Arriving in Paris
When we first arrived in Paris, we couldn't wait to explore. We fought the jet lag and went for a stroll around Place de la Bastille. Before long, we were thrilled to stumble across Notre Dame!
Hotel Castex
The Hotel Castex, located in the Marais district of Paris was one of our favorite hotels in France. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. They did everything from suggesting places to visit to drawing detailed directions on our metro map. Without their help, Eric and I would have been totally lost.
The First Dinner
Eric and I were a bit nervous to meet our tour group. We didn't know if there would be anyone our age or if we would get along with everyone. We were lucky to have a great group. We met for a toast across the street from the hotel and then headed off to dinner. Place de la Bastille (center picture) worked as our guide to our hotel every time Eric and I got a little bit lost. This happened a lot since I have a horrible sense of direction.
Too Excited to Sleep
After dinner we were exhausted, so we decided to call it an early night. This lasted about ten minutes. We consulted our Rick Steve's Paris book, decided that sleep was overrated, and headed out to explore the city of lights with a bit of guidance from the Hotel Castex staff. We were so excited to see Moulin Rouge. We didn't get too close because of the huge crowds around it. Next time we are in Paris we'll have to see a show.
Arc de Triomphe
We hopped back on the metro and went to the Arc de Triomphe. When we got off of the metro, we got on a long escalator. As we came closer to street level, the Arc de Triomphe slowly comes into view. It is one of the most impressive things that I have ever seen. The Arc truly does what it was designed to do, strike awe and fear into the enemies of France. We were so impressed that we decided to come back to see it during the day.
From here we strolled down the Champs Elysees and window shopped. We stopped at a music store and found a CD by Alphabeat, the group that sings our wedding song. We were really excited by this because you can't buy their music in the United States.
From here we strolled down the Champs Elysees and window shopped. We stopped at a music store and found a CD by Alphabeat, the group that sings our wedding song. We were really excited by this because you can't buy their music in the United States.
Louvre
We started our second day in Paris with a trip to the Louvre. Even though you always hear about how big the Louvre is, I was still shocked. This place is massive. We met our local guide, thankfully skipped the line shown in the picture below, and began our tour. We were of course taken to see the Mona Lisa and some of the other more famous masterpieces shown here. We also went down to the catacombs, which was really cool. We decided not to stick around after our guided tour because the museum was so busy. It was expecially busy when we went on July 13th because the Louvre would be closed on the 14th for Bastille Day. Eric and I would like to come back and explore at a less busy time.
Eric's Heaven
I don't think I mentioned that Eric is a high school history teacher. Les Invalides Museum is an enormous museum dedicated to telling the military history of France. We stopped here for a "quick" look. I stared out very impressed by the huge collection. There is an entire room full of suits of armor! They also have an impressive collection of weapons, uniforms, and propaganda from both World Wars. I think Eric could have moved in there. I, on the other hand, was thinking about my picnic lunch and bottle of wine. After several hours exploring the bulk of the museum, we finally made it to Napoleon's Tomb (bottom three pictures). This is housed in a beautiful building. The tomb itself is huge. The pictures do not do it justice.
Bateaux Parisiens Dinner Cruise
Eric and I went on the Bateaux Parisien Dinner Cruise, which was amazing. I had one of my many "Wow" moments while on this cruise. I knew that the Eiffel Tower lit up, but was unaware that it twinkled once an hour. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw this happen. I fear that though it was a wow moment, it may have also been an obnoxious American moment. I was just so excited.
The rest of the cruise was also beautiful. The food and wine great. It was one of the restaurants that helped inspire our French Dinner Party when we returned home.
I was also thrilled that I was able to wear the dress and red high heels that Eric didn't think I needed to bring. I didn't exactly follow the recommendation of packing light, much to Eric's horror. We now have a rule in our house that if I can't carry it, I can't bring it. Next time I'll put more thought into my packing.
The rest of the cruise was also beautiful. The food and wine great. It was one of the restaurants that helped inspire our French Dinner Party when we returned home.
I was also thrilled that I was able to wear the dress and red high heels that Eric didn't think I needed to bring. I didn't exactly follow the recommendation of packing light, much to Eric's horror. We now have a rule in our house that if I can't carry it, I can't bring it. Next time I'll put more thought into my packing.
Sainte Chapelle - A Wow Moment
This is most beautiful church that I have ever seen. The way the light shines through the stained glass windows is simplly breath taking. Pictures in no way do it justice. I still find myself at a loss for words when trying to describe the beauty of this place.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is as beautiful as I imagined. Our tour guide, William, gave us an introduction to the cathedral and then let us go inside to explore on our own. The interior is beautiful and very serene. We lit candles for our grandparents, which was very special.
We spent some time examining the front of Notre Dame. We were amused to see all of the birds in the area being fed my young childre (bottom right). There is even a birds nest under Mary and Jesus (top right). In front of Notre Dame there is Point Zero (bottom left). It is believed that if you step on Point Zero you will return to Paris. Needless to say, we stepped on this several times.
Eat, walk a little, then eat some more
We stopped at Jardin de Notre Dame for lunch. This was one of my favorites. We had a "light" lunch of escargot, soup a l'oignon, and salade au fromage de chèvre (goat cheese salad). We explored the Place de la Concorde a bit and then had a quick (less than 2 hours) dinner near the hotel.
Bastille Day - July 14th
Our fabulous tour guides, William and Rebecca, braved the crowds to get us to the fireworks. They even handed out little scrolls with the lyrics to "La Marseillais". The fireworks were great beautiful.
Love Locks
It is a fairly recent tradition for lovers in Paris to put a padlock on the Pont des Arts bridge as a symbol of the strength of their love. Eric and I did this with a Captain America lock. We hope to return to Paris in a few years and see if our lock is still there.
Return to Paris for the Last Dinner
It was hard to say goodby to all of the wonderful people that we met on our tour.