Ahhhhhhh Pari, the city of lights and monuments and pastries. What an amazing place! So much history and things to see that there just wasn't enough time ... good excuse to go back I guess :-)
it really is the coolest thing to get on a train in one country, fall asleep and wake up in another. Probabaly not such a phenomenal things for those who live on continents but for a Kiwi it was quite awesome. The Eurostar is so convenient and comfortable and far less hassle than getting on a plane, highly recommended.
Staying at a hotel (Ibis) so close to a major train station was extremely handy as we could walk or catch a train everywhere. We started our grand sightseeing trip with a visit to the cathedral Sacre Coeur. Apparently they call it the wedding cathedral as it looks like a wedding cake. It is set on the top of a high hill so the view of Paris is outstanding. There is a lot of lawn around the steps which is great for picnicing and generally hanging out to enjoy the day. It is so high on Montmartre Hill that the top of the basilica is higher than the Eiffel Tower! The inside was so beautiful with all the paintings and candles. As it is a house of prayer it is very quiet and you're not allowed to take photos; my camera however may have accidently gone off a few times, naughty camera! Outside the cathedral we had our first French treat, crepes with nutella and banana. Très Bon!
Next up, the Moulin Rouge. Now that is right In the heart of the red light district so it was an interesting stroll! No holds barred around here, hmm. Anyhow, we finally got to the famous spot. It was much smaller than I expected and right in the middle of other standard buildings but still, it was pretty cool to see it. A little tacky but a must-see. Day one concluded with a picnic in our hotel room consisting of bread, Camembert cheese, coleslaw, hummos and raspberries. Nom nom nom!
Day two and we were off to Notre Dame! Disney flashbacks! I'm running out of superlatives to describes these amazing buildings so I'm just going to go with incredible again. It is quite gothic in its architecture with its spires and gargoyles. It really is huge with a tower-like frontage. There was a long line to get in but it was totally worth the wait. It had the same elcoves as Sacre Coeur, each one dedicated to a different saint that worshippers could light a candle for and pray to. A mass was conducted while we were there which was actually really beautiful. Photos were allowed so I took lots! We came out and walked around the entire building to see all the fantastic architecture. It blows me away to think this artistry was achieved so many years ago when they didn't have half the tools and technology that we do now. I'm totally in awe of this talent!
Lunch time. It's so lovely just wandering the streets in search of a little restaurant to have some food. The back streets are narrow and cobbled and just beautiful. The apartments have these gorgeous shutters and iron balconies that epitomise France. We passed these lovely little stores; the chocolate and pastry ones were, unsurprisingly, my favourite :-) We found a Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed the French version of mezze plates. Yum! Past the flower markets and the prison where Marie Antoinette was kept and on to the recommended gothic chapel, St Chapelle. Wow, wow, wow! Two levels of total beauty. The ground level was stunning with lovely colours and carved columns but upstairs was absolutely breathtaking! 15 stained glass windows like you've never seen before, all depicting stories from the bible. I just didn't know where to look first, there was so much to take in; you could sit there for hours and still not see every detail. The colours from the windows in the light reflected across the room and made beautiful patterns on the floor. Totally loved it. If you to Paris go to this chapel. It's completely worth the €8 to get in.
After wandering to the Pont de Neuf (the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine) and chilling out for a bit in the gardens we went to see Sant Sulpice, a church that features in the Da Vinci Code then through the Jardin du Luxembourg which is an huge park. We watched people playing chess, saw kiddies taking pony rides and walked by a little pond/lake that had small boats racing around in the wind. All quite exquisite really. There were loads of people just relaxing by the water, eating and chatting. So very peaceful. By now we were getting pretty tired but we had to go and see the Pantheon of course. It was shut but we walked around. All these buildings are so dizzyingly massive!
We caught the metro to our stop and took the exit we thought would get us back to our hotel, hmm, maybe not. We somehow ended up on the other side of the station and got quite lost. We had to ask for directions as we really had no idea where we'd ended up. Finally after chatting to a coach driver we headed in the right direction but along the way we passed a homeless community that lived under the bridge. It was kind of like a tent village. Felt quite sad after being around all this incredible opulence just half an hour before. We made it back to our hotel safe and sound making sure we would check which exit to use next time.
What a day! Paris, I love you!
