Paris with Grace: Day 3 (26/5)

Last full day in Europe

 The first stop, as usual, was getting some breakfast; we got quite accustomed to French baking. Second stop- Notre Dame (for the third time). This time, we actually stuck around and waited in line for the tour, which was one of my goals for my second trip to Paris. It was also a lot cooler today so the wait wasn't a health risk.

After a wait in line Grace and I finally got the chance to climb the hundreds of stairs and go into the towers of Notre Dame. It was five euro to go in but worth it just to see the gargoyles. Each gargoyle was so expressive and grotesque that I could literally stand up there for hours looking at them. Grace also snapped a lot of great photos of them.

After taking in the views of Paris, we descended into the city. Grace and I strolled along the Seine, doing some poster and souvenir shopping along the way. We eventually ended up at the Hotel des Invalides, which is apparently one of the 1000 places I need to see before I die. The building was actually very beautiful, which is not surprising considering it is in Paris. The Hotel des Invalides was originally a military hospital which has since been turned into a military museum and houses Napoleon's tomb. Grace and I didn't visit either, however, to save time and money.

Hotel des Invalides

Military detail around windows

And then it hit us- there was one thing missing from the perfect Parisian experience, and that thing was shopping, so we set off for the Galeries Lafayette. At this point in my 4.5 month long trip, I was feeling a little strapped for cash, but Grace is always ready to blow some money so she bought a dress and some shoes. While we were in such a beautiful store, we also bought some cappuccinos to enjoy. It turned out to be a lovely French afternoon.

What a beautiful store!

Grace had still not visited the Louvre while in Paris so that was next on our whirlwind last day in Paris. We found out that tickets were cheaper after 5 so once we arrived at the Louvre we took our time before going in. It worked out well because not only was Grace's ticket cheaper (mine was free due to my "European residency") but it was also not crowded at all, therefore giving us the perfect atmosphere to explore some of art's greatest accomplishments.

First stop: Mona Lisa (there was no doubt of that)

Next stop: Liberty Leading the People
I told Grace that there was a painting that I saw the last time I was at the Louvre and wanted to go back and spend more time examining it. When we got to the room of French paintings, Grace said, "I know which one you like." She said that between the revolutionaries and the tricolour French flag streaming she knew that Liberty Leading the People was the one I liked. What can I say? As I mentioned before, I'm a sucker for a great revolution (although the French Revolution is only my second, possibly third, favorite).

Last stop: Cupid and Psyche and sculptures

Sculptures are my new favorite form of art after traveling to Italy. I think Grace really liked seeing all the sculptures as well and because there was "perfect light" Grace and I stayed in the sculpture hall so Grace could snap a couple photos. Gracie also found a sculpture called The Three Graces so she loved that.

Since it was getting late our next stop was dinner, a nice French dinner. We went back to Ile St. Louis because we saw a lot of nice French restaurants while we were there yesterday. We ended up stopping at a nice, small restaurant with an affordable three course menu. For our first course, Grace tried the onion soup again (not as good as the first) and I had escargot. I had eaten escargot a few times before, mostly when my family traveled to Montreal. 

The French people sitting next to us were definitely mocking me in French for taking this picture.

Grace and I had duck and steak, which was decent. When it came to dessert, no one came around to give us it for a long time so we got concerned. Turns out that the somewhat creepy waiter wanted us to take our dessert in the special room downstairs. This is about when the red flag goes up that this could a bad situation. He lead us downstairs and it turned out that there was another seating area down there, so at least we were with other people. The waiter offered us drink on him and we told him that we didn't drink, so he offered us juice. Like we were going to drink anything he offered us.

When dessert came it was so good! It was a chocolate cake that was liquid on the inside and simply delicious. The waiter also insisted on taking pictures of us in this "special room," which was cool because it was likely hundreds of years old. 

After dinner I told the waiter that we had to get going because our parents were going to meet us at the Arc du Triomphe. This, of course, was a lie but I didn't want anything to go awry. 

I still wanted Grace to have a good look at the Arc du Triomphe but it was being cleaned or something because there was a tarp over parts of it. What a bummer, but I don't think Grace was that interested anyway.

We went back to our hostel and spent our last night in Europe. It's crazy how four months fly by!

