So like I said, we took a break from all the Karneval madness and went to Paris for the weekend. Our train left on Saturday morning and it took about 3 hours to reach Paris. The train was actually really nice...comfortable seats...free food. What more could you ask for? Definitely think America should invest in the same public transit systems, they are so easy and much nicer than driving for that long of a time.
Anyway, when we got to Paris we got a cab to take us to our hotel. The hotel was in a pretty nice location...surrounded by street markets and some really nice cafes. On the drive to the hotel I was just taking in Paris and it is really beautiful. All of the buildings have that traditional French style that you always think of and the city just seemed to have a lot of character. Once we put our stuff in the hotel, we wanted to go hit up some museums before they closed. Ron thought he was really cool downloading this new thing for his GPS, yet it did not work well at all. So once we looked at a regular map instead of the GPS we started walking towards the Louvre. It was a really pretty day out which was nice since it was pretty cold. The Louvre is freaking huge and we hit up the most famous pieces like the Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo. We took a break after walking through the Ancient Egyptian area to go have some wine at the cafe there. The whole point of taking the wine break was to figure out where to go next...but that didn't happen. So after a while of just sitting and drinking as a family we decided to go to the Museum d'Orsay since the museums were closing in like an hour or two and we wanted to make sure we were able to make it to that museum. We saw Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, and all kinds of other famous artists' work in there...but those were the main guys.
We headed back to the hotel after that and went to the cafe right next door for dinner. I had a delicious omelet and mimosa. After dinner we went to go find the Eiffel Tower. It was really pretty because it was all lit up at night. Then we went in search of the Moulin Rouge...because lets face it, thats a fantastic movie. Again we found it and it was all lit up and kinda looked like it did in the movie! The line to get in was crazy long...we just took pictures then left.
The next morning we were walking around the markets by our hotel and found a little place to eat breakfast...where I had another omelet. Then we bought tickets for a boat bus thing where it would take you along the river to the different touristy sites and you could just hop on or hop off at any of the sites. The first stop we got off at was Notre Dame. That was a pretty impressive building I would have to say. Inside was really impressive...it is just crazy to see how some of these buildings are adorned...and knowing the historical significance of the place you're standing in. Then we went to the surrounding area to try and do some shopping but everything was closed since it was a Sunday.
We hopped back on the boat bus and got off at the Arc de Triomphe stop. There was like a flea market thing right when you got off the boat so we looked around there for a bit. I found a copy of Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in French, which I thought was interestig. So I bought it for 2 euros. Then we walked down Champs de Elysee to get to the Arc. Luckily for us, these stores were open...so we were able to do a little shopping in Paris. Once we got to the Arc we walked up to the top, although Kim almost didn't make it up there. The view was really pretty but we were a little rushed because we had to get back to the hotel so we could get our stuff and head back to the train station.
On our way back to the hotel we got lost. Like really lost. Ron was relying on his GPS...big mistake. We had no idea where we were going and Ron would just walk in the middle of the road and cross the street when cars were coming and leave the rest of us behind. Eventually we tried to get a cab but we could not get one for the life of us. After a long, LONG time of aimlessly walking around Paris we started heading in the right direction. Ron completely left the rest of us so we couldn't even see him anymore...Kim was way in front of us...and Emmy and I were just walking slowly behind because we were pissed and our feet were hurting. Finally we made it back to the hotel and then tried to get another cab to take us to the train station, but that attempt failed as well. So luckily there was a really nice lady who spoke English that helped us figure out the metro to take.
We made it there in just the right amount of time...but it was hectic geeting there needless to say. It was a fun trip though and we got to see a lot...it would have been nice to have spent more than two days there.
oh la la! Paris sounds like a lot of fun! I would have loved to see all of the art you all got to see at the museums. It sounds like a great family vacation! Now, did you get omelets in both places because you were in the mood for eggs, because they were that good, or because it was the only thing recognizable? Do you get a chance to drink coffee at any of the little cafes? And, I would also like to hear what you all got while shopping in Paris. Although, I will say that I enjoy that you got an American classic in French. Was it an older copy?
ReplyDeleteOkay, you've had you're fun.
you've seen the world.
Now, come back!!!