To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 3, Day 4
Day Two - January 3rd, 2012
Weather:
- Cloudy, rainy, and crazy windy.
Places:
- Palais de Justice, Notre Dame Cathedral, Square Rene Viviani, St. Severin, Latin Quarter, Pantheon, and the Arc de Triomphe.
Events:
- being lazy/tired, I slept in
- hotel walls and door were super thin and my neighbors were really loud (door slamming & talking)
- the poor maid kept trying to come and clean, but I wasn't ready to leave
- took a crazy hot shower (lovely)
- missed hotel breakfast
- got on metro, got off on island in the middle of Seine
- was going to Notre Dame, got sidetracked by hungry stomach and architecture
- saw Palais de Justice
- ate right across the street at Lex Deuc Palais Cafe
- got the (French) onion soup because it reminded me of my grandmother (got Coke too)
- soup tasted different than I'm used too (still was ah-mazing)
- let out my inner tourist: bought a beret and mini Eiffel Tower statue
- went to Notre Dame Cathedral
- met a really nice British/American couple when I asked them to take my picture
- I really took my time at Notre Dame, probably my favorite place of the day (of the trip?)
- went on the free look of the cathedral (you can pay for tour, and wait in a fatty line... no thanks)
- hung out by the Seine, made friends with a gull
- walked across bridge, off island, to see Square Rene Vivianni
- then got lost in Latin Quarter looking for Jardins de Luxembourg
- gave up on gardens and just walked around
- saw St. Severin after walking around a heavily touristed area of the Latin Quarter
- went to Pantheon
- got hit on by an Egyptian guy after he asked if I need a picture of myself in front of the Pantheon (tooootal creeper...)
- went inside Pantheon, saw crypts of famous French people (like Voltaire)
- ate dinner at restaurant near pantheon
- service wasn't so great, but it was the best food ever
- I had a glass of white wine, salad, a baguette, and lasagna (holy cow amazing)
- got hit on by another creeper while I was slightly lost on the metro, was able to escape him in a crowd
- went to the Arc de Triomphe
- my ears were having a hard time popping at this point and I was starting to feel a little funny, figured I was just tired
- took awhile to figure out where the Arc entrance was, turned out it was an underground tunnel
- saw Tomb of Unknown Soldier
- climbed to top of Arc (steepest most spirally staircase ever, I was dying of claustrophobia...)
- bought a keychain and postcard at a gift shop on the top level
- climbed one more set of stairs, found myself outside on top of Arc in the rain
- epic view! Paris at night is beautiful
- was exhausted, went back to hotel, watched the "English Channel" again
- went to bed late again
Thoughts:
- The Paris Combo Pass is amazing. For just 99 Euro you get a free boat tour on the Seine, a 4 day metro pass, museum pass (over 60 museums covered), and get line jumping abilities. (You can get them from two days up to 6 days... the cost varies on the amount of days). It was money well spent!
- The Paris Metro is really convenient. Just be on guard for creepers (apparently, especially if you are a blonde Californian) and pick pockets. I guess that applies everywhere, but all the same it's a good reminder.
- Being blonde, blue eyed, and foreign really makes a girl stand out in Paris amongst a bunch of dark eyed, brunettes who speak French. Slightly annoying that I couldn't blend in like I wanted too. Especially since if anyone heard me speak English they would either be extremely annoyed or overly interested.
- I have quite the creeper fan club (groooosssss).
- I forgot just how much I love living by the water. The Seine made me miss the Pacific Ocean.
- It's amazing how many French people speak English. It was a lot easier to get what I needed and where I needed to go than I thought it would be.
Fun Facts:
- Notre Dame Cathedral
~ Built between the 12th and 14th centuries.
~ After French Revolution it fell into disrepair.
~ Was fixed up when "Notre Dame de Paris" became famous.
~ Main admission is free.
- Pantheon
~ Celebrates France's greatest thinkers.
~ Many famous people are buried in the crypts (like both Curies).
~ Ages 18 to 25 get in for 4.80 Euros.
- The Latin Quarter
~ Named for it's universities that taught in Latin up until 1798.
~ Has large student population.
~ Recently richer people have been moving here.
- The Arc de Triomphe
~ Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to honor his Grand Armee.
~ Tomb of Unknown Solider has been there since Nov. 11, 1920.
~ Ages 18 to 25 get in for 5.50 Euros.
Photos:
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| Palais de Justice with it's ever so fancy gate. |
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| The Notre Dame Cathedral, complete with Christmas tree. |
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| Pigeons don't give a shit about what, or who they hang out on haha. |
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| Me totally geeking out in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, such an epic church. |
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| My little buddy, Antione the Gull. It was so nice to see something that reminded me of home. |
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| Back/side of Notre Dame Cathedral. It's amazing the detail that went into building this. |
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| Now that's what I call a front door (Notre Dame Cathedral). |
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| Me chilling by the Seine. |
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| A super neat looking bridge next to Notre Dame Cathedral. |
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| Square Rene Viviani... can you believe this used to be someone's front yard?! |
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| My first glimpse of the Pantheon. |
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| My creeper "friend" took this picture of me in front of the Pantheon. Yes, those are Christmas trees! |
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| "Uno, Dos, Tres!" *click* Thank you to the Spanish family who snapped this photo for me! |
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| The Arc de Triomphe... surrounded by the traffic circle of doom. |
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| The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (with eternal flame) is right next to the Arc. |
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| One of the views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. |
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| My favorite view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. |
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| Being silly on top of the Arc de Triomphe. |
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