Paris and Beyond


Advertisement
France's flag
Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris
July 14th 2008
Published: February 24th 2009
Edit Blog Post

Moulin Rouge, ParisMoulin Rouge, ParisMoulin Rouge, Paris

In front of the famous cabaret
We were pretty thrilled as we boarded the train on the morning of June 24th. We were on our way, taking a super-fast three hour train ride to Paris, to experience a city of lights, history, art and some more of the great French culture and cuisine that we had already been soaking up. We could feel the excitement building as we tried to imagine Paris, comparing many of the stereotypes, both positive and negative. Would it be perfect, romantic, exciting, modern, or dirty, rough, and confusing. Would people be aloof and cold, or charming and welcoming?

Getting off the train, we found our way on to the metro, to a somewhat sketchy part of Paris that had cheap rooms, but was still located fairly close to the major sights. Eventually, we scored a room for the evening after seriously searching an area filled with foreign shops and international call centres. Conveniently, there was a laundromat right next to our hotel, so we caught up on some washing that we had been holding off on for a tad too long. We didn't want to drive away our friends Heiner and Emilie when we met up with them.

After we
Notre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, Paris

The hunchback of Notre Dame
sorted ourselves out, we found an internet cafe/phone centre and called up our friends. Then back on to the metro that evening, to meet them at the 'Anvers' metro station. There was some mild confusion; Andy thought Heiner had said 'Anverf', which didn't sound very French to us, but we eventually found them at the Anvers station. It was funny to see them and we're sure that they felt the same way. After all, six months had passed since our time together in Thailand, but strangely it seemed not as long.

They took us up to a fantastic view point with an incredible panorama of Paris. They pointed out the major landmarks off in the distance. We were in 'Montmartre', a truly interesting bohemian neighbourhood, filled with great little cafes, tourists and artists displaying their works in the street. At the top of the hill, we took a quick look inside the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, a huge white domed and impressive basilica, where loads of people enjoyed the view while sitting on the steps out front.

After that, we went for dinner and drinks, and caught up on each others' lives for the last six months. Later
Notre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, Paris

Gorgeous rose window
we walked down to Pigalle, to see the famous cabarets and nightclubs, including the Moulin Rouge. All were lit up with bright red neon lights, surrounded by the buzz of the city.

Heiner and Emilie invited us to come stay with them in their apartment, and we gratefully accepted. They gave us a key, so that we could bring our bags over the next morning. We said good-night, and walked off through Paris' Red Light District, lined with neon lit sex shops, cabarets and nightclubs, before taking the metro back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we dropped our stuff off at our friends' place, which was near the Place de Clichy, in a beautiful old building with some serious staircases to climb. We were eager to get going, and got back on the metro after purchasing a booklet of tickets. We loved the mad web of the Paris metro. There seemed to be stations everywhere and even though we often had to change lines mid-trip, it was efficient and interesting.

We arrived and crossed the river to our first sight, the Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris. We couldn't miss it, rounding a
Notre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, ParisNotre Dame, Paris

I know you're excited, but don't lose your head!
corner, it jumped out at us, a great masterpiece of French-Gothic architecture, right in the heart of Paris. We gazed up in awe at the incredible stained glass rose windows, but justice wasn't done until we saw them from the inside, the colours vibrant as the sun shone in. Eventually we exited to walk around the elegant structure, admiring the crazy, unique stone gargoyles, and taking pictures from every angle.

Then back to the metro to the famous Arc de Triomphe. It is located on the largest round-about known to mankind, at the hub of twelve avenues. It was commissioned by Napoleon to remember his victories in 1806, but has become a massive war memorial, honouring those who fought for France. There lies the tomb of an unknown soldier from World War I, where people leave flowers in memory of lost soldiers.

Afterwards, we took a nice slow stroll down the Champs-Élysées, the main avenue where people swarm to visit high end shops, eat, drink, and just hang out. We eventually reached the Place de la Concorde, a couple kilometers away. In the centre of the square, there is a huge 3300 year old red granite obelisk brought from the Temple of Ramses II in Luxor. It was given to France by Egypt in 1831.

