Bonjour Paris!

I have to start out by apologizing for not blogging more frenquently like I said I would. On the other hand...give me a break! I´m on vacation, right?


So my 3rd city of the trip was Paris. I spent 6 days there, so there is way too much to tell to fit in one post, so I´ll divide it into two: first I´ll talk about the oh-so-famous sights and landmarks I saw, then in my next post I´ll give a more personal insight into my time there.

As much as I hate to do it, I´m going to break this down like into a list. I really feel like it is cheating the real experience to be so brief about them, but it´s the most practical way to hit on everything.

Notre Dame - Attended Sunday mass here. Love the exterior and the architecture, but again, those pesky tourists were loud and sometimes pushy inside. I don´t get why people aren´t more reverent in churches sometimes.

Notre Dame from the backside.

Louvre - I´m no art afficianado, so although the Louvre is a huge deal for most folks, I have to admit I wasn´t super excited about it. My time was limited, so I tried to see all I could in my 2 or 3 hours there, which is no time at all in such a massive museum. I started with the Egyptian artifacts, which was a huge collection and quite interesting. Then I hit the Renaissance paintings and stopped by the Mona Lisa (not impressive, IMHO). The Louvre is fascinating because the collections seem to wind through rooms of all shapes and sizes, up and down stairs, and the architecture is as much a sight as the artwork. There was just so much to look at!

Sacre Couer - Great views of the city, beautiful church. Again, very crowded.

I´m sure when someone people see Sacre Coeur, what they really see is all the steps leading to it.

Versailles - I was really pumped about Versailles, and planned on spending most of a day there. Castles and palaces are my favorite - the Biltmore Estate is one of my favorite places in the US. But this place was crazy. There was a huge line to buy tickets, then you get in a different line to enter the palace, then another line to pick up your audioguide. Finally inside, the place was absolutely packed with tourists whose main goal was to take pictures, not see the actually place. And the guided groups like to stand in the very center of everything and block anything important, including doorways. My favorite part of the interior was the wall coverings - so colorful and vibrant. Yep, I´m weird like that. The gardens behind the palace are ridiculously huge and there are fountains and sculptures hidden throughout the maze-like paths. I didn´t see it all because it was midday and hot as blazes.

The orange grove, part of the gardens at Versailles

Catacombs - Who would have thought that this tour would have the longest lines in Paris? It took an hour and a half to get in, but several of the people in line around me were from the States, so I got to hear some native English. The Catacombs are fascinating - all those bones that are so far underneath the city, below the metro and sewers even. They´re stacked so precisely and often skulls are arranged in hearts or crosses. Creepy and awesome.


Arc de Triumphe and Champs-Elysees - Cool, but not all that exciting. Impressive that they had the foresight to create such wide streets and grand roundabouts, though.

Eiffel Tower - Oh, the great landmark of Paris. France, for that matter. It is really a beautiful monument. The weather was quite chilly and overcast the morning I visited, but by the time I got to the 2nd level the cloud started to give way to some sunshine and blue skies. Really loved it. Also breathtaking to see at sunset and at night. One night I walked all the way there from my hostel, and it is like a mountain - you keep thinking you´re almost there because it is just so huge, but it keeps growing.

It´s THIS big!

Of course I saw more in Paris, but that´s hitting the highlights of the more famous landmarks. More to come on Paris later!