Falling In Love With Paris - Day 1

Oh, my goodness! Our family just spent the most B-E-A-YOO-tiful weekend in Paris! What an amazing city with so much to do, see, explore, and discover, all while enticing you to sit outside a sweet little cafe, drink coffee, and waste the day away. Adam and I took our family on this trip hoping to 'cross it off our list' -- Paris, that is, meaning 'see it, enjoy it, move on.' However, the more we experienced this dynamic city, the more we knew we couldn't just 'cross it off.' We had a busy weekend and saw so much, yet there's still a whole world of Paris we've yet to discover for ourselves: the catacombs, Place de la Concorde, so many gardens, always the Louvre, the Orsay, and on and on and on! So, with that said, let me tell you a little bit about what we actually did get to see, experience, do, and love!

Our first day I'm going to call 'Day Zero.' This tour was supposed to be a 3-day-2-night tour through the Horizon tour agency. The first 'day' consisted of packing, driving 2 1/2 hours down to Ramstein, shopping the Exchange, and boarding the bus at 5pm. Sure, our tour guide, Gabriella, told us about the French countryside we were driving through, in the dark, for 6 hours, but 'yay' ~sarc~. However, Adam and I remembered one tidbit of information that intrigued us both: France produces 5 times more food than it consumes. You can imagine how much French wine and cheese could be exported out of the country. It made us wonder how much extra food America produces; or, do we have a deficit and rely on imported food? I wonder.... Anyways, we were traveling in the back seat of the bus with two young, busy, tired kids. Not the most joyous ride. The bus arrived at our hotel, the Mercure, around 11 pm. Everyone piled off, most went to their rooms and hit the hay, resting up for the busy day of sightseeing ahead of us the next day.

So, our official Day 1 began. And, I've got to say this: Gabriella was amazing, knowledgeable, organized, and just about the best tour guide we could have asked for. We drove around town in a bus that was fifteen meters long (Huge! Most tour buses are only 12-13 m long.). It was plush and beautiful and deftly handled by our fantastic bus driver. And the other 50+ guests were incredibly punctual, with everyone getting on the bus all at the right time, no waiting around, making our tour so pleasant and packed full of awesomeness!!

We breakfasted at the hotel and loaded up on the bus at 8:30am, ready to see our first site: The Notre Dame in Paris. ~swoon~ I'll let the pictures speak for themselves =) (Please note: Many of my 'facts' come from what I remember Gabriella telling us, and from the book Adam and I packed around with us: "Rick Steves' Paris 2011." Also, if you want to see a picture better, Right Click on it and 'View Image.' In the next window, you can hold down CTRL while pushing "+" to enlarge the image.)

Notre Dame

We drove toward the Notre Dame from the rear, first seeing its flying buttresses in the back, though my pictures through the bus window weren't very good. However, getting off the bus, we walked toward it, approaching it from the side. The front towers are imposing, the rose window is beautiful, and the buttresses are just plain cool. I especially like the green statues cascading down the roof just over the rose window.

 

The Left Portal "Portal of Mary" - Exit

The Central Portal - Christ sits on the Throne of Judgment. Angels and cheating demons 'weigh' the souls. Those on the left (Jesus' right) are going to heaven. Those on the left are chained, on their way to Hell. (Steves)

The Right Portal "Portal of St. Anne" - Entrance

The central Rosette window, in the middle of the building's facade, acting as a halo surrounding Mary, Our Mother,   Notre Dame, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated

 

In the courtyard is a statue of Charlamagne, "Charles the Great" (742-814), whose reign marked the birth of modern France. He briefly united Europe and was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800, but after his death, the kingdom was divided into what would become modern France and Germany. (Steves)

Looking away from Notre Dame

The 28 Kings of Judah. During the French Revolution, these heads were cut off, mistaken for the hated French Kings. The citizens stormed the church (the symbol of oppressive Catholic hierarchy), yelled "Off with their heads!" and left a row of 'St. Denises' to be repaired decades later. A schoolteacher living nearby collected the heads and buried them in his yard 'for safekeeping' until they were accidentally unearthed in 1977. They are now on display in the Cluny Museum nearby.

Central door, with the Judgment above

Rachael hanging out outside the Cathedral

A crucifix inside

These are the unconventional 'glass' confessionals. Could you imagine confessing your sins in a glass room?

Pictures do not do justice to the humbling heights of these arches.

Nor, do pictures do justice to the impeccable beauty of the stained glass windows.

The beautiful blue and purple rose-shaped window

Shhhh! Mass was being said while we were there.

The 17th-century Pieta, flanked by two kneeling kings: not-so-famous Louis XIII and his son Louis XIV (1638-1715, also known as the Sun King, who ruled gloriously and flamboyantly from Versailles)

My apologies for the poor pictures. The lighting was very bad, but I thought this mini-replica of the Cathedral was neat and worth sharing.

This diorama shows what it was like building the Cathedral.

 

I just thought this was so pretty.

This is 'The Crown of Light' or the 'Great Chandelier' that used to hang at the transept crossing.

