off to see Paris today. We talk with the young couple across from us and they tell us they drove to the Metro station close to Disney Paris.  So our plan is to find this metro station and go in from there.  It was an easy drive over that way, but frustrating trying to find the Metro station.  We did see all the hotels for Disney and the back lots of some of the rides.  Once found and parked we were on our way.

We got seats and it wasn't crowded.  We have pined our pants closed and put elastic around Len’s fanny pack and the camera, tucked everything in and tried to hide it all.  With the map we still look like tourists, but that can’t be helped.  Actually we mustn’t look too much like tourists as people are asking us questions.

Our first stop outside the Metro is St St. Eustache Church
St. Eustache Church
 . Eustace Church, not written up in our Lonely Planet or on brochures.  It is a beautiful church and we entered when their service was on.  We got to hear the choir sing and the enormous sounds from the organ. 

Then off to figure out where we are and find Notre Dame Cathedral.  On the way we find the Louvre.  It is such a very huge building, so grand and stately.  We didn’t go in, but enjoyed looking at the buildings, court yards, statues and architect.  It is just spectacular!

We walked down the street along the Seine River.  There are so many ornate buildings it is hard to know which way to look first.  We catch our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.  We cross over onto the island and find the Notre Dame Cathedral, there are a lot of tourists here.  We take some pictures and then queue to go in.  Their service is on while hundreds of tourists go along the outside, some not very respectable and talking or taking photos with their flash on.

There is a miniature of the cathedral in wood to view all around and how it was made.  By the time we get to the front area the service is over and we can have a look at the nave and then the organ, which is playing high in the front of the church St. Eustache Church
St. Eustache Church
 . 

There are a lot of beggar woman who come to you and ask if you speak English.  We answer 'la’ to them, we are sure they must know Arabic, and no in every language.

Sometime along here we see the Conciergerie, Orsay Museum, Hotel des Invalides, the Grand and Petit Palais, several bride and grooms, a choral group singing on the corner of a bridge, parks and many other incredible ornate buildings we didn’t know their name.  Seen a group of a hundred+ roller bladders who do a tour around the city of 26 kms each Sunday.  They were taking a break on the grass at de Invalides.

Then we begin our walk back down the other side of the river towards the Eiffel Tower and we see the obelisk.  We go over to the square and have a look, the pink granite obelisk is over 3,300 years old and was given to Paris, in 1831, by Mohammed Ali, viceroy and pasha of Egypt.  It is from the Luxor area and once stood in the Temple of Ramses at Thebes.  On the sides of the base are the picture instructions of how it was moved from Egypt and set up here.  It looks pretty good for its age.

From here we can look up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triumph.  We look for the metro, we are getting tired from all the walking and will take the metro over to the Eiffel Tower.  After much more walking and asking we find the metro and then walk for about 10 minutes below ground to find the station!  It is a maze of stations and walkways down there.  We get off the subway at the Eiffel Tower station, but once above ground we can’t see it at all, of course we walk the wrong way, ask, turn around and see it St. Eustache Church
St. Eustache Church
 .  It was behind some buildings and trees by the subway.

The Eiffel Tower is so very impressive from every angle, close up and far away, underneath it and from across the street. It is another big WOW for us.   The queue for the lift up to the 2nd floor is very long.  We could walk up the stairs with only a 20 or 25 minute wait.   We share some French Fries from the local stand.  We sit and watch their carousel, it is in a sad state compared to the one we seen in Carcasssonne.

We cross the street to the park and enjoy watching the fountains, a bongo drum group and all the people enjoying the sun and the spectacular view of the tower.

We have now seen the first tallest structure in history, the Pyramids, the next tallest, the Eiffel Tower and the most current tallest structure, Burge Dubai. 

Back on the metro to go to the Arch de Triumph.  We have a look from our side of the street.  It is an impressive sight.  The round-about is huge and we are amazed at how the traffic moves around it without any accidents, right now Paris
Paris
 .  The changing of the guard is just taking place.

Back down to find the red line and head out of the city.  We had thought that we might just go back to the tent, have diner and then come back into Paris to see it at night.  Being summer solstice that would be late and right now we feel so very tired.  We will see Paris with the lights on another day.  The metro cars become packed as we go along but we got seats getting on where we did. 

No problems, what a great enjoyable day!  We most certainly walked our feet off, great to sit down.
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