Paris Disney, the Louve, Versailles and just walking around

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We are back in Paris for the last leg of our trip. We rented a one bedroom Airbnb apartment in the Opera district. We are on the fourth floor but we can still hear and feel the underground metro. On the upside we are half block from the metro station and we have earplugs to block the noise.We have been to Paris multiple times this trip and years ago so we decide to do something different and that is Paris Disneyland. We buy tickets online which includes a bus ride from Paris. Paris Disneyland has two parks Disneyland and the Disney Studios, we decide to only visit Disneyland. The bus has three stops and one stop is a five minute walk from our apartment in the Opera district. The bus picks us up at 8:30 am and off to Disneyland we go. They play music from Disney movies during the bus ride. We arrive at 9:30 and the bus will take us back to Paris at 8:45. We had time to hit every ride we wanted to ride. We downloaded the Disney app which tells us how long the lines are at every ride. Some rides are the same as California Disneyland like Space Mountain, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, autotopia, Star Tours, Riverboat ride. It’s a small world was better than the California version. It may be a little longer and all the dolls are newer and the colors are fresher. Thunder Mountain is also better because it is longer. Haunted Mansion is called Phantom Manor it looks a little different from the outside and has some small differences inside but is mostly the same. Indiana Jones ride was a huge disappointment it is nothing like the California version it is just a standard outdoor roller coaster, no arrows coming at you no animation. Sleeping Beauties castle is not as pretty as the one in California. The food is similar to any amusement park, I was hoping for French cooking but no it is burgers and fries and the usual mediocre food. You need to make reservations as soon as you buy your Disney tickets if you want to eat at the sit down restaurants. We did not because we only have one day in the park and do not want to spend it at a sit down restaurant. If you do make reservations the restaurant at Pirates of the Caribbean has the best atmosphere. Main Street and the lands look similar but not the same. What we missed most about this trip are the changes due to Covid. No live shows, no parades and no fireworks. Sad to say that without shows, parades and fireworks some of the magic was lost. Maintenance in this park seems to be a issue. We went on Phantom Manor twice and it broke down for a minute or two both times. Thunder Mountain had to be closed part of the day because it broke down.

Louvre

It is raining and that is the perfect time to spend the day at the Louve. We take the metro and it is only a few,stops from out apartment. We buy timed online tickets for the Louve for nine am when they open. You cannot buy tickets in person they must be purchased online in advance. They only have two entrances open. In the past we arrived by metro and took the metro entrance which always had the shortest line but they closed that entranced due to Covid. We enter in the Pyramid entrance. You can buy tickets that put you in a shorter line but but we know we will have plenty of time in the museu.m. The line takes abut 20 minutes, everywhere you go lines are slower due to the added task of checking everyone’s Health Pass. The Louve has three wing and at each wing you have to show your ticket. We buy the audio guide which we use so much the batteries run out and we have to exchange the guides for new ones. The Louve is the largest museum in the world. and finding your way around can be a challenge. Plan your time at the Louve so that you see the art you like the most before you burn out. The Louve web site has sample trails that walk you by the most famous works of art In a short time. When we had our kids with us we spent three mornings at the Louve checking out one wing a day. With Covid protocols it would be a hassle to go back so get an early start. We start with Richelieunwing and have it all to ourselves for the first two hours. We spend time in all three wings, walking by and just glancing at items we have no great interest in. We have lunch in the museum at one of the restaurants The museum is busier in the afternoon but still not so crowed that you can’t walk up and see every piece of art.

Mona Lisa can be found in the Denon wing and is the most popular painting in the Museum. There is a roped line where people wait iso they can take a selfi in front of the painting. it is not necessary to wait in line to see the painting as you can see from our photo.

The Louve is located in a Palace. The kings apartments are part of the museum. I enjoy the Kings apartments it is hard to believe people lived like this. Since the building was a palace the building itself is beautiful.

The museum is open until eight pm but I burn out by six. We will be back someday but I can only take so much art in one day. The Louve is a must see when you come to Paris.

Versailles

If you like going to museums plan your week. Some museums are closed on Mondays and some on Tuesdays. Since the Pompidou and L’Orangerie are closed on Tuesdays we head to Versailles. It is almost an hour by metro and train from our apartment. We buy a timed tickets online and the first tickets available were 11:30. We take the metro to the train station near the Eiffel Tower, then the train to Versaille. The website for the Chateau can be downloaded and it has a free tour so no audio guide is needed. They do sell audito guides if you would prefer to use one. The line to get in is long and takes 30 minutes. I can see tour groups just walk into another entrance. We go through most of the Palace before taking a break for lunch. We decide on a nice sit down restaurant in the museum and we feel like the Kings guests for an hour. The rooms in the Chateau are decorated the way they looked when occupied by French royalty and are beautiful. The last time we were here we did not visit the gardens. We had the kids with us and they were ready to go after a tour of the Chateau. It was not supposed to rain in the afternoon but the moment we walked outside it started pouring. We broght rain jackets so we continue on. The gardens are large and there is more to see The Grand Trianon and The Queen’s Hamlet. The Queen’s Hamlet is a small village created for Marie Antoinette. The grounds are huge but you can buy a ticket and take a open air guided ride. The gardens have their own tickets so buy the Versailles and garden combo if you want to visit the gardens and small palaces. A visit to Versailles should be a must if you are visiting Paris.



A walk around Paris

No visit to Paris is complete without a day of walking. Our first stop is Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens are 56.8 acres. There are plenty of chairs and benches to people watch. A symphony concert was going on so we sat and listened for an hour. We visit the Latin Quarter and have lunch. It starts raining and we found ourselves in front of a movie theater. We decide to see Dune, the movie was in English with French subtitles. After the movie we walk to Sacre Coeur. We have not seen a lot of tourists but find them here. The church was built in 1875. We took a funicular up the hill to Montmartre where the church is located. We visit the church then check out the shops. The area is famous for artists who will happily paint your picture for a fee.




We take a taxi to a hotel near the airport. We bought covid tests from United Airlines. We test ourselves while being watched on my iPad by a employee of the covid tests then they emailed our negative tests. We show our tests results when we check in at the airport. We fly from Paris to Chicago then Chicago to San Francisco. Happy to be home.

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