Monday, 23 November 2009
Thursday, 12 November 2009
J'adore Paris!
Just got back from Paris early this morning. It was AMAZING! Such a lively city! It was just as romantic as they all say. It has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was such a dream come true for me to see Paris.
I love traveling. I never come back the same. I always want to be changing and getting better. I have been to 9 countries and each one has shaped me in some way or another. I have another stamp in my Passport! Let me show you Paris!
When we arrived we didn't want to waste time going to our hotel...so we went to the Eiffel Tower instead! On the way walking we found the Arc de Triomphe. WOW. I turned my head and saw it in the distance and gasped. It is so amazing. You can't see the details in pictures. It doesn't do it justice. It is beautiful. The traffic surrounding the Arc was so busy and the police were directing it. The city is HUGE!
We then walked to The Eiffel Tower. We followed the light. Walking along the Parisian streets at night is so romantic. There are plenty of cafe's and benches to sit and enjoy the city. There is an energy in the city that is so strong. I loved it. When we saw the Eiffel Tower we stopped and took her in. She is MUCH bigger than I expected! What an amazing structure. We got in line to buy our tickets at a Spanish speaking counter. LD is so handy to have around. There were signs everywhere to watch the Pickpockets. I held my bag close to me! We rode the elevator to the second level and the scenery was just...there aren't words to describe this beautiful city. What an experience. We really enjoyed our time there. We ended our time at The Eiffel Tower with a Light Show at 10pm to celebrate its 120 yrs! Looked like a billion twinkling lights! What a show!
We finally decided we were tired and should probably check into our hotel at 10:30pm. We hailed a cab and of course he took us the long route (we figured this out the next day as we realized how close we really were to our hotel). We dropped our small bags and headed out to find some Parisian Grub at 11pm. Would anything be open? Of course. We aren't in Scotland anymore. They have a night life. A nice man at our hotel told us a place to go find non-touristy food and people. We walked 5 min and found a little Italian restaurant. I know I know, we aren't in Italy. We are in Paris! But we couldn't find a Parisian restaurant open near our hotel and we were starving!!! We successfully ordered from an all french menu. Yay! Our heaping plates of pasta arrived and we enjoyed a wonderful meal. I felt so special eating in Paris!! I'm a nerd I know. I don't care. I was in Paris!!
The next morning we ate a VERY expensive breakfast of real Parisian croissants, orange juice, fruit, etc... for €12 a piece! That was a rip off. We shouldn't have eaten at the hotel. Oh well...we'll know for next time. Loved the croissants though. I had a chocolate one for you Christy!
Off to The Notre Dame Cathedral! Pictures DO NOT do this place justice. The sculptures on the outside alone are amazing. Not one the same. I could spend all day just looking at the outside. The inside was an experience. Think of choir music. Beautiful choir boys singing. That is what we heard upon entering. I'm not catholic but I can sure appreciate the spirit of this holy place. They built it as a place of worship and they did not skimp on details. The candles were all lit as prayers for others. There were seats to enjoy the ambiance of the this spiritual place. Luis knelt at an alter by Guadalupe (the Mexican Virgin Mary). I'm so glad we have the same sense of humor. It was fun! I could spend all day here, but we were on a time limit. We wanted to get to The Louvre!
Words can not express The Louvre. I had no idea HOW big it was. I still don't! We spent 6 hours there and only scratched the surface of one wing! I could spend a week there and not see it all. I guess I'll have to come back to Paris and spend more time at The Louvre. OK! One very cool thing was the sheer number of people there! It was so busy for a Wednesday afternoon. People from all over the world were coming to partake in history and the arts. That in itself is amazing. We only had 6 hrs so we sat down and picked out what we NEEDED to see this trip. The Mona Lisa, Aphrodite, Hercules, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Fighting Warrior, and all the Egyptian exhibits (we saw a real mummy!). It took us 6 hours to see that! The building was as beautiful as the art inside. The ceilings were amazing. Words can't describe. I felt like Prof. Robert Langdon from The Davinci Code. Too cool!!
By this time we are so exhausted I can't see straight. I had to take my shoes off inside the Lovure and sit down for about 30 min before we could continue on in our journey home. LD was a trouper dealing with me. Love you honey!
This city is so beautiful. So much history. So much beauty. I can't wait to go back. I will post more pictures of each place we saw.
I've checked Paris off my list. It feels good!
I love traveling. I never come back the same. I always want to be changing and getting better. I have been to 9 countries and each one has shaped me in some way or another. I have another stamp in my Passport! Let me show you Paris!
When we arrived we didn't want to waste time going to our hotel...so we went to the Eiffel Tower instead! On the way walking we found the Arc de Triomphe. WOW. I turned my head and saw it in the distance and gasped. It is so amazing. You can't see the details in pictures. It doesn't do it justice. It is beautiful. The traffic surrounding the Arc was so busy and the police were directing it. The city is HUGE!
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We finally decided we were tired and should probably check into our hotel at 10:30pm. We hailed a cab and of course he took us the long route (we figured this out the next day as we realized how close we really were to our hotel). We dropped our small bags and headed out to find some Parisian Grub at 11pm. Would anything be open? Of course. We aren't in Scotland anymore. They have a night life. A nice man at our hotel told us a place to go find non-touristy food and people. We walked 5 min and found a little Italian restaurant. I know I know, we aren't in Italy. We are in Paris! But we couldn't find a Parisian restaurant open near our hotel and we were starving!!! We successfully ordered from an all french menu. Yay! Our heaping plates of pasta arrived and we enjoyed a wonderful meal. I felt so special eating in Paris!! I'm a nerd I know. I don't care. I was in Paris!!
The next morning we ate a VERY expensive breakfast of real Parisian croissants, orange juice, fruit, etc... for €12 a piece! That was a rip off. We shouldn't have eaten at the hotel. Oh well...we'll know for next time. Loved the croissants though. I had a chocolate one for you Christy!
Words can not express The Louvre. I had no idea HOW big it was. I still don't! We spent 6 hours there and only scratched the surface of one wing! I could spend a week there and not see it all. I guess I'll have to come back to Paris and spend more time at The Louvre. OK! One very cool thing was the sheer number of people there! It was so busy for a Wednesday afternoon. People from all over the world were coming to partake in history and the arts. That in itself is amazing. We only had 6 hrs so we sat down and picked out what we NEEDED to see this trip. The Mona Lisa, Aphrodite, Hercules, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Fighting Warrior, and all the Egyptian exhibits (we saw a real mummy!). It took us 6 hours to see that! The building was as beautiful as the art inside. The ceilings were amazing. Words can't describe. I felt like Prof. Robert Langdon from The Davinci Code. Too cool!!
By this time we are so exhausted I can't see straight. I had to take my shoes off inside the Lovure and sit down for about 30 min before we could continue on in our journey home. LD was a trouper dealing with me. Love you honey!
This city is so beautiful. So much history. So much beauty. I can't wait to go back. I will post more pictures of each place we saw.
I've checked Paris off my list. It feels good!
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