Paris- Day 3

The following pics are viewed from the very TOP of the Eiffel Tower.

Having seen the Eiffel Tower up close at night, I had to see it up close during the day.  To beat the crowd, Pierre and I got up early Saturday morning (9am) and immediately drove to Paris.  We arrived at the Tower at 9:30 and bought tickets to walk to the second floor (there are 3 floors).  700(!) stairs later, we were standing on the second floor.  The crowd was thickening, so we didn’t waste any time going to the very top.  In order to get to the top, you must take an elevator.  We bought tickets for that at about 7 Euro apiece, with a student discount.  Pretty cheap.  It was really cool and Pierre had never been to the top before, so it was new to both of us.  The line for the elevator to the top took about 25 minutes. 

Once at the top, the view was incredible.  I thought the view from the Arc de Triumphe was great, but, we where about 4x higher now.  I took a lot of pictures and we spent about 10 minutes at the top.  It was nice.  We then reversed the whole process to get down.

After the Eiffel Tower, we went across town to the Museum Rodin.  It is a museum dedicated to the sculptor Rodin.  It is also the museum that Pierre’s father was a director at for 10 yrs.  It is a small but beautiful museum.  Rodin is known for his sculpture of the Thinker and The Kiss.  After seeing some of the famous sculptures inside, we went to the museum’s garden outside.  This is where some of the largest statues were.  This is where the largest “Thinker” is located (1 of 12 in the world) and some of the other famous ones.  The museum is in the center of Paris Center, but, you would not know, even when outside in the gardens.  It is surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

The museum from the outside.

The Burghers of Calais. The story of the statues is that six prominent town leaders of the French city of Calais stepped forward to sacrifice themselves in return for Edward III sparing the city. Luckily for the six persons, their lives were spared. 

1 of 12.  Thinking Man.

The Kiss.

Me in the garden of the Roding Museum.

Again in the garden of the Rodin Museum.

It was now about 1pm and we went home for a while.  We took an hour nap and ate a little. Pierre’s mother had been nice enough to make a pork roast for us to eat when we returned.  It was a delicious, classic French meal.  We have been also eating a lot of bread.  Every meal, we have bread; including for snack.  If you know me, I do not regularly eat bread, but, I have been making an exception for this week.  It tastes very good.  We eat a lot of cheese as well.  I have a new favorite cheese; Camembert. 

On another note, Pierre’s mother does speak pretty good English.  She just told me that she was out of practice after not using it for a while.  We had a nice conversation today.

Also, when we got back to Pierre’s room, there were two bottles of wine near my computer with a note “you will drink this wine with your mother or friends.”  (I had told them my mom was coming to visit).  Can you believe that?  Pierre’s parents gave me two bottles of wine.  When I saw them later, I thanked them.  I don’t know what else to do to say thanks.  They have been much too kind.

After our brief relaxation, it was off to Paris again; this time by train.  We wanted to see a Pillow Fight that we had been told about.  It took place outside of the French Stock Exchange, or Bourse.  We thought it was in response to the crazy economy lately but we’re not sure.  It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, maybe 50 people max.  It was interesting though.  We didn’t stay long.  We met up with Pierre’s friend Charlotte and went to some more gardens, as well as Chautlese Church.  Again, another beautiful church.  It reminded me of Notre Dame, but, not as well preserved. 

Pillow Fight!

In front of Bourse, the French Stock Exchange.

That pretty much concluded our day.  We went home and relaxed.  Although it was a Saturday night, we postponed the drinking cause we are getting up early tomorrow for NORMANDY!

Paris: Day 2

The second day of my Paris trip began with a visit to a very beautiful church, called Sacred Heart, to the North of Paris Center.  It is located on top of a big hill.  Again, it was very beautiful.  We went inside to tour, but, photos were not allowed.  There was a mass going on, so maybe that was why. 

After that, we went to Moulin Rouge.  It was close by to Sacred Heart.   We just walked down the street.  That was nice too, but, boring.  So, we proceeded to Luxembourg to visit the Luxembourg Garden.  That was very large and beautiful.  At one end is one of the two main police stations.  There were a lot of people just hanging out in the garden. 

