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Published: July 26th 2006
(Ok, so I'm far behind in the blog again, I'll give you the nutshell version to catch you up . . .)
Lisa, Wendy and I arrived in Paris via Eurostar without a hitch. I expected more out of the underwater part of the ride, but it was pretty much like taking Bart from the city to the east bay, uneventful. As our taxi drove us to our hotel and past all the sights, I already knew I wanted to come back. We were staying three nights and I had a feeling I could stay much longer. We arrived at our palatial hotel (not!) and quickly set out to view the Eiffel Tower at night. Magnifique! It is truly amazing.
Our sight seeing began with the Arch de Triomphe. I know my first thought should have been "wow", but it was actually Chevy Chase in European Vacation driving round and round in circles on the roundabout (more on the roundabout subject later). I can only imagine what a nightmare it would be to drive around that area. Later in the afternoon we headed to Ile de la Cite to check out Sainte Chapelle, a beautiful church St. Louis (king
Paris Arrival
Via Eurostar. And yes, they are totally cashing in on the Da Vinci Code hype.Louis IX) built in 1242 to house the Crown of Thorns from Christ which he purchased at that time for £135,000 (outragous at the time as by comparison, the whole building cost £40,000). The stain glass in this building is amazing.
Next up Norte-Dame. Didn't see the Hunchback but did run into a ton of tourists (big suprise), so I went back the next day to actually go inside and climb to the top (gotta keep with the climbing).
After Notre-Dame we landed in Ile St. Louis (St. Louis Island) for some world famous Berthillion Ice Cream (personally, I think the real deal Italian Gelato blows this away but hey, it's still Ice Cream so of course it was good). This little island neighborhood was adorable and would definitely be one of my choices to stay if I came back.
Saturday night was a great treat. Beth Miles was in town on a layover from work (American Airlines) so we went out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. It was great to spend time with her and also have dinner with someone who speaks fluent French (tre impressive!)
Sunday we headed off to Montmartre
Our Metro Stop
Wouldn't you take public transportation if the entrance looked like this? (Hill of Martyrs), by far my favorite little area. It’s filled with artists painting and sketching in the square which also has a ton of little cafes. The views are great from the Basilique de Sacre-Coeur located on the top of the hill. We walked around the town, saw the famous Moulin Rouge and the Montmartre Cemetery. I guess there are some famous people buried there but I don’t think we saw any of them.
The Louve - I loved hanging out around the outside of the Louve. It's actually quite peaceful even with people around. I went inside for the speedy tour and saw the Italian Sculptures, French Paintings and the Italian Paintings areas. I thought it was pretty funny that they had the Mona Lisa opposite the largest painting in the Louve, Les Noces de Cana (The Wedding at Cana) by Veronese. Really, really big painting vs tiny, tiny Mona Lisa.
Sunday was also the World Cup Finals - Italy vs France for those that didn't get into it. Since I had spent most of the World Cup in Italy, I was for Italy and yes, they won. Sorry France.
Our trip was short but
Luxury Living
No, this is not the Four Seasons! packed with lots to see. Lisa had to head back to work in London so Wendy and I will head off to Provence next (this kinda sounds current, right??)
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haroldo
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francaise
hey christy great to hear that you are doing so well and having fun...when do you come home...looks like treva and i are headed for france and italy end of august..love the blogs....be safe...xoxoxo htn