Europe Trip Journals Day 6-7: Paris
Day 6/7 (June 23/24)
Yesterday was probably the best day of my life. Breakfast was ridiculously amazing. Crepes, fresh croissants, baguettes, fruit. What the hell could be better? Basically everyone gorged themselves on this delicious food. And the croissants? NOTHING like the ones in the US. They tasted much different, were crispy and flakey, more buttery. I can't even explain it, but it was a million times better.
Anyway, we got up a bit early for our bus/walking tour. Got to see tons of sites, too many to remember, incoming the arch de triumph, Eiffel tower, napoleons grave, Trafalgar square, a perfume factory tour, and pretty much all the sites. After the tour a few of us walked around a market with fruit and goods, and went into a little bakery to get sandwiches that were to die for. Next we walked to Notre Dame, passing these cool book stalls along the street. We browsed them all and bought a few things. Apparently these are what started the modern "book store" way back when. We wanted to go up to the top of Notre Dame, but the line was over an hour wait, and we didn't have a long time. Instead we toured around inside, which was breathtakingly beautiful.
Next we attempted to go to the palace of Versailles. Instead however, we accidentally took a 45 minute subway to the port of Versailles ousted of Paris. It was actually a beautiful countryside, with small village houses and a gorgeous view, so we weren't that upset. From there it was another half hour to chateau de Versailles, our actual destination. We had exactly an hour to tour the place, and it was definitely an incredible sight. Think the Queen’s house, but French. Or Hearst castle's beauty all incensed into a chateau. The elaborate decorations, art, colours, and everything was just awesome. The green s also beautiful and even had its own lake.
At six, we left Versailles and headed back home to prep for Moulin rouge in the evening. It ended up taking about an hour and a half to get home, leaving us about 2 hours to get ready for the show.
The Moulin rouge started at eleven, though we left after nine to subway there and wait in line for our seats. The show itself was really indescribable. The nudity was fairly tasteful, and the singing, dancing, performing, and more were all amazing. At one point a naked woman was swimming and doing underwater dancing with three boa constrictors. There was also a very cool juggler as well as a ventriloquist who could throw his voice extremely well. The show ended at 1:30, and by that point everyone was nodding off.
Today we slept in a little bit, and by 8:45 were downstairs for another wonderful breakfast (same thing). Myself and two friends took the subway to the Louvre, hoping to beat the crowds. Almost everyone else was visiting Versailles today and the Louvre in the evening. We didn't want to do that. Our plan actually worked out great, as the line for entry and tickets was very short, 5-10 minutes max. We walked through the museum for about an hour and half, seeing what wanted, as well as some new, exciting art. We saw the usual, Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, the Code of Hammurabi. There was also just a mind boggling array of paintings, statues, and structures that really would take an entire day to see.
Afterwards we came home, all tired, and I decided to use my day relaxing, resting my feet (one heel is bruised and I probably shouldn't be walking around all day). I finished my book, and started the next one on kindle. At en, a group of us are going to the Eiffel tower as our last Paris and France adventure, as we leave for Brussels tomorrow. In very excite to go to the top and see all of Paris. It's going to be one of the highlights of my life. I also need to stock up on some Paris pastries for the bus ride tomorrow. Another long one.
[8:00 am]
The Eiffel tower was amazing, gorgeous, incredible, beautiful, spectacular. Everything you expect it to be and more. Pictures do it no justice, as the beautiful metalwork, loops and curls, are really only viewable up close. Going up was wonderful. Just standing on the second floor made my night, and week. We made it about one minute too late to go to the top tower, but the view from the second floor was breathtaking, and enough for me. If I ever come back I'll do it again and go all the way up though.
Something I'll never forget about France is the horrible yet incredible traffic. In many places, and on avenues, there are no rules. The streets are just very wide, enough for four cars, and cars go wherever they want and do whatever they want. It's incredibly dangerous. And yet there are minimal accidents in the city because people are aware of the lack of rules, and actually drive better as a result. They know their job is to take care of themselves, so they are more cautious, setting their own regulations.