After walking through a park and past a water fountain filled with miniature sailing ships, we arrived at one of the most famous museums in the world, the Musée du Louvre. The day had flown by, so we decided to see the museum the next morning, when we would be full of energy. We returned to the metro to head back and spend some time hanging out with our hosts.

The following morning we finally stepped inside to view the amazingly vast collection of the Musée du Louvre. We entered into the enchanting glass pyramid, somehow avoiding a large line at the world's most visited museum. And it certainly was huge. We spent many hours there wandering the sections, through ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities. The Egyptian collection was debatably better than the museum in Cairo! Then on to the paintings.

There were Renaissance works that would make Italy jealous. Signature works by Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli lined the walls. We finally spotted the most famous of all, Leonardo da Vinci's 'La Jaconde', better known as the Mona Lisa.
Arc de Triomphe, ParisArc de Triomphe, ParisArc de Triomphe, Paris

Dodging traffic to get a good photo
We knew that we were near when we saw a huge crowd filling one gallery. All those before her stretched their necks to see a fairly small and unassuming portrait gracing an empty wall. She was separated from the masses by a fence and several security guards, but there she was, beautiful and mysterious, with her secret smile dancing in her eyes.

In all, the Louvre contains over 35,000 exhibits on display. It would be impossible to describe all of the priceless items that we admired, but we did return once more before leaving Paris. And we still didn't see the entire museum!

The morning after, we left the city by train, passing through beautiful countryside for about an hour before arriving in Chartres. We were there to see the famed Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, the cathedral famous for its ancient stained glass windows and Gothic structure. We could see the two mismatched spires as we walked through the town, one dating to the 12th century and the other the 16th.

We entered, and admired the gorgeous colours, especially the blues known as 'Chartres Blue', that gleamed down from the incredible stained glass windows. These were easily
ParisParisParis

All kinds of fun at the fountain
some of the best we had seen, over 172 in total, many from the 12th century. The stone work inside was beautifully detailed, and the stone floor contained a labyrinth that monks and pilgrims once walked while meditating (visitors still do). In all, we both felt that this was an incredible sight, and an absolute must see for visitors interested in history, architecture and art.

Returning to the train station, we boarded the next train returning towards Paris and got off in the suburbs. We wanted to tour the most famous château in France. A short walk and we could see the grand structure of the Château de Versailles off in the distance. It was built by Louis XIV (the Sun King) in the mid 17th century, and remained the political capital and royal court for over a century.

We bought tickets and entered the opulent palace, walking through chambers, halls, and ballrooms, all thickly decorated with paintings and furniture, souvenirs of the rich. Feeling a bit like peasants, we continued out into the grounds. There were gorgeous landscaped gardens, long avenues lined with statues, hedges, fountains, and a lake way off in the distance. What a great place to spend the day with a picnic, relaxing under the trees and wandering the many flower beds. We wandered until we were tired, then returned to Paris by train.

Back in Paris we were treated with a great home made meal made by Emilie and Heiner, delicious curry fajitas and a little black current liqueur called 'Cassis' mixed with white wine to wash it down. Heiner sported his 'Chef de Cuisine' apron, which definitely added to his chefly ways. In all, we had a great day.

Yet another 'must' sight for us was the famed graveyard, the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. We were glad to have bought a map from a vendor outside; there are over 800,000 people buried there, including many famous artists, actors, musicians, and writers. We wandered in the beautiful setting of hedges, trees, flowers and tombs from the 1800's.

The spots that tourists most frequently flock to include the graves of Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Wilde's grave was covered in lipstick kisses and handwritten love notes, while Jim Morrison's has a full time security guard stationed there. Neighbouring stones were also covered with old graffiti, and countless tour groups, teenagers
The Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, Paris

Michelangelo's 'Dying Slave'
and even Santa waited to gather and mourn the loss of their favorite American vocalist/poet.

