Pari, oui oui!
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
20
Trip End
Jul 24, 2009
Paris,
Île-de-France,
France
Monday, November 24, 2008
Paris is all that I imagined - cultured, beautiful, historic, breathtaking, and expensive. Be prepared to pay 6 euro for a coffee and daylight robbery for a shoebox hotel. But as I say, was to be expected.
My rendezvous in Paris began with some artificial culture at Euro Disney. Being a big kid at heart and complete sucker for anything Disney, this was a must-do on my agenda. Wasn't bad, although I would recommend doing a 2 park/1 day pass rather than buying online like I did (well in Winter at least). It was also freezing - this will be a common them throughout our trip - which made it hard. Poor Paddy, a rollercoaster virgin, was nearly pushed over the edge after Indiana Jones, Space Mountain (better than US Disney), and some Star Wars simulator had him searching for a paperbag and sweating buckets. That put a rather swift halt on our rollercoaster escapades for the rest of the day. All in all, rather pleasant.
Dinner at some thai restaurant which was all in french. My french (and pronounciation) is near non-existant, so I could only gather from 'rouge' and the waiter's impersonation that I was having a red prawn curry. Disaster. It was all in shells and was a complete mess. Tired Claire + hungry claire = not so much fun. We did make up for it at the creperie (I love the places! You must try nutella and banana) and also some amusement at a nearby erotica museum in the Montmartre district - no I'm not dodgy, it was recommended by the guidebook and it was open at 10pm at night!
Saturday felt like a day of epic proportions although I was in bed by 8.30pm! Started the day at Notredame, headed to Ste Chappelle, off to the Pantheon, a quick lunch (again poor menu choice by me) to the Musee de Orsay, a stroll past Invalides, a wander around the Eiffel Tower (I don't think we've ever been so cold so we passed on going up the thing), and finished at the Trocadero. Was a brilliant day, although I nearly fell asleep into my pate and pommes frites.
Sunday, alarm went off without fail at 8am (Paddy realised quickly there was no chance of a sleep in on this holiday...) and we were off to Versailles. This place was breathtaking. If you've ever seen the movie Marie Antoinette, you'll have some hint of what it's like. The hall of mirrors was amazing, and I was happy out with my audio guide. The one annoying thing was the throng of Asian tourists who have no concept of personal space and take photos of absolutely anything e.g. a vase, a desk, a fly on the wall... It decided to snow on our walk to the Marie Antoinette's palace and as exciting as it was to be in snow, my shoes were wet and the 1.5 km walk seemed an eternity! The gardens must be amazing in Summer however. The two littler palaces were also impressive - for me, it was a pretty big deal to be walking through the places I studied in 5th form history! That evening we headed up the Arc de Triomphe with amazing nightime views over the Champs de Elyssee and the Eiffel Tower. Yup, the Paris I dreamed of!
Monday we were up early climbing up the Sacrecour. Unfortunately the crypt was shut (although you still pay full price for the ticket), however the views were spectacular. You could see right across Paris (it's relatively flat). The interior of the Church is also amazing, I was one of the minority that abided by the 'no camera' rule so no photos of inside unfortunately. The afternoon we spent roaming the Lourve... what a place! I was determined to do this 'the right way', however I don't think there is a right way, and we managed to get lost in a maze of boring tapestry hangings and dour looking art from the Netherlands. Finally however we found the italian paintings and greek sculptures. I was addicted to my audio guide (yes I am officially a travel geek), and was enthralled by the Mona Lisa. (again though, getting annoyed at Asian tourists with no concept of personal space!). Paddy was less than impressed by the Venus de Milo (apparently she was 'just some statue with no arms'). I seriously could have stayed there for days. I have since bought the Da Vinci code. Again.
Anyhow, all good things come to an end, and next thing you knew we were going through the painful ordeal of getting to the airport. Usually a smooth process, however labour strikes meant we had to find our way to different overland trains (which of course noone at the ticket booth had told us), and cramming ourselves into a very overfull train with a broken suitcase (Paddy's fault). But of course every trip has to have drama so I'm not complaining! Much.
All in all, loved the place. Especially the little streets, the parisian style, and the air of Europe.
Will post photos soon!
