Paris seems to get a bad rap from a lot of people. I think people tend to get bad weather and meet rude people but we had a weekend of pretty much the opposite. Our new friend Jon who we met in Dublin was really nice to let us stay at his apartment, which was in an amazing location at was a really nice place. Sarah and I were the first ones to get to the apartment, and because Jon was still at work we had to follow the instructions to get to and into the apartment. After fumbling around the airport like idiots and making the 2 trains we had to take to the city center we walked out to the neighborhood we were staying in and it was so cute!
When we got to the apartment we felt like secret agents trying to break into a top secret room, so many codes and keys, it was pretty funny. That afternoon Sarah and I got some lunch and did a little shopping then napped till Justin got to town and Jon got home. Because it was Justin's birthday we went out for a few drinks, quite a tame 21st birthday but we had a party planned for the next week.
That next morning we got up for a day of touring. Our other friend from Dublin, Price, got in from her flight to spend the weekend in Paris too. We went to the Eiffel Tower in the morning. Once we got off the metro stop at the Eiffel Tower we didn't see the tower right away, we stumbled around like idiots and as we saw vendors and groups of other tourists... they were all walking a one way, and brilliant me thought they must all be leaving the tower... even the pictures some people were taking didn't tip us off. Pretty soon Price stops us and we look around to see the tower completely towering over us! Its hard to explain how silly we felt or looked but it was a good start to Paris.
Once we got to the tower we took a few pictures then found a sandwich shop and got food for a picnic by the tower. We did a lot of people watching, and encountered some of the gypsies that ask if you speak english, then hand you a note with a sob story about their family in hopes that you will give them money. They were everywhere and buy the end of the day we learned just to ignore them or say you didn't speak english. After we ate we went up to the towers, we didn't go all the way to the top of the tower, but over 700 steps later we were on the second level. We enjoyed the views for a while then headed back down the tower. At the bottom we started walking to the Arc de Triomphe, as I started teaching everyone about it with the Rick Steves book Jon let us borrow. We hung out for a bit at the Arc and headed down the champs elysee, only window shopping here, towards the end of the street I really enjoyed park and ponds, it was all very Parisian.
At the end was the Louvre. We were pretty tired at this point so only had the energy for a little more than an hour in the Museum. We saw the big things though, and other than that I wasn't too impressed with the collection of art. I was, however, impressed by the Mona Lisa. Most people are disappointed by it but I think, because I had such low expectations I enjoyed it much more.
That night we decided to make dinner at the apartment and got some wine and cheese. We had an early night that night, and the next day got up for more touring. We didn't really have a plan for that day so we ended up just taking out the Rick Steves book and wandering. Started the morning at Notre Dame. We spent some time outside taking pictures and wandered around inside, but I spent most of my time sitting outside it basically staring and reading what Rick Steves said about the design of the front.
After the cathedral we did some shopping along the left bank quarter and met up with Jon, then had lunch. I ate a croque madame. I had to order one because I had learned about them in 7th grade when I first started learning French. It was basically the worst thing for a person on the menu, a grilled ham and cheese covered in more cheese and a fried egg.
Next we hung out for a few hours up at Montmartre, a part of town and cathedral overlooking the city. Up there, there were many performers up on the steps, and an amazing view so we got some of the beers they were selling in the crowd and sat for a while. On the way back we walked through a really cute part of town, then down to the Moulin Rouge to take some pictures outside. It would of been cool to see the show but it was quite pricey.
Back to the apartment we grabbed some creps and after some rest we got drinks at the apartment. With every intention of heading to the Eiffel Tower at dark to see the lights of Paris, we got caught up in good conversation and many hours later realized the lights must of been turned off and the metro closed. We were not too concerned given we wanted to have a no pressure weekend, and knowing I would be back someday.
Back to Barcelona the next day. We all left with smiles so I would say it was a successful weekend. Being in one of the rumored most expensive cities in Europe, I surprisingly spent the least amount I have on any of my other trips. With the lack of shopping I also failed to get post cards, sorry for those of you who have gotten one from everywhere I have gone, no Paris cards :(
Now the next big trip is back to California! I'm only excited about it because I know I will never stop traveling. So the blogs won't end with Paris! Definitely looking forward for a break and a little bit of reality... odd as that may seem, a break from a vacation?
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