After taking in the cemetery, it was back to the metro to see Paris' catacombs. The metro was strangely packed for the time of day. As we got off, we had to squeeze our way out through a crowd of people wearing bright costumes, dancing to thumping, pumping music. As we got out to the street, we noticed a parade going by. The abundance of guys dressed in drag and rainbow flags hinted that we had stumbled across a Gay Pride parade. We got in line for the catacombes and had some fantastic entertainment as we waited; forty five minutes of people cheering and dancing in flamboyant costumes as floats passed by, throwing condoms by the bundle to the masses.

In 1785 Paris had a major problem. Its cemeteries were full to overflowing and there was no room to expand. So millions of Paris' dearly departed were exhumed. Their bones and skulls were placed in an empty underground quarry, now known as the Catacombes de Paris.

Even though a sign above the entrance proclaimed in French 'Stop! This is the empire of
The Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, Paris

Schoolboys admiring the Mona Lisa
death', we bravely continued on through the cool, dark, and musty tunnels to be amazed by the millions of bones. As we walked our way through 1.6 kilometers of tunnels, the parade continued on and people danced on the street, twenty meters above us. We were surprised that everyone was searched on the way out, but the security guard told us that they find many people trying to smuggle skulls and bones out every day!

That evening, the four of us went for dinner at a Thai restaurant, in recognition of the country that had brought us together. It was great to talk and laugh about our memories of Thailand together, and we mustn't forget the food, which was delicious. We figured that after all the dining, we needed some exercise, so we set off on foot.

Strangely, a guy came up to Andy and Heiner, and said that he couldn't understand why they were wearing the same pants (both were in jeans, but not the same). Heiner quipped in French that it was because they were 'together'. We walked away, leaving the man speechless, and us unable to stop laughing. Eventually we returned to their place exhausted,
The Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, ParisThe Louvre, Paris

Sparkling eyes of an Egyptian scribe
after walking the whole way back.

We were happy to have our friends join us in our sightseeing the next day, since Emilie and Heiner both had the day off. We started walking, made our way down the Champs-Élysées, checking out the shops. Later we stopped to buy some traditional French cookies called macarons, two cookies with ganache filling sandwiched in between. We took a well deserved break at a cafe, and eventually returned home. That evening we had a salmon dinner with wine, baguette, and cheese, and then our macarons, all of which were scrumptious, of course.

We saved the Eiffel Tower, Paris' most famous landmark, for last. It felt very strange to actually see it in person, a bit like meeting a famous actor. The tower was far larger than we thought it would be. We got in the long lineup beneath its vast legs. Hiking the stairs to the first floor, which was already very high was quite tiring. But the next section to the second level was far higher and Christine had to stop looking over the edge and hold tight to the railing as we climbed.

The view was worth the terror, even for her. It was spectacular from every angle. We tried to pick out many now-familiar sights off in the distance. Almost six million people a year visit the Eiffel tower, not bad for a landmark that was first loathed by the Parisiens when built in 1889 and then almost torn down ten years later. After taking many pictures, we finished our day spending another four hours in the Louvre, trying to revisit our favorite exhibits, as well as other sections we had missed the first time around.

That evening was the final game of the European Football Championship, which we had been following on our travels throughout Europe. It was down to Germany and Spain, the powerhouse versus the underdog, and in the end, Spain won during an intense final. We thought of the man we had chatted with in San Sebastian, who had said there was no chance that his country would make it, let alone win. It would have been nice to see his face, as well as the rest of Spain celebrate. We did feel bad for Heiner though, since he, of course, was cheering on his motherland.

Paris had been an amazing place
Chartres CathedralChartres CathedralChartres Cathedral

The 'Blue Virgin', rescued from fire in 1194
for us, full of great sights, an efficient metro system, friendly people and fantastic food. The only other European city that we could compare it to was Rome, another place filled with incredible sights, cuisine and people. But best of all was seeing our friends Emilie and Heiner again. Thanks to their fun nature and courteous ways, we had a better feel and love for Paris and the French culture. Good food, good wine, and great company, they couldn't have treated us any better. Hopefully they can make it to Canada one day so we can return their hospitality. Thanks guys!