Our Lady of Paris

Grace and I took a tour of Notre Dame. Here our some of our pictures along with quotes from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"The Church of Notre-Dame at Paris is doubtless still a sublime and majestic building."

"we are led to these conclusions,- that architecture was, up to the fifth century, the chief register of humanity; that during this space of time no idea of any elaboration appeared in the world without being built into masonry"

"[Quasimodo] seemed not only to inhabit it but to be its natural tenant."

"The other statues, those of monsters and demons, did not hate Quasimodo; he looked too much like them for that."

"The monsters were his friends, and protected him. Thus he had long conversations with them."

"And the cathedral was not only company for him, it was his universe; nay, more, it was Nature itself... 

...He never dreamed that there were other hedge-rows than the stained-glass windows in perpetual bloom; 

...other shade than that of the stone foliage always budding, loaded with birds in the thickets of Saxon capitals;

 ...other mountains that the colossal towers of the church; 

...or other ocean than Paris roaring at their feet."

Paris with Grace: Day 2 (25/5)

Je t'aime Paris

We started our day in the most appropriate way while in Paris and that was with a trip to the bakery. It was an extremely hot day but with such limited time in Paris we had to fight on.

Again we headed over to Notre Dame to see how long the line for the towers was and again it was unmanageable. While we were in that area, however, we heard a New Europe tour guide talk about Ile St. Louis, which is the island north of Notre Dame and its fantastic ice cream. Grace is very food oriented and so our goal for the day turned into getting Grace some delicious ice cream.

The Ile St. Louis is a really cute place and we had a great time exploring it. There are a lot of little restaurants there and we chose venture back for dinner. While we were walking in the Paris heat we stopped for some ice cream, which was nothing special, but then we found a small produce store. There was nothing really special about the store itself but there was a juicer inside that made the best orange juice (at least we suspect it was orange juice). Perfect beverage for such a hot day.

One of the things that I told Grace that she had to see while in Paris was the Louvre. It has so many great works of art and I knew that she might regret it if she didn't at least see the Mona Lisa. We started walking over to the Louvre but when we got there we discovered that is was closed. I guess we were just going to have to come back the next day.

We took the metro (mastering public transportation was one of our skills) back to our hostel and napped before dinner. It was also necessary to shower before dinner because we were sticky from the Parisian sun.

As I mentioned we had decide to travel back to Ile St. Louis for dinner. One of my father's requests was that Grace and I have a nice authentic French dinner while in Paris so we found a very tiny restaurant (only six tables) that looked like it had not changed for about 150 years that seemed like it would fit the bill. 

We got as table and were the only ones in the restaurant (although eventually another party came) and the chef came over and took our orders. There was also a cat walking around the restaurant and I was overjoyed that we found such a great "hole in the wall" place, although I desperately hoped it didn't cough up a hair ball.

The highlights of dinner were definitely Grace's dishes. She got both French onion soup, which was the best that I've ever had, and duck confit, which was also very good. I got steak au poive and it wasn't much to write home about, mostly because the meat was just not great quality.

After dinner we went in search of dessert and ended up getting gelato, which was very good. It then started drizzling but I was determined to show Grace the Arc du Triomphe so we headed in that direction. Unfortunately, but the time we got there it was full on raining and after getting a glimpse we went back to the hostel.

One nice thing about where we were staying was that they had free internet and I had my computer with me. They also had computer available for use in the lobby so Grace and I could keep up on our emails and correspondence. We would upload pictures, write email, and check Facebook, then turn in for the night.

Paris with Grace: Day 1 (24/5)

Welcome to Paris!

Grace and I were staying at the Caulaincourt Square Hostel which was in the Montmarte area of Paris, one of my favorite places there. After dropping all our luggage (they starting to get very cumbersome considering I was literally carrying all my possessions from Ireland) at the hostel, which was very nice, we went out to explore a very hot Paris. We had the whole day in front of us because it was only 10:15 am when we arrived.

Since we were already in the Montmarte area I thought it was best to start there. Also, this is one of the best places in Paris to really get the Parisian feel so it is the perfect place to start. We walked up by Sacre-Couer and on the way Grace also stopped in a bakery and tried her first authentic French baking.

