A Parisian Weekend

Our weekend in Paris was lovely. Leaving Paris was a pain in the butt, but that is an entirely different story to be told!

After saying goodbye to Polly and Sara and our flat in London, Grace and I arrived in Paris and found our way to our 5 Star hotel—thanks to our awesome Uncle Brian! It was a sight to see when we walked in with our giant backpacks into the lobby filled with crystal chandeliers and people dressed up for cocktails—Grace and I definitely didn’t look like we belonged there, but you don’t have to belong to enjoy a huge plush king size bed—again Uncle Brian is the best! We walked into the room with our jaws dropped as we walked down the staircase and saw the king size bed, giant ceilings, big windows, etc.

Big pillows, high ceilings, staircase... after carrying our giant backpacks
through Paris, this was our first reaction! Thanks Uncle Bri! 

For our first evening we decided to explore and find our way to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is such a common picture to see, that it is hard to know what it will actually be like to see it in person. Our hotel was only about a fifteen minute walk away, and all of a sudden we turned a corner and bam, there it was! We walked onto a balcony-like part of the museum nearby and saw the whole view, and then walked right up to the tower. It is a great part of Paris because there is a great big lawn leading up to the tower where people can sit in the grass and enjoy. We had dinner nearby and then went back to see the tower lit up. Just as we were about to leave, the lights began to sparkle—it was really beautiful.

Our first look at the Eiffel Tower

We just chilled in the lawn as a group of Parisian
guys played Sweet Home Alabama on the guitar

Back at night for a whole new atmosphere! 

Unfortunately the elevator was closed but we still
got up close and personal with the tower

The tower started to sparkle as a special treat for us before we left

For our second day in Paris, Grace and I had big plans to check out some museums—the Louvre of course, and the Orsay Museum which is right across the river. I was impressed with the big open spaces with gardens and lawns in Paris. By the Louvre, the walk leading up to it makes it much more special. The art inside is pretty spectacular—especially after I got in for free because according to my passport I am a resident of the European Union until July! Grace and I wandered the museum and didn’t get lost at all. We saw some great old statues and pottery from ancient Greece and Rome and other old artwork including the Mona Lisa.

After we got out, the sun was finally breaking through the clouds, and we decided to eat lunch on the lawn by the Louvre. All we wanted was a French baguette and cheese—bread and cheese pretty much sum up our time in Paris—and for some reason the process of finding these things took forever! But once we stumbled upon a cute little baker, we made our way back to the Louvre, sat down and shamelessly powered through and entire wheel of cheese!

Grace and I waiting at the Louvre for our cultured
activity of the day 

Lunch outside the museum. That wheel of cheese
disappeared a few minutes after this picture was taken!

With more energy and full stomachs, we made our way across the river to power through the Orsay Museum—it was free for the last hour it was open, so we got through the doors and ran up to the Impressionist gallery. During our time in Europe, Grace and I have discovered a love for Impressionism. The gallery was a great way to supplement the Louvre, because the artwork had a lot more vivid color, compared to the classical works, and although we didn’t know a lot of the historical context until after, it was nice to just walk from piece to piece and enjoy the beauty. We saw a lot of works from Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh.

Next we took the metro up to see the church on a hill—the Sacré Coeur—in the neighborhood known as Montmartre. The area used to be where the Bohemians spent their time in Paris, and you could find people doing various street acts or painting caricatures on every corner. We were in for a treat when we found the church, because this Spanish man was playing a mini concert with his guitar on the church steps. He played a lot of the Beatles, which made it feel like we never left London, and we sat looking over the city listening to music as the sun went down. It was one of those moments that is just so special to stumble upon.

A few from the back of the church. Just around front was a big set
 of stairs where the musician played for a big group overlooking the city

We had dinner where the "bohos" used to hang out
Nutelle Banana Crepes of course! 

When we woke up Saturday morning, Grace and I had to check out of our hotel and head to our first hostel of the trip. It was an easy metro ride from the hotel, but it is never easy to blend in with giant backpacks on two little girls. We got stopped multiple times by nice French people who helped us find our way to our hostel in the Latin Quarter of Paris. After the big schlep, we dropped off our bags and went on a search for more bread and cheese!

This day we ate lunch in the Luxembourg Gardens which hosts the palace where the Senate meets in Paris. The garden is complex and has special rules for where you can run, eat, walk your dog, play cards, etc. We found a lawn that had many other people having a picnic, with a view of the little pond in the middle of the garden. After finishing yet another wheel of cheese, we strolled though the gardens and saw kids on pony rides and little puppet shows.

Next on the Paris schedule was a walk across the river to Notre Dame. The bridge that leads up to the cathedral is covered with “love locks,” which I have been discovering all over Europe. Inside Notre Dame, the stained glass windows are super detailed and the colors are gorgeous. The gargoyles on the outside are pretty fun to see too.

A view of Notre Dame from the bridge covered in love locks. People
write their names on them, lock it to the bridge, and throw the key in the river

After a full day, we made it back to our hostel to relax a bit before dinner, and wound up meeting some Canadians who taught us some card games—also, Grace and I realized that a deck of cards would have been the best thing to have number one on our packing list! It was fun to hang out with some people our age who were in the middle of the same type of travel itinerary the Grace and I are doing.

Saturday night was a special late night, free admission deal at the Pompidou Center for Modern Art, and Polly and Sara said we had to check it out! So after grabbing crepes at a stand and eating them by the funky fountain, we ventured into the world of modern art. The museum is a quirky building that has great views of Paris from the top. Grace and I both agreed that we don’t necessarily understand modern art at all, but we still enjoyed wandering though the galleries and seeing the interesting things that people come up with. It was a great way to wrap up our art filled weekend in Paris—Impressionism definitely won, but we saw some great pieces all around.

Just a little taste of modern art! One night Grace and I ate crepes sitting
by this very unique fountain 

After the museum, I made Grace almost sprint to the nearest bar so we could catch the end of the Champion’s League Final—still trying to seize every opportunity to see good soccer in Europe. We made it to a bar just as the whistle was blowing, but it was a tie game, so we still had a lot of fútbol to watch—luckily the bar tender was Spanish, so I knew exactly how to order what I wanted, and Grace and I found a great little table to watch the end of the game. After a thrilling ending, Grace and I went back to our hostel to get a little bit of sleep before catching a train to Switzerland in the morning.

Our experience at the station was all but pleasant—I know that not everyone in the world speaks English, but you would think that in an international train station you could find at least some employees who could help us, but of course that wasn’t the case. And although we didn’t end up on the train we wanted, we made it to Switzerland with a good story—unfortunately it is far too complex to write it all down, but be sure to ask about it when we get back J