Paris BABY!
Trip Start
May 27, 2008
1
7
10
Trip End
Jun 10, 2008
Paris,
Île-de-France,
France
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
So we tried our best to get some sleep on the train and we both managed off an on for most of the way. The train was mostly empty when we started but as the morning went on more and more people kept getting on. Eventually we did have to share our seats with others but they were quite older people who seemed nice. We got to Paris right on time---damn these trains are reliable and timely. Here it is we decided to see the main monuments in centralized places so we can get more bang for our buck.
Centre Pompidou, NotreDame, Louvre, Arc de Triumph, and Eiffel Tower
The weather most of the wayup from Nice and in Paris was horrible. In fact the rain was so bad that several towns on the west side of France and tons of houses were damaged. All day in Paris we dodged the rain by using the metro system which at frist was confusing but with a map and some determination we figured it out
Arc de Triumph
. The rain did seem to follow us but strangely enough it didn't pour until we got on the last metro to Paris Nord.We waited abuot 2 hours to get on our train and in the mean time managed to consume some beer and watch a fight break out in the train station. Our seats were pretty good and watching the Policia scramble was cool. Funny enough Ryan and I had just been comparing the city to other big cities like NYC in the US. Paris obviously wanted to show us what it had to offer. Ryan's better at covering the details so catch his end of it too.
Ryan: 5 major sites in 6 hours. Some call us crazy, others call us adventurous... probably a bit more of the first. The Pompideau was crazy. A huge hulking structure that had all its a/c, electric, and water systems on the outside. Very modern place in the nestled amoung traditional older structures from the 1700 and 1800's. Just a few blocks from there we went to Notre Dame cathedral, the poster child of high gothic architecture. Saw the flying butresses, gargoyles, and the saints above the narthex and east entrances. Stunning! After a quick 360, we hoofed it back over the Seine over to the Louvre. Though closed (all museums were closed that day, though it was ok b/c of out time constraints) we were still able to walk through the center and see the I.M. Pei pyramid, and marvel at the absolutly endless stretch of the museum's wings. Back to the Metro to hit up the Arc de Triumph. A marvellous structure, with great friezes and sculptures, right in the middle of a very busy traffic circle. Crazy. But got some great pics, and hopped back to the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. WOW! Imposing yet airy, the metal structure looms over the park and the Seine. It was so crowded, we couldn't even get to the first level... plus we were not going to haul our asses (and all our stuff) up all those stairs! But we had a nice sit in the park and rested a bit. Then it was time to hop back on the Metro and catch our overnight train to Berlin Germany.