Grace made a habit of trying as many French baked goods as possible.

One of my other favorite places in Paris is Notre Dame so I decided to make that our second stop. One of my goals for my second trip to Paris was to got up in the towers of Notre Dame but the line was outrageous that day and we did not feel like waiting in the heat wearing the clothes that we traveled in (I had to wear abut four layers so my bags weren't overweight); passing out was not on our to do list. Instead we sat in the shade of Notre Dame and Grace took a little nap while I wrote in my journal.

Grace taking a little nap outside Notre Dame. It was a long day.

Notre Dame is so beautiful

After walking around Notre Dame we had to indulge in one of Paris's greatest treasures- crepes. After we both enjoyed a nutella and banana crepe, which was a little too hot for a very hot day, Grace and I took the metro back to our hostel.

When we got back we tried to check into the hostel and the man at the front desk would only speak French. Apparently he thought we could speak French but the truth is that neither Grace or I have ever taken any French, so we were completely lost, unless he by chance said a word that sounds like an English or Spanish word we knew. In other words, basically everything was lost in translation. When everything seemed to be in order, I say seemed because I had no idea what he was saying, we walked towards our room and the front desk clerk called after us, in an American accent, "By the way, I speak perfect English." Turns out he was from Washington DC and apparently just likes to frustrate American tourists.

The big gift that Grace and I wanted to get our parents while on our European vacation was a sketch of us drawn in Paris. After freshening up at the hostel and arranging to meet our cousin later on in the night we headed over to Montmarte and investigated the sketching scene. There are a lot of artists there and they all have samples of their work out so that you can choose your favorite. We choose the stereotypical French man in a red and white striped shirt. Stereotypes never lead you wrong.

One funny thing he said while drawing Grace was "You have a special eye." He didn't speak very good English and we still don't know what he meant by it but I'm guessing it was because she was wearing eye shadow. After drawing it he also said, "I make miracle for you." He is so modest, but I have to give him credit because he did give me a nose job in the sketch.

Our artist, Grace, me, and our sketched selves.

Our second cousin Andy just happened to be in Paris too so, in order to be as dramatic as possible, we decided to meet under the Eiffel Tower. He was climbing in Europe this summer and was with his other two friends so the first order of business was finding a restaurant to feed the hungry masses. We had a pleasant dinner and then went back to the Eiffel Tower to take the quintessential Eiffel Tower picture with our cousin. It was a once in a lifetime photo opportunity.

Grace and Andy just had to climb a French lamppost too.

London to Paris

It was the penultimate leg of travel!

Grace and I woke up at 2:30 am after very little sleep to get our taxi before the 6 am flight to Paris. Our bus was at 3:30 and I was getting worried that we wouldn't have enough time to get through security and get on the plane by the time the gate closed. Anyway, we woke up and woke up our hostel owner, David, so that we could check out. I had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 3 so we pulled all our luggage out to the curb to wait for it. While on the corner I got a call that the taxi company didn't have an available taxi to lick Grace and I up. Wasn't that the point of a reservation? Anyway, I started to get even more worried when the taxi wasn't coming and the two of us were standing with all our possessions on the corner of a London street at 3 in the morning. Eventually two police officers walked by and asked us if everything was ok. Naturally, I started talking very quickly in a high-pitched voice and they knew I was distressed. As they were trying to find us a taxi our reserved taxi pulled up and we were on our way to the bus stop.

We pulled up to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up so I was relieved that we would at least make it to the airport. We got on the bus and were on our way.

As soon as we pulled into the airport I was on my feet ready to sprint down the length of the terminal. It didn't come to that because Grace and I got through bag check and security in twenty-five minutes. The gate wasn't even open by the time we were through. Talk about being a travel warrior.

When we got on the plane Grace and I immediately fell asleep as per usual but it was only an hour long flight so we didn't get too much rest. When we got to Charles de Gaulle I had to switch shoes because my boots were hurting my blisters and then we were off!

I asked someone at the airport the best way to get to our hostel and she suggested taking a bus to Paris and then taking a cab directly up to Montmarte where our place was so that is what we did. The only problem we encountered was getting on the bus with our massive luggage but we did get to our hostel and when we arrived our room wasn't ready so we invaded Paris!