Yesterday was probably the best day of my life. Breakfast was ridiculously amazing. Crepes, fresh croissants, baguettes, fruit. What the hell could be better? Basically everyone gorged themselves on this delicious food. And the croissants? NOTHING like the ones in the US. They tasted much different, were crispy and flakey, more buttery. I can't even explain it, but it was a million times better.
Anyway, we got up a bit early for our bus/walking tour. Got to see tons of sites, too many to remember, incoming the arch de triumph, Eiffel tower, napoleons grave, Trafalgar square, a perfume factory tour, and pretty much all the sites. After the tour a few of us walked around a market with fruit and goods, and went into a little bakery to get sandwiches that were to die for. Next we walked to Notre Dame, passing these cool book stalls along the street. We browsed them all and bought a few things. Apparently these are what started the modern "book store" way back when. We wanted to go up to the top of Notre Dame, but the line was over an hour wait, and we didn't have a long time. Instead we toured around inside, which was breathtakingly beautiful.
Next we attempted to go to the palace of Versailles. Instead however, we accidentally took a 45 minute subway to the port of Versailles ousted of Paris. It was actually a beautiful countryside, with small village houses and a gorgeous view, so we weren't that upset. From there it was another half hour to chateau de Versailles, our actual destination. We had exactly an hour to tour the place, and it was definitely an incredible sight. Think the Queen’s house, but French. Or Hearst castle's beauty all incensed into a chateau. The elaborate decorations, art, colours, and everything was just awesome. The green s also beautiful and even had its own lake.
At six, we left Versailles and headed back home to prep for Moulin rouge in the evening. It ended up taking about an hour and a half to get home, leaving us about 2 hours to get ready for the show.
The Moulin rouge started at eleven, though we left after nine to subway there and wait in line for our seats. The show itself was really indescribable. The nudity was fairly tasteful, and the singing, dancing, performing, and more were all amazing. At one point a naked woman was swimming and doing underwater dancing with three boa constrictors. There was also a very cool juggler as well as a ventriloquist who could throw his voice extremely well. The show ended at 1:30, and by that point everyone was nodding off.
Today we slept in a little bit, and by 8:45 were downstairs for another wonderful breakfast (same thing). Myself and two friends took the subway to the Louvre, hoping to beat the crowds. Almost everyone else was visiting Versailles today and the Louvre in the evening. We didn't want to do that. Our plan actually worked out great, as the line for entry and tickets was very short, 5-10 minutes max. We walked through the museum for about an hour and half, seeing what wanted, as well as some new, exciting art. We saw the usual, Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, the Code of Hammurabi. There was also just a mind boggling array of paintings, statues, and structures that really would take an entire day to see.
Afterwards we came home, all tired, and I decided to use my day relaxing, resting my feet (one heel is bruised and I probably shouldn't be walking around all day). I finished my book, and started the next one on kindle. At en, a group of us are going to the Eiffel tower as our last Paris and France adventure, as we leave for Brussels tomorrow. In very excite to go to the top and see all of Paris. It's going to be one of the highlights of my life. I also need to stock up on some Paris pastries for the bus ride tomorrow. Another long one.
[8:00 am]
The Eiffel tower was amazing, gorgeous, incredible, beautiful, spectacular. Everything you expect it to be and more. Pictures do it no justice, as the beautiful metalwork, loops and curls, are really only viewable up close. Going up was wonderful. Just standing on the second floor made my night, and week. We made it about one minute too late to go to the top tower, but the view from the second floor was breathtaking, and enough for me. If I ever come back I'll do it again and go all the way up though.
Something I'll never forget about France is the horrible yet incredible traffic. In many places, and on avenues, there are no rules. The streets are just very wide, enough for four cars, and cars go wherever they want and do whatever they want. It's incredibly dangerous. And yet there are minimal accidents in the city because people are aware of the lack of rules, and actually drive better as a result. They know their job is to take care of themselves, so they are more cautious, setting their own regulations.