A couple of months ago we found a killer (and I mean KILLER) deal on the non-stop flight from Salt Lake City to Paris Charles de Gaul. We decided to take advantage of it and spend 2 weeks in Paris and the vicinity. Of course Matthew had the idea to go to Morocco while we were 'over there.' Before we got there, he was convinced that he did not like Europe, especially France, so Morocco was going to make the trip 'cool.'
Paris - Before we arrived, I made sure to get exact instructions on how to get from the airport to our hotel. Or so I thought. We managed to get from the airport to the RER train station, on the RER B line to the city center, and then my instructions fell apart. The instructions didn't tell me which metro line to take and we were too tired and jet lagged to decode the intricate map in the station. So we just decided to hop on the nearest metro and hop off on a stop close to our hotel. It was a shock when we finally got off the metro and walked up the stairs... There was no doubt we were in Paris. Not only were we in Paris, but we were lost in Paris. We ended up walking up and down the same street for 3 1/2 hours before we finally found the street that our hotel was on. After we freshened up, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and took some photos, and bought our first baguette.
The next day we found the nearest metro station (not even a block from our hotel) and went to the Champs Elysees and the Arch de Triomph. It was abandoned. Apparently none of the stores on the Champs Elysees are open on Sundays. Maybe Orem isn't weird after all? It was really cool to be able to walk up and down all the streets and alleys without all the people. Later that day we went to the Louvre to see the famed Mona Lisa. This is where all the people were! We decided to go straight to the Mona Lisa... which was, how can I put this... a huge disappointment! You can't even see the painting! First of all, it is a small painting considering others in the museum. Then, it is behind 3 layers of glass, the area around it is roped off, and there is constantly a crowd of 40-50 people right in front of it! I guess I can cross that one off my list. Museum strolling can really make you hungry. We made the fatal mistake of choosing a bistro right across from the Louvre for lunch. We ordered two Croque Monsieurs (a fancy name for grilled ham and cheese sandwich) and two Cokes... and the total was $40! Lets just say we didn't venture into another bistro! After that we went to the Notre Dame, to get that one crossed off. I found it interesting that they were having mass even with a constant herd of people touring the cathedral.
Our third day was more enjoyable than the first two. We woke up late, found a really good patisserie near our hotel where we ate lots of eclairs, macarons, gateaux and baguette sandwiches. Mmmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. We found an outdoor market and did some shopping. We also climbed to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower. It offered some breathtaking views, and it was a good work out!
Pistachio Macaron
From the Eiffel Tower
Arch de Triomph
The $40 Croque Monsieur
The Notre Dame Cathedral
Mona Lisa
I just love the Metro signs!
Arch de Triomph
Eiffel Tower
2 comments:
Hello - you didn't run this trip by me? That is awesome that you were able to go, I'm very jealous! The pictures are beautiful - I especially like the one of the Eiffel Tower. One question - was your grilled ham and cheese good?
Yes, the ham and cheese was good... but was it $40 good? I don't know if any ham and cheese is that good. We need to do lunch one of these days...
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