We'll Always Have Paris...

Before we knew it it was time to get back on a Ryan Air plane and return to Dublin. We had packed a lot in and were fairly exhausted when we woke up early Monday morning to go to the airport.

Beauvais Airport is about an hour outside Paris so we had to take the bus again to Beauvais and it was suggested we catch the bus at least three hours before our flight. I thought this would mean that we would have plenty of downtime in the airport but turns out even though Beauvais only has four gates it took hours to get through security.

When we got there we quickly got into the line to check in and have our passports checked for the first time. We waited there quite a long time, and many people tried to cut us but that was not going to happen while Brittany was on watch. Once we got to security we also realized that a woman in line was attempting to bring a helium Minnie Mouse balloon (no doubt from Disneyland Paris) on the plane with her. I don't know what she was thinking but it unsurprisingly did not make it past security. I feel a little sorry for her but even it security could ensure that it was not a risk it would still pop on the plane due to pressure issues and if I heard a balloon pop while on a 747 I would probably start to cry and perhaps try to lock myself in the bathroom so the hostiles that were undoubtedly taking over the plane could not get me. But, of course, I tend to always jump to the worst conclusion.

Hostiles were definitely not going to take over this plane though because the staff at Beauvais Airport checked our passports five times before boarding the plane. Five times!* They also used the wand on Laura and made her take off her shoes and socks because they though she was limping because she was concealing something in her shoe. Nope, just limping because of her stress fracture, but better safe than sorry. They also searched my bag and when they asked me if there were only clothes in one section of my backpack I responded, "Yes, and a mini Eiffel Tower." They allowed that.

The we were in the air and on our way back to our home of Dublin. The landing was extremely shaky and I'm not going to lie that I said a quick prayer as we approached the runway a little fast for my liking. We did however touch down successfully and I lived to write this blog entry.

* Laura has since set a record for passport checks at Beauvais Airport with eight checks.

Paris- Day 3: Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from Paris! 

I feel my day is best summed up by what I ate:

• Crepe #1 - Banana Nutella
• Communion Wafer
• (French) Onion Soup
• Croissant and Pain au Chocolat
• Crepe #2 - Banana Chocolate

Crepes

The goal was to get to Notre Dame about an hour ahead of time to ensure that we got seats but we got there about fifty minutes early because we stopped for Crepe #1. When we got to Notre Dame the line was massive but we got in, hoping that there would be room for us in the church. We waited in line quite a long time until we were about 20 people from the front and it stopped moving. I was getting anxious because I had yet to see the inside of the cathedral and didn't know if I would have time otherwise but at 11:15, just 15 minutes before the service, the doors opened and the pushing began. You would think people going to church on Easter Sunday would take the Christian approach and not push but that was not the case. Poor Laura was getting pushed even though she was on crutches. I got separated from Laura and Brittany but was still with Stacy and we were lucky enough to find seats.

Crowd outside Notre Dame

The service itself was what I expected (I had already been to an Easter service at the Basilica de Notre Dame in Montreal which was also in French). The choir was great and the organ was absolutely amazing! Stacy and I even went against our Protestant upbringing and took communion at the Roman Catholic Church, and Stacy actually got in trouble by the usher for walking away with her wafer (at least that's what she thinks the problem was; she doesn't speak French).

Inside Notre Dame

Britt and Laura left service early so Laura could avoid any big crowds and headed to a cafe while Stacy and I waited out the service. We had actually been separated during communion but on the way out of the cathedral we were reunited. We took a quick detour on the way out to see the stained glass.

Side Story: When my great-grandmother died we got one of her books which was a Reader's Digest World Book that had various articles about various things. One of the articles showed a picture of the stained glass in Notre Dame and I remember thinking at age 5 that this must be the most beautiful stained glass in the world if it was in this book. It was just one of those things that has stuck with me and I was very excited to see it in person after fifteen year of waiting. It did not disappoint and when Grace and I return to Paris I need to go on the Notre Dame tour.