Moulin Rouge

At the Luxembourg Gardens.  The police office in the back.

One thing I would like to note is that, all of the building in Paris are worthy of a picture.  It is unreal.  I have never been anywhere as beautiful as France.  Good thing for digital cameras because you would need dozens of rolls of film to capture the beauty of Paris.  I apologize for being sparse with the text, but, it would take hundreds of words to describe each place.  I’m letting the pictures do a lot of the talking.  One thing they all have in common is they are huge, old, and gorgeous.

We proceeded to walk to the Pantheon where many of France’s famous people are buried.  It was another beautiful building.  From there we walked for a while until we got to a beautiful area where the Military Academy was.  Napoleon is buried here.

The Pantheon

Outside the Military Academy.

Next, we walked to the Louvre.  This time, we went inside.  It was free for students on Friday evening, saving about 10 Euro.  Hands down, the most impressive museum I’ve ever seen.  Nothing compares, and rightfully so, as it is the largest museum in the world.  The size of the Louvre is impossible to describe.  It would take an entire month to properly tour that museum.  We only had about two hours.  We could have spent more time there, but, we were tired.  Of course, we saw the Mona Lisa.  It was the biggest attraction there and I had to fight to get to the front.  It did seem like her eyes follow you.  Then, we went and saw some of the Egyptian work.  Amazing.  We saw hieroglyphics and caskets and mummies.  So cool.  One really unique thing about the Louvre is that there were musicians playing around every corner.  Sometimes, only two or three, other times as many as six.  They were playing classical music…I think it was a Friday night thing.

The Louvre from a 3rd story Window.  You can vaguely see the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Musicians in the Louvre.

Venus de Milo

There was a huge crowd to see the Mona Lisa.

The ceilings in the Louvre.  All of them looked like this.  Unreal.

A 4 thousand year old WOODEN Egyptian carving.

Outside the Louvre as we are leaving.

After the Louvre, we walked around the city towards a subway station and passed the Comedy Center/ Theater and Bastille.  The city was beginning to get crowded.  It was Friday night after all.  However, we were tired.  We didn’t even stop for a drink.  We headed home, completing another 8hr day in the city.  But, we weren’t done yet…

Bastille

THE COOLEST THING I’VE DONE SO FAR…Was return to the Eiffel Tower at midnight.  Pierre said that he wanted me to get pictures of it at night.  We went to the tower and it looks magnificent all lit up.  It looks like it is made of gold.  We got in a spot with a great view of the city and he told me to turn on my camera for video.  I did this and at midnight, the tower began to sparkle.   Gorgeous!!!!  It sparkled for about a minute.  After that we made our way to the tower itself and stood at the base.  Very impressive.

Midnight!

Paris- Arrival and Day 1

The flight to Paris was not a problem.  Everything went smoothly.  It was only a two hour flight.

Upon arriving, we picked up our luggage and sure enough, Pierre’s parents were there to meet us.  They were very nice.  His mother does not speak much English.  She can speak a little broken English, but, that is all.  However, his father is fluent in English.  His father was a museum director and is now a banker.  His mother manages a job search company. 

The ride home was about 30 minutes and contained a lot of French.  That was fine, after all, Pierre hadn’t seen his parents in about two months.  They were asking me questions though. 

Pierre’s home is very nice.  It is in a beautiful neighborhood.  He has got a great setup too.  He lives in what is like a guest house, separate from the main house.  He’s got everything he needs in there.  We dropped off our luggage and went inside to get a quick snack of French bread and cheese.  The four of us talked a little more, during which his mother managed to tell me “my house is your house.”  That has been true thus far.  They all say, I can take anything, use anything.  Of course, I try not to and when cooking, I use limited amounts.  They have been very friendly.

A neighbors house.  Just wanted to show the style of houses.

Another neighbors house.

Pierre's house from the back.

Literally, Pierre's house (the guest house).

Little garden in the back yard.

