Our first day in Paris was Day 29 (July 5) of our adventure. Last time I was in Paris, it was only for a couple days during the spring break of my semester abroad in Madrid. It was a whirlwind visit in between San Sebastian and Prague. We saw a lot given the time we had, and did a very good job of the excellent
Pompidou, but I was looking forward to having a little more time to wander. Amanda's family lived here for a year when she was younger, so it was nice to be with people who knew their way around.
First things first, we hustled over to the Eiffel Tower to try to beat most of the crowd. That isn't really possible, though.
It really is an impressive tower. We got up to the second level and opted not to wait the hour and a half necessary to get to the very top. We had things to do!
We had a nice stroll along the Seine, getting over to the
Pont Alexandre III.
We cut in and had lunch near the Assemblée nationale, surrounded by military men.
The Basilique Ste-Clotilde was nearby.
After that, we went to the
Musée d'Orsay, located in a nice old train station, which is really a great space for art.
There was a ton there, great paintings and sculpture, including a special exhibit on Manet.
From there, Amanda and I made our way by metro up to Montmartre, which is one of the other areas I did pretty well last trip. It's a really pretty area, and the
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is a really pretty building.
Climbing up to the top is especially nice too, since instead of an interior staircase you're scampering around the outside. It offers up great views of the city too.
We got some tea to rest our feet before making the trek back into the city proper.
That night for dinner, we went to a crepe place that Amanda went to when younger, accidentally ordering hard cider and subsequently having a fun day at school. Their cider is still really good, as were the crepes. Mmmm.
The following morning, we all went to see the Sainte-Chappelle on Île de la Cité. The upper chapel is almost entirely stained glass, and despite the mostly overcast weather was really remarkable.
Across the way is the Notre Dame.
Must not have been a popular king. Inside is very nice, and we had the luck to be there during a choral performance. France was fortuitous for catching music in churches.
From there, we strolled west, dodging gypsy children left and right.
Yum.
I didn't go into the Louvre last time because we didn't feel like we had enough time to do it any justice. And I made the same decision again. I kind of like the idea that I haven't seen one of the major things in Paris twice. I guess it gives me a reason to keep coming back.
So we had a little picnic on the grass nearby and went up the Champs Elysees.
The Arc de Triomphe is at the top.
We took the metro back over the river (a musician in the metro car played
Champs Elysees, of course), where we descended into the depths of the sewer system - the
Égouts de Paris.
They were pretty sweet, and not too smelly. A lot about the history of sanitation in the area and the massive push for public works in the 19th century. Having recently finished The Ghost Map, which focuses on the sanitation of London, I can say it's pretty amazing stuff and one of the only reasons that cities survived into the 1900s.
Afterward, we went back to the hotel, where Amanda's uncle and grandmother met us from Geneva. After a little musical chairs-style apartment switching, we went out for Amanda's (first) birthday dinner at a nice bistro. The three men split an enormous hunk of shank meat, which literally melted off the bone. Incredible.
The next day, our last in Paris, was Amanda's actual birthday. I got up a little early to get some fresh brioche for the lady, and the thing about fresh bakeries everywhere is as great as it sounds. We had breakfast proper with her uncle, then were over to the other apartment to round up the troops.
Amanda, Sara, and I went over to
Montparnasse for some walking around and shopping.
We all met up for a good lunch, and then it was time to start getting ready to move on. Amanda and I power walked along the Seine, stopping to get a few more pictures of the Eiffel Tower (overhearing a Scottish dad explaining to his teary daughter why they weren't going to go up: "I'm sorry, but look at the queue! We'll come back when you're older". Ok, imagine that in a great Scottish accent. Yeah. Heartbreaking).
We still got back by walking before the older folk via metro. We finished some last-minute throwing together of things and then were off for a 6pm chunnel. That's right, the channel tunnel. Getting to it and getting situated worked great. I think we slipped in and out of nappytimes a little, but I remember a decent period of darkness going between France and England.