Stacy and I met up with Britt and Laura and we decided to head over to the Champs-Elysees and see the Arc du Triomphe along with the eternal flame and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We took some pictures there and then walked up and down the Champs-Elysees a little. After that we headed over to the part of town that the Louvre is in and got some lunch at a small cafe. After that went we on a hunt for some delicious French pastries and found a small bakery called Phillippe Gosselin's (I think). It's one of those places that you just want to have a toothpick and sample a little of everything. I just got a croissant and pain au chocolat while Stacy got ambitious and ordered a cake-like thing which she just took a picture of and showed the person behind the counter. Clever!

Arc du Triomphe

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Eternal Flame

Stacy had to catch a flight that night so we all headed back to the hostel. Once we got there we realized how tired we were and Laura decided that she was going to stay in for the night. Brittany and I decided to take a quick nap which did me a lot of good. After about an hour in the hostel we decided to try and get up to Sacre-Coeur that night.

The Scare-Coeur is a giant basilica located on a hill that overlooks Paris (and we had to take three subways lines to get there). The views were great from there and Brittany and I even got to see the lights twinkle on the Eiffel Tower at 9 o'clock. I also called my mother and father while up there to wish them a happy Easter and they passed the phone around the table so other people could talk to me. Then Brittany and I went into the church to look around for a bit.

Scare-Coeur

When we got out of Sacre-Coeur we decided it was time to purchase a mini Eiffel Tower that Brittany had been eyeing. I took the opportunity to haggle and bought two for half the price that he offered (which was still probably a rip-off). The vendor next to him did say that I was a smart girl for haggling. I just wish they were this receptive to haggling at Macy's.

Riding the high of getting a cheap souvenir I sought out some crepes and was successful at getting Crepe #2. The area up there was really cool and there were all sorts of artists drawing, as well as a performing mime that was more scary than entertaining. I really enjoyed that part of Paris and am bummed Laura could not enjoy it with us.

Paris- Day 2: Dinner and Mass

Does it get better than this? On my left a rainbow, on my right Notre Dame.

After getting a little snack at the Louvre food court (Laura needs to take her pain meds with food) we took the Metro (we bought a three day pass) to the Notre Dame area. Notre Dame has been the one thing that I really wanted to see while in Paris and when it came into view I gave a short high-pitched squeal. I'm sure none of you find this surprising.

We decided that our one splurge item would be a dinner cruise down the Seine so once we got to the Notre Dame area we bought those tickets, which I think were reasonably priced at 30 euro. Brittany and Stacy went to go get the tickets at the stand by the river while Laura and I made friends with a Moroccan man who was promoting the tour. We seem to make friends wherever we go. After reserving our spots on the 8 o’clock tour we headed over to a souvenir shop that was selling various posters so we browsed those. Each of us got about four posters and I was sent to do what I do best- haggle. Unfortunately my haggling got them to drop the price a whopping 50 cents off of 22 euro. I guess I wasn’t on my A-game.

After getting our lovely posters that I cannot wait to put in my new apartment we headed over to Notre Dame and it was amazing. Unfortunately it was closed for a church service but the outside was so ornate that I could look at it for hours (and I did the next day). As we walked across the Seine a rainbow came out so we had to stop and take a ton of pictures. How can you beat a rainbow over the Seine next to Notre Dame?

Lovely Ladies

After taking our fill of pictures we walked around the church, getting it from all angles. We even sat on the walls next to the Seine and chatted for a while taking in the Paris sunlight. Before we knew it is was time to gather for our dinner cruise, which Stevie and her friends were joining us for. Although the food was not the best I’ve ever had it was good. I had chicken, rice, rolls, some sort of coffee flavoured mousse and chocolate cake. I also sat between Laura and Stevie, and I always enjoy spending time with Stevie because she is so funny and we laugh a lot together (not that I don’t love everyone in the Wolf Pack for their own reasons). Stevie even encouraged me to take a handful of green olives from the bar as we were leaving; I’m keeping it pretty classy in Paris.

Eiffel Tower from the Seine

After dinner Stacy and Brittany decided to go to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show on the hour (they ended up going up in it as well) and Laura and I decided we wanted some crepes and then to go back to the hostel. We never ended up getting the crepes but we did walk by Notre Dame and the doors were open so I asked Laura if we could go in and check it out. As we stepped over the threshold a choir started singing and we realized we were walking into a candlelight mass. Breathtaking.