After our quick snack, Pierre and I went for a ride.  It was like midnight, but, he wanted to show me the city quickly.  It took about 10 minutes to drive into the city in his car.  It was beautiful, especially the Eiffel Tower.  It is lit up and looks like it is built of gold.  I forgot my camera but I’m sure I’ll be back again at night.  He also pointed out some other notable attractions, but, you couldn’t see much because it was dark.  Pierre was happy to be back in Paris.  It is one thing I have noticed.  He takes a lot of pride in his city.

Day 1

The next morning, I made two eggs for myself with a little bit of ham and tomatoes for breakfast.  We went and ran a few errands.  The weather was PERFECT.  About 65 and sunny.  Pierre showed me his town, which is quite large.  The layout is similar to that of Long Island.  All the houses are right on top of one another, but, the styles are very different from the styles in Long Island.  All the houses are old, but, gorgeous.  We say city hall and drove next to the river.  It was a very pretty town.  We found an HSBC and I took out some money.  We went back home and Pierre continued running errands until about 1pm when we went into the city.

We took the train in and began walking around.  The first stop was the Arc de Triumphe.  It was HUGE and beautiful.  It is built in remembrance of all the French soldiers that served in WWI.  In the middle of the Arc, is a fire, specifically for the “unknown” soldiers that lost their lives.  It never stops burning. 

In front of the Arc.

The fire for all the killed unknown soldiers.

Champs Elysee.  Viewed from the Arc de Triumphe.

Eiffel Tower.  Viewed from Arc de Triumphe.

We decided to pay the 5 Euro to walk to the top.  Pierre didn’t mind paying because he had only been to the top once before, when he was a kid.  It was a huge spiral staircase that took about 6 minutes to climb.  It was worth it.  The view was amazing.

Then, we exited the Arc and proceeded down Champs Elysees, probably the most famous road in Paris (it runs from the Arc to the Louvre).  It was full of shopping and restaurants.  It was packed with people as well.  We walked and walked and walked.  I couldn’t get over how many shops there were.  It was like Lake George Village in midsummer, except extended for miles.  We passed the President’s house, which was heavily guarded.  As was the US embassy that we passed.  Then, we made it to the Louvre and it was amazing.  I think we are going inside the Louvre soon. 

Cafes lined Champs Elysee.  Thousands.

Outside the Louvre.  Going inside tomorrow.

Notre Dame.

(At this point, Pierre left me because he had a girl he was excited to meet up with.   We decided to meet at Notre Dame again in 3 hrs.  With that, we went our separate ways).  What an amazing church.  Entrance was free so I went inside.  The interior was gorgeous.  I’ve never seen another church like it.  The stained glass windows were huge, the organ was huge, the place was gorgeous.  

One of the many exhibits in Notre Dame.

I left Notre Dame and began walking one direction.  By now, it was about 5pm and I was getting hungry.  Pierre told me not to eat at any of the restaurants because they are too expensive.  He said buy fast food.  I don’t eat much fast food, so when I saw a Subway, I went in there.  I bought a small sub, reasonably priced, and took it with me.  I walked around the back streets for a little while.  When I made it back to the river, I went down to the river’s edge and sat there and ate my sub.  It was amazing.  What a place to eat.  I can’t describe how beautiful it was.  I ended up hanging out there for about an hour, until it was time to meet Pierre again. 

The view from where I ate dinner.  Gorgeous.

I guess things went well with Pierre’s girl, because she was with him now.  The three of us decided to go to an area a little outside the city to eat.  Pierre had a restaurant in mind.  We took the subway there and the restaurant turned out to be a little too nice.  So, again, we decided on fast food.  I wasn’t that hungry so I just went to the mini supermarket across the street and bought some peanuts. 

Since we were in the area, we walked to the theatre.  It was very pretty.  Pierre’s new girlfriend, Charlotte, left us at this point and we went on walking a little ways to our subway station.  We were going to go out for a few drinks, but, we were each exhausted and the cheap places were another train ride away, so we decided to do it another night. 

Saint Jacque Tower.

Outside the Opera Garnier.

We finally made it back at about 10pm.  It was exhausting but very worth it.  I can’t imagine how many miles we covered, but, it was a lot.  We’ll probably do it again tomorrow.