Paris Part Un

Okay, I’m back in Cam now, which means I finally have time to write about Paris.  So much happened in two days, so I’m splitting this trip up into TWO blogs!  Super exciting.  This blog will cover day one.

Notre-Dame: On our first full day in Paris, we decided to start the morning out right with a trip to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.  We waited in line FOREVER, but it was totally worth it, if only for this view:

Somehow, miraculously, we trekked up 400 stairs in record time (seriously, I think it took us longer to walk up the 100-some stairs in our hotel than it did to scale Notre-Dame).  At the top, I was excited to come face to face with the cathedral’s collection of beautiful gargoyles.

We walked up some more, very steep stairs and got to see the bell tower.  We made some necessary Hunchback of Notre-Dame references before departing.  After climbing down the 400 stairs, we went into the actual cathedral and swooned over the stunning stained glass windows.  

I lit a candle and said a prayer for my family, then joined Anna, Ange, and Gucki outside for the rest of our adventure.

Montemartre: For (a very late) lunch we traveled to Montmartre.  After I stepped off the tube, I was greeted with this sight:

We headed to Le Deux Moulins for lunch. This is the café Amelie works at in the movie of the same name.  There was a huge picture of her in the restaurant and her face graced our menus.  I had my first Croque Monsieur and then stole the paper placemat, which was an awesome collage of Amelie drawings.

After lunch (dinner…by this time?) we wandered the streets of Montmartre, popping and out of shops.  The town was still lit up for Christmas and the lights made the whole experience that much more (as Angela would say) precious.

 

Montmartre is a massive hill, so we did more walking up steps.  The view was well worth it.

Eiffel Tower: Anna and Ange insisted that I see the Eiffel Tower at night, so I agreed.  This may sound cheesy, but seeing the Eiffel Tower in the pitch dark, all lit up—it actually took my breath away.  

I had always assumed it was a big tourist attraction, but seeing it for myself, in real life, I realized how outstandingly beautiful it is.  What a sight. This awful picture (above) does not do it justice.  My friends and I linked arms and stood at the balcony and shivered in the cold and laughed hysterically at nothing. I stopped to realize how wonderful life is: standing at the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, with friends, on a lovely crisp night.

Home of Hemingway: As the end to the night, we went to Le Deux Magots, the café where the likes of Hemingway and Sartre ate (or, in Hemingway’s case, drank) and wrote.  I felt inspired just sitting in the same place where Papa once sat.

We ordered incredibly rich and incredibly expensive cake and coffee.  It was worth it, though, just being there, enjoying the night, being in Paris.

A fantastic first full day in France.