Bonjour, mes amis!
I am back from Paris. So sad. Next time I go, I'll have to stay longer than a few days! Paris is a great city! There are far too many people for my liking (it is the most densely populated city in Europe), but it really is beautiful! Here's a play-by-play of my time in the
'City of Light'.
On Thursday, I flew into Paris and met up with my parents. It was great to seem them! We talk almost every week on 'Skype', so I don't miss them too, too much, but it was still a joyous reunion. We made our way into the city on the train. We stayed in an apartment in an area of Paris called
'Le Marais'. We were just a few blocks from the river Seine, so after we had unpacked a bit, we took a stroll along the Seine, checking out 'les bookanistes', who sell second-hand books, art and touristy souvenirs all along the left bank of the river. When we reached the Eiffel Tower, we hopped on board a tour boat to do a little cruise of the river and get our first glimpses of Notre Dame cathedral, The Louvre and other significant buildings. Afterwards, we climbed up to the second deck of the Eiffel Tower. OMG, we had BUNS O' STEEL after that climb! The tower is so much bigger than I had anticipated! It offers 4 beautiful views of the city, and it's pretty nice too look at, too! When we had descended the tower by elevator, we turned around and the tower was sparkling with thousands of twinkly lights! Gorgeous! We slept well Thursday night, due to our exhausting ascent… but I didn't get my full 40 winks, as both my parents snore LOUDLY!
Friday was packed-full! I don't think we could have seen more stuff in one day if we tried! But it was good to make the most of the short time we had. After breakfast, we headed down to Notre Dame. This cathedral is always spoken of as being very forbidding. It is. It is even more forbidding when you think about what the surrounding city probably looked like at the time it was built. There were no apartment bulidings, city halls, Eiffel Towers, or other large buildings to help it blend into the cityscape. It was probably 10 times bigger than any of the surrounding buildings, so it probably had the same effect on the 12th-century citizens of Paris as the pyramids had on the ancient Egyptians. It took almost 200 years to build Notre Dame and most of the labourers worked for FREE? Seriously?! Notre Dame's gothic interior is impressive, drawing your eye up to it's gorgeous stained-glass windows, but I actually prefer it from the outside. The carvings of saints, Biblical kings, angels and demons, and particularly the gargoyles are just ridiculous! From a distance, the cathedral looks like a paper doily, with so many intricate ornaments! It was definitely worth waiting in line to climb up the bell tower and get a closer look at those gargoyles.
After Notre Dame, we had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. My mouth is watering as I reflect on the delicious duck, ratatouille, and creme caramel I had! After lunch, we went to see Sainte-Chappelle… which I had never heard of. I was like, 'okay… I guess we can wait in line to see another church'. But I was glad we did. As soon as I entered the chapel I gasped! I tried very hard to disguise my tears of amazement. The chapel is pretty much made of stained glass. Standing inside, you see the towering room fill with sunlight and glow as if it were surrounded by fire. My photos definitely don't do it justice. If you go to Paris, go to Sainte-Chappelle.
I eventually regained my composure and we moved on to our next stop: The Musée D'Orsay. We didn't stay long, but as our admission was free, it was okay. My dad rested in the sculpture garden while my Mom and I perused rooms filled with works by Gaguin, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec. The paintings were beautiful, but my favourite part were the rooms of Art Nouveau furniture! We stopped by that other famous museum, too: The Louvre. My Mom had advised we download some Rick Steves audio tours. They were pretty great, actually. I am glad we had the audio tour for the Louvre (even though we got a bit lost), because there is no way I could navigate that massive place on my own. I'm not sure I'd even want to try, to be honest. We saw the Michaelangelo's Slaves, Winged Victory, The Venus De Milo, and The Mona Lisa… but I have to say, I had more fun watching the crowds of admirers than seeing the actual Mona Lisa. We were pooped again that night and the snoring bothered me a little less.
Friday was packed-full! I don't think we could have seen more stuff in one day if we tried! But it was good to make the most of the short time we had. After breakfast, we headed down to Notre Dame. This cathedral is always spoken of as being very forbidding. It is. It is even more forbidding when you think about what the surrounding city probably looked like at the time it was built. There were no apartment bulidings, city halls, Eiffel Towers, or other large buildings to help it blend into the cityscape. It was probably 10 times bigger than any of the surrounding buildings, so it probably had the same effect on the 12th-century citizens of Paris as the pyramids had on the ancient Egyptians. It took almost 200 years to build Notre Dame and most of the labourers worked for FREE? Seriously?! Notre Dame's gothic interior is impressive, drawing your eye up to it's gorgeous stained-glass windows, but I actually prefer it from the outside. The carvings of saints, Biblical kings, angels and demons, and particularly the gargoyles are just ridiculous! From a distance, the cathedral looks like a paper doily, with so many intricate ornaments! It was definitely worth waiting in line to climb up the bell tower and get a closer look at those gargoyles.
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