Day Four: The Louvre and The Marais

This was probably our best day in Paris. We started it by sleeping in. Which kind of wasn't planned but ... whatever.

It was the first Sunday of the month which means entry to The Louvre is free. We meant to get there early because apparently the lines to get in can be a couple hours long, but early is relative when you have no kids. So we arrived late morning through the Carousel Du Louvre entrance, which also happened to be the entrance to some sort of Lindsay Lohan fashion show for Paris Fashion Week. Apparently she's not dead yet.

We were pleasantly surprised to see there was basically no line and we got in right away. It was even more pleasant to see there's a Starbucks in The Louvre. Paris coffee is fantastic, but sometimes you just need a grande black Pike Place. Guilty? A bit. Satisfied? Yes.

I've always been completely unimpressed by the pyramid at the front of The Louvre, but it's pretty cool. It's actually the entrance to the museum. So it works like this:

I don't think it's possible to fully experience this museum unless you dedicate several days to it. It's really, really, really big. We knew we didn't set aside a lot of time for it, so we didn't stress about what we did or didn't see inside. But we did see the Mona Lisa, and at the risk of sounding uncultured, it was underwhelming. There's an entire room essentially dedicated to it (and BTW, the piece is really small). It's behind glass and then roped off, so you can't get closer than about 10 feet. Plus, the room is packed and everyone is shoving forward to get a self portrait with Mona, which is an awesome shot: giant head with tiny painting in the background.

So we saw most of what we wanted to see at The Louvre without spending too much time wandering. Got lost a couple of times. But made it out with some time to spend in the front courtyard.





And that was that. We took the Metro over to Le Marais, AKA The Gay District, AKA The Jewish Quarter, AKA The Coolest and Most Culturally Vibrant Neighborhood I've Ever Seen.

It's packed with restaurants, cafes, pubs, bakeries, shops and really cool people. And cool people in Paris are different from cool people anywhere else. There's something about the attitude of Parisians that makes them seem so relaxed and carefree. Leisure time is important, and I think being generally laid back is an essential part of the lifestyle. No one seems to be in a hurry, people can take hours to get through a coffee and conversations are long. This makes socializing a priority and it's happening all the time. We were in The Marais on a Sunday evening and it was packed. So if you mix all that with one of the most historical neighborhoods in the city you get the best date ever.



I loved these huge doors all over the city, and in this area they had a certain character to them:




Found an old bookstore. Had a delightful conversation with an employee there:

Him: "*Something in French*."
Me: "Bonjour."
Him: "I said we're closed."
Me: "Oh."


Best pasta dinner I've ever had:


Spent a while in a little cafe where an old bartender was wearing flannel pajama pants with his white serving shirt.



We walked around a bit more and figured we'd find the nearest Metro station to head back to Montmartre. On the way, we came around a corner and realized we were across the street from The Seine. The neighborhood looked awfully familiar. And then it hit us, the Notre Dame was just down the street. What a thing to stumble upon. We crossed a bridge and strolled around Ile St. Louis again, meandering our way to the front of the cathedral. It was so good to come here at night. Our first visit there the previous day was a bit tainted; the place was packed with tourists and it was hard to really take it in, as stunning as it is. At night, it was quiet and serene.

There were a lot of things about this night that I'll remember as defining of my Paris experience. These kinds of things are why we want to travel and experience other cultures. It's hard to tell all the little stories and experiences through a blog, and I don't think I really want to anyway, but it's something we won't forget.

All this and we still hadn't even been to Belgium or Amsterdam yet ...

Day Three: Ile Saint Louis and the Arc De Triomphe

This was a long day. We started out by taking the Metro to the Fourth Arrondissement, and came up right next to the Rive Seine.



The main reason we came here was to visit the Notre Dame. Like most things in Paris, it's overwhelming. But it's probably not fair to compare this cathedral to anything else. It's massive, it's beautiful, it's Gothic and it's probably the most important symbol of the religious history of Paris.







Here's me keeping you all informed ... Tweeting on the River Seine:

We walked across the bridge to Ile Saint Louis, one of two islands in the city of Paris, and a cool little place.





After all that we went back to our hotel in Montmartre before heading to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées ...

... at the end of which is this:

The Arc de Triomphe was built by Napoleon to honour his soldiers when they returned from war. They'd march down the Avenue and through the Arc. It's an incredible sight, surrounded by the famous traffic circle. We realized when we got there that we could climb to the top ... and trust me, you have to climb. About 300 steps. And it was worth it. An incredible view of the city at night. I can't describe what that was like.

The lights on the Eiffel Tower were gorgeous from up high, so we grabbed a panini headed over. And just sat there.

I love Paris.

Days One and Two: Montmartre and La Tour Eiffel

Our trip to Paris was so smooth, it was weird. No delays, our flight to London landed an hour early and our baggage in Paris was the first off the carousel. Plus we had no responsibility anyway, so we were stress-free.


Our emergence from the Metro up into Montmartre was a shock to the senses and confirmation that Paris is exactly what we thought it was. We came up the steps and saw a 200 year old city hall, a 400 year old church, three cafes, a horse carousel lit up and playing old French music and as I looked around, an old man walked by with a baguette under his arm. As we stood and stared, our jaws dropped.

In Paris, everything consumes you: the smell of the air, the smell of people, the look of people, the sounds, the architecture, the history ... I can't describe it.

This was the view from our hotel room:


After spending our first night walking around Montmartre, we got up early and did the same thing again. The heart of Montmartre is the Sacre Coeur. Around the base of the hill are some really, really old cafes and houses.



And atop the hill sits the beautiful Sacre Coeur. There's also an incredible view of the city up here.


This carousel was at the base of the hill, and they're all over the city. Just in random squares and for no special reason:

We did Paris cheap. And why not? We chose a hotel that included a free breakfast, and our lunches consisted mainly of small stuff from markets, like a baguette and cheese. Which is pretty normal. And we ate it like this:


And our first Parisian coffee:


Markets are usually set up in the morning and shut down by early afternoon.

Our first full day was a long one. We spent the morning and early afternoon in Montmartre, and planned to go to the Eiffel Tower for the afternoon. The Metro system is pretty easy and quick, but it's the walking that can kill you. Paris is a grand place. Big boulevards and parks, so if you don't know exactly how to get where you're going when on foot, you'll get some exercise. But it's no problem ... because you're in Paris. There's a lot of history around the Tower. We came across Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried:

And Pont Alexandre III, which is a bridge that connects Champs-Élysées with Les Invalides:

Amongst all this incredible history are people's homes and businesses. Imagine that.


And then we found this:



When you get to the Eiffel Tower, you just kind of stand there and stare. And then you just sit there ... and stare. And then take some pictures and drink wine.



And that was it. Our first 24 hours.

Fin

We're home. With our babies. In case you missed it, we went on a trip. So this is finally a travel blog again. Sort of. More to come.


Cathedral of Our Lady - Antwerp, Belgium.