Arrived and checked into our quaint little hotel. You think I’m kidding about quaint?? The kids could touch either wall simultaneously when lying across our bed.
Day 1: With the heat wave in Paris reaching over 95 degrees, what better way to spend our first day than walking from our hotel through the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champ-Elysees, over to the Le Pont Alexandre III (one of the most ornate bridges in Paris), into the Place de la Concorde with its fountains and Egyptian obelisk, through the Arc du Carrousel and into the grounds of the Louvre.
Day 2: A whirlwind day that included an all too brief visit inside the Louvre (one really does need a month), where we saw several works of art including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.
Lunch was on the first level of The Eiffel Tower where afterwards, Doug and I climbed the stairs to the second level (we just didn’t have it in us to go all the way to the top).
We all then took a Seine boat cruise to the gothic masterpiece that is the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Again our stay was all too short, but Amy vows to go back and attend Mass there.
Later that evening Doug and I chose to climb to the top of The Arc de Triomphe and see The City of Lights in all its glory. While the vantage points were awesome, my pictures don’t do it justice.
Day 3: What better way to end our visit to Paris than with an excursion out to see the palace of Louis XIV in Versailles. The opulence of the Royal Apartments, the grandeur of The Hall of Mirrors and the expanse of the palace gardens was overwhelming. Being able to walk the same halls as Marie Antoinette, Napoleon and all of those King Louies made for a great end to fast paced visit.
Observation: One always hears about the arrogance of the French. We can all say that our experience showed none of it. Well… except for that beggar we witnessed harassing a couple in the sidewalk café, and that French-Japanese tour guide in Versailles.
Our 3 day excursion to Paris was great. Record heat, blisters and a very full agenda didn't deter us from making the experience one to remember. We're taking notes and keeping all of our tour books for those who get the chance to visit us. Our quaint hotel was great and did have welcomed air conditioning - something we miss now and then! The guys turned in early one night and Steph and I went out for a late dinner and walk along the Champ-Elysees, only to experience a sudden thunderstorm during our sidewalk meal and a very wet walk back!
Paris is our first real trip out of the UK and it is so close that it is definitely a place we'll return for future weekends. Think we might wait until it cools off a bit...
Observations from Steph and Doug: It's really hot and we miss the air conditioning, people here wear funny shoes, there are no pickup trucks in London, Where are the gas stations??
Additional observations: The British Open is just The Open, and my favorite French Onion Soup is just plain Onion Soup in Paris! Thought of my dear friend Wanda as everyone stops in the sidewalk bakery for a fresh loaf of French bread on the way home from work each evening - or maybe they get two and eat one on the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment