Paris. Where do I even begin.
Let's start with "Bonjour!". You don't just say "Bonjour" to someone, the tone of your voice rises and you sing it. Adding some emphasis on the jour.
Now say it with me "Bonjour!". Bon means good and jour means day, so literally translated this means good day. At night you would say "Bonsoir". Soir meaning night.
I took 6 years of French during school. I am by no means fluent but I can carry on a conversation and most importantly ask for and receive directions. I also ordered all my meals in French. Our server the first night out even told me my French was "tres bien" or very good. It was a lot of fun to actually speak a language I had spent such a long time studying.
I've often heard that the French can be very rude. However, the minute you start speaking French to them and show them you know a little about their culture they warm right up.
What did I do in Paris? The real question is what did I not do in Paris. The list...
- Eiffel Tower
- Arc de Triumph
- Boat Cruise on the Seine
- Louvre
- Notre Dame
- Pantheon
- Monte Marte
- Sacred Coeur Eglise (Sacred Heart Church)
- Versailles
- Fagonard Perfumery
Our first day in Paris we spent mostly on a free walking tour that lasted for 3 hours. For all three cities we went with New Europe tours. After seeing most of the city on the tour we climbed the steps to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. I can't even describe the view, it was just great.
The Eiffel Tower was built by the same architect who created the statue of Liberty. It was originally built for the World Fair in Paris and when they first put it up the Parisians hated it. However, as the tower became iconic to the city they learned to love it.
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| La Tour Eiffel et Moi |
After the tower we got a closer look at the Arc de Triumph. The Arc was built for Napoleon to walk through with his troops. Unfortunately he died before they finished building it.
We finished our first day with a boat cruise on the Seine river. Also, very beautiful sights.
The second day we did the Notre Dame, the Pantheon, and Monte Marte.
Notre Dame was so cool. I loved the gargoyles. They were legit.
In the Pantheon, I was very excited to see the resting place of Pierre and Marie Curie the very famous chemists. The crypt also had many famous french writers such a Victor Hugo (the guy who wrote the Hunchback of Notre Dame) and other important people.
After the Notre Dame and the Pantheon we took the metro to Monte Marte. Monte Marte is where the Romans used to take people to murder them hence "marte" for "martyr". Nice right?
Monte Marte is the only hill in Paris. It is known as the art district of Paris, home to Moulin Rouge and the Sacred Coeur Church. It is also where many famous artists lived like Picasso and Van Gogh.
We got to see a whole square of street artists with many beautiful original works of art.
Fun Fact: We had THE best cupcakes there before taking yet again another New Europe tour of Monte Marte. Forget what the place was called but it's straight up the hill from the Moulin Rouge on the left if you are ever in Paris.
That night we also did the Louvre. It's free to get in from 6 to 10pm on Fridays if you are a student. We were able to see he Mona Lisa without having to wait in line. The Mona Lisa or as the french call her "La Joconde" was cool but in my opinion a little overrated. My favorite part of the Louvre was the Egyptian exhibit. There was all these sarcophaguses and a real live mummy...well a real dead mummy.
On our last day in Paris we spent most of the day at the palace of Versailles. This is where King Louise the fourteenth lived with Marie Antoinette. The palace and the grounds were just gorgeous. Marie Antoinette even had her own personal apartments. They say she wanted to experience peasant life so she used to walk around with sheep that were dyed pink and perfumed...her corset must have been a little to tight.
In Versailles we also stumbled upon some sort of military ceremony. From what I could interpret I would have like to guess it was an induction ceremony of some sort. Here is a video...
Our last night in Paris we splurged on a gourmet meal on the Champs Elysees (Shamps Eel-ease-say). In honor of Julia Child I had the Boeuf Bourguignon. Check out this clip from the movie "Julie and Julia".
We finished our trip eating crepes under the Eiffel tower glowing in the night.
Paris was definitely the best place we visited. The French are really proud of their culture and language. Everything in the city is very elegant, you are in awe the entire time you are there. Unfortunately we couldn't stay in Paris forever so it was off to London to visit the Queen.
We finished our first day with a boat cruise on the Seine river. Also, very beautiful sights.
The second day we did the Notre Dame, the Pantheon, and Monte Marte.
Notre Dame was so cool. I loved the gargoyles. They were legit.
In the Pantheon, I was very excited to see the resting place of Pierre and Marie Curie the very famous chemists. The crypt also had many famous french writers such a Victor Hugo (the guy who wrote the Hunchback of Notre Dame) and other important people.
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| Les Gargouilles de Notre Dame |
After the Notre Dame and the Pantheon we took the metro to Monte Marte. Monte Marte is where the Romans used to take people to murder them hence "marte" for "martyr". Nice right?
Monte Marte is the only hill in Paris. It is known as the art district of Paris, home to Moulin Rouge and the Sacred Coeur Church. It is also where many famous artists lived like Picasso and Van Gogh.
We got to see a whole square of street artists with many beautiful original works of art.
Fun Fact: We had THE best cupcakes there before taking yet again another New Europe tour of Monte Marte. Forget what the place was called but it's straight up the hill from the Moulin Rouge on the left if you are ever in Paris.
That night we also did the Louvre. It's free to get in from 6 to 10pm on Fridays if you are a student. We were able to see he Mona Lisa without having to wait in line. The Mona Lisa or as the french call her "La Joconde" was cool but in my opinion a little overrated. My favorite part of the Louvre was the Egyptian exhibit. There was all these sarcophaguses and a real live mummy...well a real dead mummy.
On our last day in Paris we spent most of the day at the palace of Versailles. This is where King Louise the fourteenth lived with Marie Antoinette. The palace and the grounds were just gorgeous. Marie Antoinette even had her own personal apartments. They say she wanted to experience peasant life so she used to walk around with sheep that were dyed pink and perfumed...her corset must have been a little to tight.
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| Le Jardin de Versailles |
Our last night in Paris we splurged on a gourmet meal on the Champs Elysees (Shamps Eel-ease-say). In honor of Julia Child I had the Boeuf Bourguignon. Check out this clip from the movie "Julie and Julia".
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| Diner sur la Champs Elysees |
We finished our trip eating crepes under the Eiffel tower glowing in the night.
Paris was definitely the best place we visited. The French are really proud of their culture and language. Everything in the city is very elegant, you are in awe the entire time you are there. Unfortunately we couldn't stay in Paris forever so it was off to London to visit the Queen.
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