This is Point Zero - the point from which all distance in Paris are measured. It was also the center of Paris 2300 years ago, when the Parisii tribe fished where the east-west river crossed the north-south road. (Steves)

I made this image in Photoshop from a compilation of about 10 smaller images. It still doesn't do the building justice.

Adam and the kids walking along the Seine toward the back of the Cathedral.

Beautiful doors and portal along the street-side of the Cathedral.

 Back to the front of the Cathedral again, I took a few close-ups of more intriguing aspects of the facade.

This is in the Portal of Mary. The 3rd of these statues is St. Denis. He is holding his head in his arms. The story goes that  Denis, then bishop of Paris, was beheaded by the Romans as a warning to those forsaking Roman gods. With the help of two angels, he just picked up his head and walked off to his own burial place, thus defying the Romans and convincing the Parisians. Catholicism gained ground, and soon a church replaced the pagan temple. (Steves)

These are the Twelve Apostles, each with their identifying item (think Peter and the 'keys'). This is in the central portal below the Last Judgment.

Walking back to the bus, we crossed the bridge one more time, and took this picture. And, I snapped a photo of some cute chairs outside a little cafe.

Back on the bus, Adam and I took some  pictures of each other =) I wish I could remember the names of the places of the other photos we took!!

We got out for about 10 minutes at the Hotel de Les Invalides. Napoleon is entombed here. We also bought a 4-inch Eiffel Tower from the guys running around with rings of these, big, little, and small, and scarves as well to sell. If you want a little Eiffel Tower or a scarf, buy from these guys. Way cheaper than in the gift shops!

The Flame marks the entrance to the tunnel in which Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed died. We later went through this tunnel in the opposite direction they were traveling. So sad.

  
Arc de Triomphe

Our next stop was the Arc de Triomphe. Napoleon had the magnificent Arc de Triomphe commissioned to commemorate his victory at the battle of Austerlitz. The carvings include Napoleon and Lady Liberty. (Steves) Beneath it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There used to be a huge statue on top of it that we saw pictures of in the tunnel beneath the street, but for some reason it was taken off. Too bad we don't know more French!!

A quick note on this 'roundabout': Twelve streets enter this roundabout. It's roughly four lanes wide, yet there are no markings. Drivers zip through, in and out so fast, like a completely chaotic rat race. Our bus driver took us all the way around, a full 360, on the inside 'lane.' Adam and I still don't know how we a) got outside onto a street, and b) how he did it so quickly. Yikes!!!

Beautiful roses sculpted underneath the arch.

The Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. "Ici repose un soldat Francais mort pour la patrie." "Here lies a French soldier who died for his country."

These two got such a kick out of running over the grates. Notre Dame, Les Invalides, and the bus ride apparently weren't very exciting for them, but they sure had fun and burned off some energy below the Arc de Triomphe.

Lunch at the Opera

We were dropped off in front of the Opera for an hour for lunch. The Opera Garnier, or Academie Nationale de Musique, was built for Napoleon III (see all the N's on the top?) and finished in 1875. The facades suggests "all the power to the wealthy" and images of famous composers and playwrights can be found adorning the front. We did not go in, but I wish we had! However, we were all hungry, so we went and found a cute little cafe to eat at =) The paninis were hot and delicious, the croissant perfectly buttery and flaky, and the pain a delicious blend of pastry and chocolate.

There were a few homeless persons 'laying' around. Seriously, just laying in the street. Many of them had Cats on a Leash! I thought they were so funny. This man let us take a picture and pet his animals after giving him some money.

I loved these light-posts with the ships on them!

Golden Angel statue on top of the Opera.

Mozart

Beethoven is on the right.

Haydn

Bach

After lunch, a potty break, and some exploring, we boarded the bus again. This time, we drove by this Pantheon-like building. Again, I wish I cold remember what it was called!!

 

This is Place de la Concorde. The images were bad because they were taken through the bus window. Oh, I wish we could have stopped. There is a large Egyptian "Obelisk of Luxor" -- 3300 years old, 72 feet tall, 220 ton, red granite -- marking the spot where during the revolution (during which this was the Place de la Revolution) a guillotine once stood, taking as many as 2780 heads, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This Ferris Wheel can been seen from the Arc de Triomphe looking down Champs Elysees.

The Eiffel Tower

Our next stop after lunch and before an afternoon rest and refreshening at the hotel was the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it was as amazing as we could have ever dreamed it to be. The very top floor was closed (darn!), but we did have tickets up to the second level. It was a little windy, a little cold, but every bit worth it for the views and the experience. Zachary won't remember any of this, but Rachael sure does. Any time she sees an image of the Eiffel Tower now, she points it out with such excitement! In a Christmas gift exchange, Rachael received a Madeline doll and the Madeline book from Caty, my Uncle Rob and Aunt Jill's daughter. We've been reading this book a lot lately (Rachael especially likes finding the scar on the doll at that part in the book, and then looking at her own scar and mine, too =). However, when we came home and read the book again, she just lit up, pointing at the pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Adam and I recognize now many of the places so beautifully portrayed in the book: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde. What a fantastic way to bring a book to life!

