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Published: February 8th 2009
Drive-By Brussels
Brussels, where the EU is headquarted.Ah Paris. One could spend weeks there alone, trying to discover every nook and cranny or simply trying to see all of the Louvre. Dad and I were there for 24 hours!
The reason for our visit was my cousin Seth, who is studying art in Paris for a couple months. Dad and I had this free weekend before he left and it was our tourist time, haha. We thought about visiting Bruges in Belgium, but he decided Paris. I was a bit worried because I knew we wouldn't see a lot, but Dad just wanted to experience the city.
We took a high-speed train and caught it very early in the morning. Okay, so it was like 6 am when we got up, and that is early for me! We got to the station early and were able to eat breakfast and get some train pictures for Tyler. Train videos and pictures were the main things Ty wanted from the whole trip.
The train ride took about four hours, but the train itself was quite nice. Dad contends it is roomier than an airplane.
Hotel View
When we finally got our to our hotel, this view awaited us. I liked the hotel, except that it was incredibly noisy. We sped through the Netherlands, Brussels, and finally arrived in France at the Gare Nord.
To get to our hotel (nicely named Hotel Tour Eiffel) we had to take the metro. This part of our trip was making me the most nervous. I get so worried about transportation and getting lost and mixed up. The line to get the tickets was horribly long. I kept looking around, trying to see if there was another way to get tickets. Dad and I spotted some possibilities, but knew the line we were in would definitely give us what we wanted. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally we reached the window and got our tickets!!
Because we had been waiting for awhile we were able to figure out which metro to take where. Once on the metro it was relatively easy, and we got to our area quickly. We went aboveground and Dad got his first glimpse of Paris!
After briefly going to the hotel to drop off our luggage we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. We were meeting Seth underneath of it, and it seems so surreal to be meating a relative under the
Oh, hey, look what I found...
First full glimpse of the tower. Eiffel Tower .
Every time I see the Eiffel Tower (which has only been a few times; after all I've only been to France twice!) it is a new experience. It is big, yes, but it kind of just pops out at you at random moments. You turn a corner and BAM there it is!
It was the same way this time. We came at it from an angle that I had not really seen before. It was remarkable.
Dad and I found Seth underneath of it and decided to go to lunch. We asked Seth to choose a place, any place, and he choose a creole restaurant. It was definitely hole-in-the-wall: tiny and rustic feeling. And one thing about Paris: no matter the meal it is pricey. We had everything ranging from the above creole to sandwiches, and it didn't matter. $$$! But, as Dad pointed out, Paris is like Disney World in the fact that no matter how expensive people will still come. I don't know if the French will appreciate being compared to Disney, but it is certainly true in the cost respect!
It was a good thing we had a hearty
meal because after lunch we started off on what would become a walking tour of Paris' greatest hits. I was concerned, before starting this trip, about Dad not seeing many of the sights. Well, he saw them! We didn't necessarily go in the monuments, but that really doesn't matter since they are usually so ornate that
they are enough.
Seth, Dad and I walked back toward the Eiffel Tower and crossed underneath of it. We made our way over the Seine, through the throngs of tourists (even in January!!) toward two large buildings. Seth, our quasi-tour guide, wasn't sure what they were; he said one is a maritime museum. It was above the city and had terrific views of the Eiffel Tower, no matter what this really was. We walked on to l'arc de triomphe, passing through Seth's neighborhood of Passy. During all the walking he was talking about his schooling and career. It is so interesting to hear about a career that I know little about: animation. All the aspects behind making a movie and what it takes to become an animator is neat to hear about because of its differences from traditional schooling.
Eventually
Classic Metro Sign
This is the classic design, but several metro stations have more modern and unique signs. we got to L'Arc de Triomphe, one of my favorite monuments. I think it is slightly underrated when it comes to the Eiffel Tower, which is sad. It is a wonder to look at and so detailed. It is intimidating and delicate all at the same time.
L'arc sits on Place d'Etoile, a multi-lane circle of crazy French drivers. Luckily one doesn't have to cross that to see the monument: there is an underground tunnel that safely herds tourists across. You just go under and bam! You are next to the Arc. I think you have to take a few moments just to appreciate the grandness of some of Paris' monuments, especially this one. There is so much to see on the Arc, and the best thing is to just walk around it. Every time you will notice a different facet of it.