Going into a candlelight mass at 10 pm on Easter Saturday at Notre Dame was a very moving and beautiful experience. The whole sanctuary was lit by candles that each person was holding giving it a completely different feel that I can’t even put into words. It had a soft glow that didn’t travel all the way up to the ceilings almost like you were under the sky. It was all in French and everyone was so enthralled in the service that it was emotional even for me who had no idea what they were saying. The choir sounded beautiful. After I got out I called my father immediately and he said that I was seeing the church as it was 200, 300, 400, 500 years ago. I told him to not even tell me that or I might start crying. He said it sounded like I already was.

Paris- Day 2: Louvre of My Life Tour 2010

We woke up to the sound of rain on the roof so Brittany, Stacy, Laura, and I took our time getting out of bed our second day in Paris. We got our gear on and headed out into the streets of Paris in search of these butter cookies that Stacy's mom had heard about on The Morning Show. We found them without any problems and got a bag to share, along with some other goodies.

Parisian Goodies

We looked for a place to eat our croissants and decided to go near the Eiffel Tower for a good view. While we were there I also ended up getting a banana and nutella crepe, a new high-calorie favorite of mine. After finishing our food we realized that we had no direction and since the weather was less than ideal we decided to head for the shelter of the Louvre.

"Louvre of My Life Tour 2010"

View through the bottom of the pyramid

I was pretty excited to go to the Louvre because it seemed almost mythical to me; all the great works of art in a single building that used to be a palace. Going there was one of the best things that I did throughout my time in Paris. And to top it off, we got in for free because we are residing in the EU and under 26! And Laura got a free wheelchair, which was such a blessing considering she had been limping around Paris with a fractured foot.

Once we arrived there and got the free wheelchair we got in line for tickets, but because Laura was in a wheelchair me and her got to cut in line. I don't think being in a wheelchair really prevents you from waiting in line but it was nice nonetheless. We went upstairs and told Stacy and Brittany that we would meet them up there as well, but that didn't really happen because Laura and I were accidentally waiting in the wrong place.

We finally met up and beelined it to the Mona Lisa, which would obviously be the first stop on the tour. We got to the room it was in and, as you can imagine, there was a big crowd around it. The crowd was behind a railing that was about two meters in from of the masterpiece but that was not close enough for us. One of the security guards called to Laura and let her (and me and Brittany) in front of the railing for an up close and personal view of Mona herself. While I was as close to the Mona Lisa as I would ever get in my life I looked at it and pondered what makes it so great. I mean, it's a very nice painting, but it did not move me like some of the other pieces did. After Brittany got her picture right next to the portrait we got shooed out of the viewing area, but hey, she has an amazing picture.

Mona Lisa- Star of the Tour

After seeing that we took in some of the other Italian and European paintings, as well as the Decorative Arts room that had some crowd jewels and really ornate and beautiful pill boxes. As you might imagine it got difficult to wheel Laura through the Louvre; we went through many a secret door and handicap elevator. It was a mini adventure within the Louvre adventure and I'm glad that she got to be comfortable for a couple hours.

Our next stop on the "Louvre of My Life Tour" was the Venus de Milo. It was nice to see such a famous work of art but it was just like I imagined it. There wasn't a lot that was special about seeing it in person. The one thing that I did not even know existed was a marble sculpture of Cupid and Psyche, only the protagonists of my favorite Greek myth ever! I don't know why I love the myth so much, but my father bought me a book of it when I was young and it had absolutely stunning illustrations. Now the myth is very close to my heart. Anyway, the sculpture was one of the best things that I saw in the Louvre because I felt that it conveyed much more emotion than the Venus de Milo or the Mona Lisa, an acheivement considering it is made of marble. Honestly, I can't put in words the beauty of it.

A boy once said I looked like the Venus de Milo with arms. Very good (and accurate) line.

I seriously want to purchase it so I can look at it every day.

I guess the bookmark and magnet from the gift shop will have to do.

I went to see Cupid and Psyche alone because it would have been difficult with Laura and her wheelchair to get down there, so I met the rest of the girls in the lobby and we headed to the gift shop where I purchased a Mona Lisa and Cupid and Psyche bookmark as well as a Cupid and Psyche magnet. It was a spending spree!