When we arrived in Paris I had my map out and ready to find our hotel. Since I am the type to plan ahead and sometimes over plan I already had the exact location marked on my 3 ft X5 ft. map of Paris. I was surprised I was able to get my barrings so quickly and find the hotel with very few problems of confusions. When the hotel staff told us our room number and showed us the elevator and informed us that the elevator stops on half floors look on my mother's face was priceless ("Where the hell did you bring me?!). In all seriousness the elevator was just big enough for two people and a suitcase each and it honestly stopped in between floors and dumped us out on the a stair well we had to walk up (lugging out suitcases) to get to our room. The room was typical for a European hotel, but not what my mother expected (I don't think). There was a small closet in the corner and a queen bed (i think or maybe it was a double) a small desk with a chair a TV (that was a surprise to me) and a balcony. The bathroom was very European with as few amenities as possible and what they did give you, they were in small proportions. We unpacked our suitcases and started off to explore the capitol of the world (some might say).
We figured we'd need to use the metro for the majority of our transportation to and from the famous attractions in Paris so we bought a 2 day unlimited pass that would allow us to travel anywhere within the inner Paris limits. At first we weren't sure if it was worth the money, but by the end of the trip in Paris we realized how much money we had saved by getting this pass. Since I had visited Paris before I had a slight memory of how the use the metro system, which is actually the same metro system used in DC, so it wasn't hard to figure out after a trip or two. We started off on the left bank of Paris (the northern side) and saw the Seine River and walked across the bridge that connects the left bank with a small island in the Seine. We also saw the Concierge (where Marie Antoinette was housed with her children while the impending trials where going on to decide her fate, not to spill the ending but she dies). We could have taken a tour of the inside, but decided we didn't need to see the torture chambers where these people spent the last moments of their life, a little depressing. We then moved on to the Notre Dame (The story by Victor Hugo called the Hunch Back of Notre Dame, it was made into a Disney Classic, is based off this church). It is one think to see this cathedral on a post card or in a movie, but to be there in person it is previous impressive to see the size and detail of this church. We took many photos from the outside and viewed it from the back, where few tourists know to go. We went inside the church and found the most amazing stain glass window. Luckily we could take pictures (without flash) so I will share these photos with all of you! After the Notre Dame we went to a small cafe and ordered a croque monsieur and a quiche lorraine. Our waiter was very nice and spoke English. After lunch we did a little souvenir shopping in this quarter.
After visiting the Notre Dame we took the metro to the Louvre Museum. If you have read the book Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown you might have heard of this famous museum in Paris. It is also where the Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo are housed among other famous works of art. Ate this point in the day the coffee hit us and we needed a bathroom. In Paris there are public restrooms but more often than not you have to pay to use them. We found a pay restroom in the gallery of the Louvre Museum. I believe it was a euro to use the restroom, but it was decorated pretty neat and was very clean so not bad. When we were at the Louvre museum observing the large glass pyramid from ground level we were surrounded by a giant palace where many emperors and kings held court and government meetings. We decided to take the metro (once again) to the Place de la Concord.
The Place de la Concord is a giant rotond or round about with an obelisk in the middle, which was a gift from the Egyptians and some fountains. The Place de la Concord is also at the start of the Champs Elysees. The Place de la Concord is also where Marie Antoinette was beheaded and just before Princess Diana was killed in the car accident in Paris the chauffeur drove around the Place de la Concord rotond or round about. From there we walked about half way down the Champs Elysees, the famous tree lined avenue in the heart of Paris. The Champs Elysees is actually longer then you might think so we took the metro to the other end to visit the Arc de Triumphe, a monument in honor of Napoleon Boneparte designed and constructed by him (imagine that, a French man with a big ego). We opted out of climbing the 500 or set steps to the top. From the Arc de Triumph we visited the Trocadero that has a viewing deck of the Eiffel Tower without an obstructions and a perfect place to take pictures. Also a great place to be swarmed by souvenir peddlers selling key chains and cheap statues of the Eiffel Tower. They would harass and chase after you one after another to buy a key chain or flag or necklace or whatever they were selling. You would think that if they say you saw no to one man you'd think the next vendor would get the same exact response right? That didn't stop them. We then visited the Pont de l'Alma tunnel where there is a flame as a replica of the one the Statue of Liberty holds, obviously not sized to scale, but a smaller version. (I am including a picture of the entrance to the tunnel, the chauffeured car actually entered the tunnel from the other end, but you get the idea.) I read on wikipedia that Paris is using this flame statue as a monument to Princess Di, and there were flowers and I believe a hand written note at the base of the monument. The sun was beginning to set at this point and we couldn't find a cafe that was selling inexpensive hot chocolate to sit and rest so we decided to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower and ride up to the top.
I have already been up the Eiffel Tower once before, but not with my mama. So of course we bought the elevator tickets that take us to the very top. The nice thing about visiting Paris in the office season of winter is there are no lines to wait in, granted it is bitterly cold, no long lines to wait in while you sweat in the summer heat. We rode the tower elevator up one leg of the tower to the second deck, where we could see a 360 degree view of Paris. There is also a heated souvenir shop on this level so we holed up in there while we waited for the next elevator to take us to the top level or the summit as it was labeled on the signs in French. I don't know why I found this funny. There was a sign in the elevator that warned the tourists to look out for pick pockets so I took a picture, of course. By the time we got to the top of the Eiffel Tower it was completely dark out so all of Paris was light up in yellow and neon colored lights. We could see boats going up and down the Seine and we could see other major monuments from this height like the Trocadero and the Arc de Triumph, where we had stood hours before. There is a bathroom and a bar on this level. We took use of the bathrooms, but not the bar. While we were on this level the Eiffel Tower light up with twinkling lights, which happens every night at 7pm and continues every hour on the hour for 5 minutes straight. We couldn't get the full perspective of the tower lit up and twinkling. I think it's an unwritten tradition to kiss someone on top of the Eiffel Tower so of course I had to give my mama a peck on the cheek. We took many pictures and after a short while decided it was much too cold and window and wanted to go find a restaurant for dinner.
We took the metro back to the area of our hotel and found an Italian restaurant called La Dolce Vita (after the movie). I order a pizza with salami and my mom ordered risotto and we shared a small carafe of rose wine. Our waiter was born and raised in Italy and had lived in the south of the US for a couple years, specifically Palm Beach, but told us he had moved back to France to marry a girl and they have a young girl together and live happily in Paris. We spoke English fluently, which was nice for my mom to be able to make small talk with a Parisian rather than me talking to everyone and translating for her. I taught my mom a few words and phrases in French and was very impressed that she was not afraid to use them and ran with the best of the authentic Parisians while in Paris. I taught her merci- thank you, bonjour- hello, pardon- excuse. We never got to Au revoir- good bye, too many weird r's and vowels. The Parisians are always set on one path and can be very self centered in this way, well this goes for all of the French. It is upon you to move out of their way otherwise they will plow you over, they have the right to get on a metro or train before you have had the chance to get off to give them space in the car, and you better not hold the door for a French person because that will mean you holier than thou and you are thus on a pedestal above them looking down on them. I'm still not used to the French mentality in many respects... Never the less I was very proud of my mother for using even simple phrases and pushing her way through crowds and metros like she was a true French woman.
After dinner we tried to navigate our way back to the hotel. Keep in mind at this point my mother has a giant blister in the soul of her foot and we had been up walking for about 10 hours solid, it was a long day and we just wanted to get to the hotel room. Apparently we took a metro stop that on the map appeared to be in front of our hotel, but in reality was a 20 minute walk from our hotel. I then transformed into a typical tourist and pulled out my 3ft X 5ft map of Paris and tried to figure out how to get back in the dim lamp light on the street corner. This obviously flagged down a local to offer directions or help. At first I wasn't too sure. It was about 11pm, he was a middle aged to older man just strolling the streets of Paris eating a baguette offering me help. I explained to him (in French) where our hotel was located and that we were a bit lost and if he could point in the right direction I would be very appreciative. He proceeded to tell me that he would be happy to walk us to our hotel. Ha no thanks sir. So he walked us a couple blocks, we chatted in French, and I tried to translate most of it for my mom. We got to another metro stop and I asked him is we could just take a metro to get close to the hotel, so he gave us directions and we parted ways. Thank god, because even thought he was probably completely harmless and just wanted to help some tourists I didn't want this man to know where we were staying while in Paris. We finally found the hotel and went straight to sleep.
Day 2
Haha ya that was just one day. Day two we started off taking the metro to the northern quarter of Paris to see the Sacre Coeur. A giant white cathedral at the top of Montmartre. I had packed breakfast foods and snacks for the week so we didn't have to waste time in pastry shops, don't get me wrong we still bought our fair share of desserts and pastries just not for breakfast. Well actually this morning we ate left over pastries we had bought the night before. We did some souvenir shopping along the way up the hill to the Sacre Coeurr, and found a trashy thrift store with clothing piled in baskets and on tables and all kinds of people just rummaging through it. You won't see that every day. O wait, garage sales in America... hm. When we got to the bass of the church there were more vendors and peddlers selling cheaply made souvenirs and my favorite were the men "making bracelets". They'd chase crowds of tourists and haggle everyone for a bracelet that probably cost 3 euro (so almost $5), but I'm just guessing on the price. I opted out of the fancy string bracelet I used to make a summer camp. My mother and I were amazed at the audacity of some people. It was close to lunch time at this point so we bought a hot dog on a baguette covered in melted cheese which was actually pretty good. We took many many photos of the view of the Parisian rooftops. We unfortunately couldn't take photos inside the cathedral. There were street performers doing tricks on the steps leading up to the church so we stopped for a while to watch their tricks. My favorite was a many dangling from a lamp post while juggling a soccer ball with his feet keeping the ball suspended in the air just by kicking it higher and higher. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of him in action.
After the Sacre Coeur we stopped by the Moulin Rouge to see it during the day. We found a public restroom in the streets that was free so of course we took advantage of this. I was clueless as to how these toilets work so a kind homeless woman showed me the ropes and an old man. Let's just say it was kind of awkward, but goal was accomplished. So after one person is finished using the facilities the bathroom self cleans itself. I didn't know this and just walked in after the man was done. Realized there was still waste in the toilet and tried to flush it down. This is when the homeless comes into play and tries to show me that I need to stand outside of the facility while it cleans the interior. I couldn't understand her French so the old man gets involved and finally I pick up on the process. When I was finished with my turn I knelt down on the side walk to find hand sanitizer because I didn't trust the watered down "soap" in the bathroom. The side walk in the location was wide enough for at least 5 people to walk shoulder to should across, but of course the French are self centered and an older women carrying a box let me know that I was in her way because she was walking on this sidewalk. So I gave her a piece of my mind using a few choice words and felt only a little better. This is instance one of why I hate the women in France. Just wait for the other instances, it gets better. After our potty break we took off to the this square in the Montmartre hill that has artists sitting outside with their easels painting portraits and all kinds of restaurants and souvenirs shops and musicians playing in the square. Sounds lovely right? We couldn't find it. I asked two ladies in a clothing shop for directions and they seemed to know what I was talking about, but with no avail we still couldn't find it. I think during our trek up and down the steep hills in this part of Paris is where I hurt my foot. Now my mother and I are both hobbling around.
After one heck of a day figuring out the public bathroom system, getting terse with a snotty French woman, and trekking up and down the Montmartre without finding the artists square my mother and I decided we need some McDonald's french fries and a coke. Not that we are McDonald's fans, but we needed a little pick me up. So the ordering system in McDonald's is even different than in the US. We tried using this touch screen ordering system, but when it came time to pay the machine wouldn't take our American credit card. The computer screen went blank, then popped up the blue screen of death, and then began running through random codes of errors and problems. Great we broke the machine at McDonald's. I went up to the counter to collect our food and make sure we were charged for it by the machine. Let's just say customer service does not exist in France. The less than happy worker was not pleased to hear we messed up the machine and when she told me I still had to pay for my over priced fries and drinks I politely asked her to double check that I haven't already been charged. Should have known I was wrong and boy did she let me know it. I proceeded to pay in cash and took my food and found a booth. Yet again evidence of how rude the French can be, and to a paying customer. This would not fly in the US. Luckily I had packed a flask of whiskey in my purse so my mother and I added a full serving to each of our cokes to help cope with the locals. By the time we left McDonald's it was getting dark and the Moulin Rouge was all light up and ready for a nightly performance.
At the end of the night we decided to make one last trek to the Eiffel Tower (by metro of course) to see it all lit up and twinkling. She was magnificent. Pictures do not do it justice but they are all I have to share with you. It was so cold I bought us a cup of hot chocolate. A 4 euro cup of hot chocolate. That's somewhere between $5-6 and came in a medicine cup. At this point we were very cold and very hungry so we found a Chinese restaurant and tried out the French version of sweet and sour chicken (which is not fried) and beef with broccoli. This time we took the correct metro home and were so happy to see that little bitty hard hotel bed.
Day 3: Versailles Palace and Gardens
We got up pretty early today to walk to another train station other than the one we arrived in France. We took a small commuter train out to a district outside of the Parisian loop to the Chateau Versailles, or Versailles Palace where many kings and queens and the royalty of France has lived for centuries. The most famous king to live in Versailles is King Louis XVI and his young Austrian wife Marie Antoinette. Upon arrival in the train station we had no clue which way to head to find the giant palace. Sounds kind of funny right? So we just followed the crowd through the streets and finally found it rising up in the distance. Our feet were throbbing at this point and I just knew this was going to be a very long day. We had already purchased our tickets online and had a printed paper showing proof of purchase, but I wanted to double check that we didn't need any other type of ticket for entry. I navigated and shoved my way through the welcome and ticketing building and talked to a very polite French-Asian lady that told me the papers we had printed were suffice. Thank god because the line to buy tickets was wrapped around the building. We found the main entrance and passed through the medal detectors with no problem. Collected our maps and hand held audio guides. I asked my mom if she wanted her audio guide (a small hand held device almost like a cell phone that you punch a code in for each room of the palace and small history and explanation is recapped for you from a recording) in Russian or German. I got the mom looked and new I better ask for an English version. I opted for the French version and could understand the recordings that were done by the male voice, but had a hard time understanding the muffled recordings of the female voice, and eventually gave us. I'd already taken this tour so it wasn't a big deal. We saw everything from thrones and tapestries and murals and fine dining china and bedrooms and busts of the royal families and so on and so on. So much decadence and to splendor. To me it was a bit gaudy but at that time I sure it was haute couture and all the rage in France. There is a hallway in the palace that is covered in mirrors and chandeliers. This is because King Louis XVI was known as the sun god and we liked to present himself to his court at sunrise when the sun would reflect off the mirrors and shine in the chandeliers and everything would glow around him. French men and their egos yet again. After touring the interior of the palace we went out to the gardens and sat on some steps to eat a little bit of lunch. We had packed some snacks and fruit knowing that the concessions stands would inevitably be over priced. Unfortunately we came during winter so none of the flowers were in bloom and the trees didn't have a lot of leaves and the fountains were drained and turned off so we didn't get the full effect. The size alone though was enough to impress anyone during any season. We walked the grounds of the gardens for a little while and decided our feet were hurting pretty bad and we should head over to the playgrounds of Marie Antoinette. Like I said Maria Antoinette was the young Austrian wife of King Louis XVI and on the grounds of Versailles he had given her her own domain of small cottages and a farm to escape the politics of the court. The amount of wealth they had at this time in history just amazed me, and now wonder the people of France/Paris rebelled against them. We contemplated renting a golf cart to drive out to the domain of Marie Antoinette, but decided it was rather expensive and we'd just walk slowly. Luckily on the way back to the palace we could take a small tram for a small price. We met a mother and daughter from Utah and Washington D.C. They were giving us recommendations on what to do and see in Paris, but we were leaving early the next morning and weren't able to see any of them. As soon as we got back to the entrance of the palace we decided we'd seen enough and pretty much all there is to see and were very tired so we got back on the commuter train and headed back into Paris for dinner and some last minute souvenir shopping.
Once we got back into Paris we found a nice cafe called Le Depart, which is French is the departure, so it was rather fitting for our last meal in France. I had pasta carbonara, which apparently is served with two raw eggs cracked on top. My mother had salmon with boiled potatoes and fresh green beans. With every meal the French eat a full serving of bread, which was something that kind of threw my mother off because they don't give you butter or olive oil dipping sauce like in the US. Just a cultural difference I guess. After dinner we returned to our hotel room pretty early to pack up and leave the next morning.
Well I hope you all enjoyed reading about adventures in Paris as much as I enjoyed being there and taking photos and creating stories to share with all of you. Stay tuned for my third installment of my adventures in France with my mom.