Once we had our fill of L'arc de triomphe we continued down the famous Champs-Elysee. The street has everything for everybody: expensive stores (Louis Vuitton) to commercialism (Disney) to entertainment seekers (movie theaters). I had never walked down this street before, and it was full of eye candy. We actually walked the entire street to
We found another monument
One of my favs, l'arc de triomphe where it ended: La Place de la Concorde.
Ironically named, Harmony Place was where the executions of the French Revolution took place. Instead of a guillotine there is now an obelisk and various statues and fountations. We hit the square during sunset, and it made everything look golden. The Eiffel Tower could be seen in the distance, and the Champs-Elysee looked somewhat serene. Old buildings (that I'm not entirely sure what they are) surround the square and emphasize the history that you are standing in. It was really beautiful being surrounded by a centuries-old obelisk, buildings from the 1800's, and today's tourists. Such juxtaposition!
Continuing on our tour of Paris' greatest hits we walked through the Tuileries gardens. French gardens are interesting. They don't actually have an abundence of green. The focus seems more on the walking paths and the fountains. Regardless it was a pretty walk. Sunset was still happening, and the golden glow remained on the statues scattered through the garden.
The Jardin des Tuileries ends at the Louvre. The Louvre is obscenely big; we had no hope of even going in during the evening. But it is neat to look at it from the
Underneath L'arc
It's a bit intimidating outiside, remembering it was once a palace and appreciating the juxtaposition present here too with I.M. Pei's controversial pyramids. I guess, when one thinks about it, all of Paris is a contradiction and melding of time. Modern sits next to ancient almost everywhere in the city. I think that's why I like it so much. There is plenty of history to go around, but the present is just a step away.
Dad and I were quite tired from all the walking, so we began our journey (really it
was a journey) back to our hotel. We chose to walk along the Seine, which is the lifeline of the city. It was a pleasant walk back, made more pleasant by dinner, haha.
After making it across half of Paris in a day, Dad and I were exhausted. I was quite ready to sleep, even at the relatively early time of 10:00. My feet were tired, partly from walking so much and partly from walking so much in my rainboots (the only shoes I had brought due the false perdiction of rain). My brain was tired from the different languages and being surrounded by so much history. It
Engravings
The statues and engravings are incredibly detailed and ornate was just bedtime (after watching some international Daily Show, naturally)!
The next morning followed a night of little sleep. The hotel was nice and cheap, but incredibly noisy. Maybe it is just Paris, but there was druken singing and trucks and just all sorts of noise all the time. Not helping was the fact I am an annoyingly light sleeper. Maybe I'll learn to be a heavier sleeper with more traveling!!
Our train left a little after noon, and we wanted to see one more part of Paris before we left: Notre Dame. We again braved the metro system and made it there with plenty of time. Notre Dame de Paris is beautiful, and I would love to attend mass in it at some point (although I wonder if it would be distracting...). Dad and I walked around it. The front, of course, is famous. The three main doors have such delicate sculpture that it is no wonder that the church took decades. But some people overlook the other sides of the church. We walked around the flying buttresses to the park behind the church, of couse taking pictures the entire time. You have to take time to
just marvel at the shear design of the church and all the work that went in it. I think it is almost a religious experence
looking at the church; who needs mass! The dedication of the people and their fervor behind it is something that is somewhat lost today I think.
Following some souvenir shopping Dad and I ate lunch at a restaurant familiar to me: it was the same one I had eaten at during my high school trip some five years early. It was perhaps the best meal I ate in all of Paris this trip and was the perfect one to end on. It was just a great meal! It is nice to have meals like that, where you like your surroundings and the food combine to make one great memory.
Alas, we could not stay long. Unfortunately Dad did not get to go inside Notre Dame as we had to get to the metro and get to our train. We almost didn't make it; the metro turned into a maze at this point. But eventually we made our way onto the right RER, got to the station, and had 20 minutes to
Oh Champs-Elysee
Dad's great shot down the infamous street spare. C'est la vie!
On a tangent, blog writing is
frustrating . I don't know how many times I have had to rewrite parts of this entry because it didn't save. It certainly doesn't help my writing!!
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