I love that the elevator goes up the legs diagonally!!!

Very packed elevator car

Oh, it was funny! Up until this point, Gabriella had been very good about telling us when to get back on the bus. However, due to some late sign-ups, she was having trouble getting tickets for everyone to go up to the second floor. She was definitely flustered about this and totally forgot to tell us when to get back on the bus. We all realized this after debarking. We recognized some people from our group and asked them if they knew - "No, do you?" - and it went on like this for a while. Anyways, because we booked early and because we were part of a large group, we were able to speed our way to the front of the line (the only way to see the Eiffel Tower -- those poor blokes waiting for tickets!). Most of our group was standing in line waiting to get on the elevator. Someone yelled out over the crowd, "Be on the bus at 3!" Oh, what a relief! We all knew when we were expected back. About 5 minutes later, someone else yells out "Be on the bus at 3!" A teenager from our group yelled back, "We already knew that!" Everyone got a kick out of that and started laughing... funny little story =) Aaaanyways....

One view from the second floor

Les Invalides near the center with is beautiful golden dome

Notre Dame

Huge gears moving very silently, working to lift and drop the elevator

Arc de Triomphe

THE Eiffel Tower

Looking away from the Eiffel Tower

French Dinner

We loved seeing the Eiffel Tower, but wow. Were we tired! We had just had a full day of sightseeing, so we loaded up again and headed back to the hotel. Everyone got some rest, freshened up a bit, and dressed up to head back out for a night on the town. I should just shoot myself in the foot for not remembering the name of the place where we ate, but it was wonderful! The service was a bit slow (even for Europe), but we were a large group, so it was understandable. Thankfully, a kind family allowed us to take their booth table. This was the best thing we could do for a very boisterous 2-year-old boy. He kept crawling all over the seat, looking in the mirror, playing with coins, but was otherwise decent (Thank you, Zach!). Rachael was tired and mostly just snuggled up with me. Adam and I shared a bottle of delicious wine and savored the fantastic foods we were served. What an absolutely splendid meal!

Apparently, most Parisians do not like French Onion Soup. Weirdos! This was Adam's, and it was absolutely, incredibly, deliciously, savorously mouth-watering!

I always told myself that if I ever had the chance to try escargot, I would. And, I did! It was Delicious! You can't go wrong with butter, herbs, and garlic, and I enjoyed the chewy texture of the snails. I would definitely order this again!

Too funny!! Rachael was given fries and a hamburger patty to eat. Of course, she dipped her fries in the ketchup. Zach saw her do this and tried to imitate her, but he did it wrong. Instead of dipping his fry in the ketchup, he actually 'dipped' it on the hamburger patty! Silly boy! At least it was less messy this way!

 

Adam and I both ordered the duck dish. We later learned this is called Confit du Cunard with Pommes de Terre à la Sarladaise. And it's tantalizing. To learn more about this exquisite meal, click here. Basically, the duck is leg is cured with salt, garlic, and herbs, and left to sit for 36 hours. It is poached at low heat in an oven for hours and hours, rendering the fat, making it so tender (similar to a well-roasted cut of beef). Then, it is fried in its own fat, with the skin on. Potato chips can be fried in this fat, too (ok!). And, it's all served with the most delicious cream sauce! The resulting dish is a piece of meat that dances on your tongue, melts in your mouth, and goes down so easy you don't hardly have to chew it! The fried potatoes are out of this world. All in all, it wreaks havoc in a girl with digestive issues, but it is so very worth it! If you ever get the chance, you should definitely try this meal!

This was Adam's French chocolate cake. I liked it. He said he would have rather had my Creme Brulee (after tasting it, of course), but that he didn't order it because he's not a huge fan of custards and eggy dishes.

This was my Creme Brulee. I've had this before on a cruise, and loved it then. It was so good this time, too. Who doesn't love Creme Brulee?!

Boat Ride At Night on the Seine

This excursion would have been so wonderful with different circumstances. The kids were beat, the weather finally moved in, and we were sitting right in front of an Army guy telling an older couple just how great he is at his job, how no other branch of the service would take him except the Army (like that's a good thing), and pretty much just how awesome he is (which, from the way it sounded, he was not). Most of my pictures were very poor through the glass windows with the rain on it. But, I did head outside and get a few decent shots. The coolest thing we saw, though, was the Eiffel Tower twinkling! On the hour, it does this fantastic little show where it literally twinkles. Neat! Who knew?!

The twinkling Eiffel Tower at night

Love this picture

So, with full bellies and a full day of sightseeing under our belts, we boarded the bus one more time to head back to the hotel. Some in our group were dropped off at the Lido on Champs Elyssees for a show (though many wanted to see Moulin Rouge, which for some reason they couldn't). I don't think Adam and I could have stayed up and watched the show even if we didn't have the kids with us. We were beat! Besides, we still had so much more to see the next day. Versailles and the Louvre were going to be huge walking days. Sleep was necessary! With that said, this post is over. Day 2 coming up! Ta ta!