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Published: January 25th 2006
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Kara Happy
This is me on the train, happy to be leaving Rouen for Paris! Paris Trip #1
I suppose I should start off this entry by stating that I love Paris! After we got a hang of the metro system (which is really not too complicated once you know where you're going), getting around the city was simple. Okay, I'll start from the beginning.
We got to the train station later than expected (due partly to Erin running late, and then the bus taking a while to pick us up), probably around 8:30 for our 8:48 train time! The line for tickets went pretty quickly, and we got tickets for 13.50 Euros (because the office was not open to get the youth discount pass). We immediately got on the train and I was quite happy to be going somewhere (you can tell by the picture).
We got to the Paris train station and immediately saw a few others from our school who had come down for the day. We said hi and continued on our way on our own. Erin, the seasoned Paris metro-user, guided me towards the metro and we had already figured out what line we were to get to. To make a long story short, we did not stay
Eiffel Tower
This is the first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower that I got. Is it just me, or does it look crooked? in the hostel we had picked out because it was filled up - our own fault for not making reservations. We paid 2 Euros for that hostel to make a reservation at a 20 Euro a night hotel (should have been our first clue). We left the hostel and made our way to the metro to go check out this hotel. We had gotten all-day passes for the metro, so getting on and off didn't cost anything. We probably got about halfway on the metro to where we wanted to go, and realized that the location of the hotel was actually in one of the bad areas of Paris, and we quickly changed lines to go to the wonderful place Erin and Hannah stayed in last time they were in Paris.
We go to
Hotel Chopin - which is just down the street from the Opera (where the Phantom of the Opera is based) - and got reservations. We were not able to go to our room yet, so we left our bags at the front desk until we got back that night. From there, we headed to the
Eiffel Tower. This is the highlight of my time in
Eiffel Tower 2
This is my attempt on being artistic with the Eiffel Tower Paris just because it was all that I expected, and more. It's the majestic tourist area of Paris, but it's just really amazing to see in person. I got some really great pictures of the tower and of me in front, and with Eiffel (the head of the creater).
From the Eiffel Tower, we walked back to the metro to go to
Pere Lachaise Cemetery. If anyone has spoken to me in the past two years, you will be aware of my fascination with Jim Morrison and the Doors. Pere Lachaise Cemetery is where he is buried. Erin was a good sport to join me on this, what can only be called, a pilgrimage for any J.M fan. We got to the front of the cemetery, but could not find any free maps, so we entered with no map, and no exact location of where Jim was buried. We found a big map, and tried to remember the streets to take to get to it... We had to do this several times on our way. Getting lost in a huge Cemetery like Pere Lachaise is not very fun! We stopped to ask some other people who were speaking English,
Eiffel
This is Eiffel. We got pictures with Eiffel too - not to be included. and they had just come from it, and directed us towards it! It's hard to miss once you get close to it though. There is a security guard (and apparantly a few security cameras as well) that watches the grave in opening hours to keep fans from writing on the nearby grave stones and monuments. As we got closer, I looked at the nearby monuments, and the graffiti and writings are still all over it, and I found that very interesting. It's sad that people wrote on it, but I kind of wish I could've seen the grave when it was covered in this. But of course, it looks much better not written on. There were about 6-7 other people at the grave - a steady stream of people come daily, even more in the summer I presume - and I had to wait a minute to get to the ropes to take a decent picture. The grave was adorned with lots of flowers, and even a banner from a fan club. Visiting the grave was a very surreal experience for me... I can't really explain it.
From the Cemetery, we hopped back on the metro and continued our
Erin and Eiffel Tower
This is Erin. Erin is with the Eiffel Tower. morbid day (haha) towards the
Paris Catacombs. We almost didn't get in because the Catacombs were only letting in one more group before closing. We, and those behind us, lucked out and got to go in. Very creepy, very different, but interesting to see the history behind why the bodies were put there. Felt a little odd because these were once people, and they weren't given proper burials because the French government was afraid the bones were covered with disease, and therefore stuck them underground in the Catacombs.
After a tough 87 step climb to the street (yes, they told us, and then we counted), we oriented ourselves again and decided to walk towards the Louvre to at least see it. On our way, we came upon
Notre Dame, and decided to take pictures and walk inside. I must admit, the outside of the Notre Dame cathedral in Rouen is
much more beautiful than the Notre Dame in Paris. Compare for yourselves. The inside of Notre Dame Paris, however, is more magnificent than Notre Dame Rouen. The downside of the Notre Dame Paris is that there is a gift shop.... IN A CHURCH! Nevertheless, it would be great to
Kara and Eiffel Tower
This is Me. I am with the Eiffel Tower. go to mass in either of the two cathedrals. I believe it's possible.
We got to the
Louvre, took night pictures of it - marveling at how huge it is - and decided to come back the next day. We walked along the streets for a bit, and then made our way to a restaurant just outside of the Notre Dame. I had escargot for the first time, and we ordered salads (my reasoning was because it was the cheapest thing on the menu). Note that Wine is cheaper than Iced Tea in France. Next time, I'm ordering Wine and saving myself 1 euro. 20 Euros later, we made our way back to the hotel for the night.
Now, I must say, coming from the Ango residence, both of us were very happy to be in a hotel that had comfortable beds, TV, quiet, and most importantly, a warm shower that stayed on automatically! Needless to say, we had a great sleep and a great morning shower. We got breakfast in the morning in the lobby (for 6 Euros each, buffet) and then headed out to go to the Louvre.
We got our tickets for the
Louvre,
Jim #1
Jim Morrison's grave, adorned with flowers and banners. A modest tribute compared to the graffiti and statues of yesteryear. and walked towards the two things we wanted to see the most: Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo. We went first to see Mona Lisa. Personally... it's too small. It's drab and not very lively. I had already seen much more beautiful paintings on my way to see it. That was a disappointment for sure. I don't really understand why it's gotten so much hype. The only interesting thing about the painting is still the eyes that follow you. We walked towards the Venus de Milo, and I didn't know what to expect because I didn't know much about the sculpture. But this did not disappoint at all. I think sculptures are almost more interesting than paintings because the sculptures are mostly missing something (an arm, a body, or a head) and that gives them character. It makes me wonder what happened to the missing part! So, the Venus de Milo is definitely a must-see. Beautiful piece of art. We'll be going back to the Louvre to look at more. We were exhausted from the day before, and just wanted to get a taste of the museum.
After the Louvre, we went back to the hotel and grabbed our
Me in the Catacombs
This is me in the Catacombs... My sister told me to bring a flashlight - so I did. Thanks Kristy, it was needed! bags that we had left before we left in the morning, and headed towards the train station to come back to Rouen - This is about 4pm. So we, of course, got our train, I almost fell asleep, and got back to Rouen, only because we had to! I can safely say that I like Paris a whole lot more than Rouen!
Anyways, I've written a novel here, and I still have to post pictures and then do some reading for a meeting with group members tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures!
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Mom
non-member comment
Even better
I want to come visit now!