Saying good-bye to Paris, we set out by train, catching it at the last minute, after running from one platform to another in a panic, realizing we were at the wrong stop. A few hours later, we arrived in Caen, which would be our base for two nights before our next stop, England. We found a room, then returned to the station to hop a train to Bayeux, only twenty minutes away.

We arrived in Bayeux, a beautiful little town of 15,000, which receives millions of visitors a year. We could see the Cathédrale Notre Dame de
Chartres CathedralChartres CathedralChartres Cathedral

Outer stonework
Bayeux from the train station, which was our first stop. The Norman Gothic structure was consecrated in 1077, and contained bright stained glass, comical stone sculptures, and few visitors, which gave us a feeling of peace.

Then on to the highlight of our visit, the Bayeux Tapestry, a seventy meter long embroidered cloth. It was commissioned by William the Conqueror's brother to celebrate the opening of the cathedral we had just visited. It depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. We got our audio guide, which walked us along the tapestry, explaining every depiction of horses, people, ships sailing the channel, warriors in battle, the fallen with missing limbs, and many other crazy scenes stitched in earthy colours of thread. What an incredible piece of history! We returned to Caen for the night, tired but happy with our busy day.

The next morning, we hurried off to take the 2.5 hour train from Caen to Mont Saint-Michel, a place we had wanted to see long before we knew we were visiting France. The train arrived in Pontorson, where we took a local bus out to the tidal island. The weather wasn't kind to us; as we got off the bus, we were caught in some serious blowing wind and sideways rain. We ran for cover in the narrow cobbled streets, ducking from awning to awning and eventually winding up at the abbey at the summit.

The view from the top was incredible. We could see the waves crashing far below, and the ocean and sky stretched endless in distance, grey on grey. An interesting man who had worked there giving tours for over a decade showed us and others around this maze of stone rooms. It was an easy place to get lost in without a guide. The sun eventually made an appearance just as we were leaving, giving us a few good photos and warmth to our cold hands.

We caught the bus back to the train, but realized that the next one to Caen didn't leave for a couple hours. We started chatting with a guy named Mike from Toronto, who suggested a great plan. Get some food and wine, find a nice grassy spot and enjoy a picnic and some conversation. We dined on a baguette, cheese, olives, and tomatoes, shared some laughs, and before we knew
Palace of VersaillesPalace of VersaillesPalace of Versailles

Check out those chandeliers!
it, we were on our way back to Caen.

Our time in France was drawing to an end. The next morning, we threw our packs on in Caen, and took the train via Rouen to Dieppe, the Second World War sight on the coast of the English Channel. Once in Dieppe, we ventured off to the ferry terminal after grabbing some snacks for the trip.

We had a short wait for the ferry that would take us across the channel to England, but had perfect timing. As we sat, several lofty sailing ships pass us on their way out to sea. The two of us watched these incredible ships glide by, then boarded the massive ferry, saying farewell to France. We would fondly remember our time there, and were already looking forward to one day returning to this amazing part of the world.


Additional photos below
Photos: 37, Displayed: 34


Advertisement

Palace of VersaillesPalace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles

Not a bad back yard
ParisParis
Paris

Our hosts Heiner and Emilie, the Chefs de Cuisine!
Père Lachaise Cemetery, ParisPère Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Lipstick kisses cover the grave of Oscar Wilde
Père Lachaise Cemetery, ParisPère Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Santa and others pay their respect to Jim Morrison


2nd July 2013
Mont Saint-Michel

Very nice photo
We found your blogs today and have enjoyed them. Wish you'd write again.

Tot: 0.154s; Tpl: 0.03s; cc: 9; qc: 58; dbt: 0.0897s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb