We started off our first morning by grabbing pastries at a boulangerie around the corner from our Airbnb. Like the restaurant from the previous night, nothing was in english and the lady behind the counter only spoke french. Despite this, we were able to order by pointing and using hand gestures. I don’t know why, but the lady kept speaking to us in french even though we said we only spoke english.
Next we headed over to the Place de la Bastille where the storming of the bastille occurred during the French Revolution. Unfortunately, the prison was torn down during the 18th century and all that remains is a large round about with overpriced restaurants and large column in the center.
One of the things we wanted to do while in Paris was put a “love lock” on one of the bridges. I knew that the Pont des Arts was closed because they were removing the railings. All the locks had added too much weight to the bridge and was jeopardizing its structural integrity. We opted for the Pont de l’Archevêché near the Notre Dame Cathedral.
You could see where they were beginning to put plexiglass to block people from putting more locks on. It was near impossible to find any place to put our hefty lock, but I was able to find a spot near the bottom of the railing. Some people might consider it vandalism, but I think of it more like tradition. Being a graduate of the University of Notre Dame I’m all about tradition. You’re also supposed to throw the keys into the river, but I draw the line at littering. I’m sure our lock will either get cut off or replaced in the near future, but it was still fun.
We continued over to Notre Dame Cathedral and I was completely amazed by its beautiful gothic architecture. I could spend hours walking around the outside looking at the large flying buttresses and gargoyles.
Inside, you get a good view of all the french stained glass and high ceilings. Apparently, at one point in the cathedral’s history they decided to remove all the stained glass for clear glass and painted the walls white. Luckily, there was a huge restoration to bring it back.
After grabbing and expresso at a local student center we walked over to the Luxembourg Gardens. It was fun park where we sat down and relaxed for a while. In the middle there’s a small pond where you could rent miniature sail boats.
Most people go to Paris for the art museums, but that’s not a big interest of ours. Call us uncultured, but we wouldn’t really appreciate it. Not to mention, things like this:
end up looking like this:
Nonetheless, ever since seeing Eurotrip, I’ve always wanted to get a picture in front of the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum. Unfortunately, there was no robot man dance off like in the movie.
Outside the entrance to Louvre Museum
On our way over to the Louvre Museum we decided to stop by the Pont des Artes to see what it looked like before the started removing the railings. Apparently they were removing them that day because the police had blocked off the bridge. There were a bunch of news crews there and funny enough the crew from BFMTV asked if they could interview me. They must have recognized me from my celebrity shoot in Shanghai. I couldn’t deny the people their opportunity to hear from an international star so I agreed to the interview.
Getting interviewed by BFMTV
We continued through Tuileries Garden to the Luxor Obelisk where there was a stand making crepes. We grabbed a Ham/Cheese and Chocolate Banana crêpe. These were the best crêpes I had ever had since they were made fresh right in front of us.
Off in the distance we saw a gold dome and decided to head towards it not knowing what it was. When we got closer we ran into the Museo Armee where you can see the history of the French military. I may not be into art, but I’m definitely into war and military history. Unfortunately, the museums were closed that day, but we could still visit Napoleon’s Tomb.
I was a little confused why his tomb was in Paris since I remembered learning in high school that he died on the island of Saint Helena where he was exiled. Apparently, King Louis-Philippe order troops to retrieve Napoleon’s body and built a tomb in Paris to house his ashes and the remains of people close to him. It’s a pretty impressive tomb for a man that was so small.
Next, we headed to the Eiffel Tower where you’ll find people lounging around on the grassy quad. They had also set up a viewing area for the French Open. Unfortunately, people in France are chain smokers. Everywhere we went we’d see people smoking. As a result, there were tons of cigarette buds all over the quad.
Next we stopped by the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile which sits in the middle of a huge roundabout with 12 street exits. Like most things nowadays you have to pay to go under the arc so we decided to enjoy it from the outside.
One of the great things about staying in an Airbnb is being able to ask your host for recommendations where to eat and how to navigate the city. Without talking to ours we wouldn’t have known how to properly order tap water (Une carafe d’eau) or to look for restaurants with “fait maison” written on the outside. It literally means homemade so you shouldn’t get any frozen premade food. I was reading that the interpretation of this may have changed and some restaurants add a few spices to pre-made food and call it fait maison. Nonetheless, we got some steak and frites nearby at Mon Cafe. Shelley got a bleu cheese burger and it was the best I’d ever tasted. Instead of crumbles it had a large slice that melted into the meat.
At sunset, we headed up to Sacré-Cœur for a view of the city. This was more of a hang out area than a church. You’ll also find people selling beer if you didn’t bring your own.
View from Sacré-Cœur
The next morning, before heading to our train for Amsterdam we stopped by Ladurée. It’s a bakery from the 19th century that is famous for its macaroons. They are bit overpriced but still delicious and worth the stop.
