City of Lights

We went to Paris on the high speed train from Munich, yeah thats right, the train was up to 320 km/hour. That´s 198.8 mph for all of you who don´t want to google it. It was pitch black out, so we couldn´t see much, but we could tell that we were going really fast. I think we entered Paris with a little trepidation based purely on rumors of the country (and the people). But by the time we´d left, we´d been treated pretty well. We found the hostel, which has been one of the more "interesting" ones thus far. It was located in a neighborhood that would make our dads cringe and our moms cry. The room was small, with barely enough room to turn around, the hostel was dirty, and I feared for our lives if there were to be a fire. And we had 5 nights booked in this lovely place! However, we decided to grin and bear it. We spent little time there because there was so much to see and do in Paris! It was also much sunnier and warmer than Germany, which was one of my favorite parts.

Our first day in Paris we wandered our way to Notre Dame and found Paris´ oldest bridge, The Pont Neuf, both of which are located in the oldest part of the city, an island in the middle of the Seine River. While we were touring through Notre Dame, we heard our names and realised that our dorm-mates from Munich were now in Paris. Definitly a surprise to get recognised in Paris. We then attemted to check out the catacombs and found them closed for renovations! We did check out the Latin quarter and the Pantheon and then took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The tower was huge and not exactly beautiful up close. But we walked to the second platform (they make you pay another 11 euro to actually go to the top) and the view was pretty amazing, especially as the sun was setting over Paris. We walked through the adjacent gardens and took some lovely photos of the tower all it up at night.

The next day we checked out a free walking tour that our Munich friends had mentioned. Upon leaving the hostel that morning, the hostel workers asked us if we wanted to do a free walking tour and we decided, nah, we´ll go on this other one that was recommended to us. Ironically enough, a few minutes after we arrived at the tour meeting place, the guy from the hostel shows up and it turns out that he is the tour guide! It was a really good tour of Paris and we learned a lot of the city´s history. We saw the palace that now houses The Louvre with it´s glass pyramid, the Tuileries (the former palace gardens), the obelisk which is located where the guillotine used to stand, and the Arc de Triomphe where the body of the unknown soldier lies. This is also the location of the world´s biggest roundabout with 12 streets leading off of it. After the tour, we grabbed some crepes for dinner. Mine filled with nutella and bananas and Mike´s with ham and cheese. We then headed to the Louvre because under 26´s get in free on Friday nights. I was too old, poor me, it stinks being a cradle robber. And I do feel discriminated against because Europe hates people 26 and over, stupid age limits! But we did get to see the Mona Lisa! And, it was really small and she does make you wonder what is on her mind? The tourists were thick like mosquitoes, so after pondering for just a moment, we moved on. We also saw the Venus de Milo and the lavishly furnished apartments of Napoleon III. The museum is overwhelmingly huge and we finally gave up in defeat and headed back to the hostel.

The next morning, we went to check out the grave of Jim Morrison in the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, which has over 800,00 people buried in it. It was a small, simple grave that had been turned into some sort of shrine and now has gates all the way round, two gaurds, and flowers overwhelming it. People can be creepy. We tried to go back to Notre Dame to see the piece of the cross and the crown of thorns that the tour guide told us about but they are only on display on the first friday of the month from 1-4. Another Paris opportunity missed. But we did find another used book store with English titles, which is always fun. We also tried to unsuccessfully to see the original Moulin Rouge, but two of our room mates went to the show and had a good time; they also paid 89 Euro apiece to go the 11:00 pm show. Ouch.

The next morning, we found a parade of people playing Christmas music on horns and marching down the street in Santa hats. This inspired us to buy our Christmas dinner in the little wine, cheese, and fruit shops lining the streets. That afternoon we went to Musee D´Orsay, which is in a former train station. We both enjoyed many of Monet and Pissaro´s works, as well as many others. After the museum, we enjoyed some fondue. We dipped meats, potatoes, and bread into beer cheese and it was delightful. Next morning, we said Au revoir to Paris and made our way to Bayonne for Christmas.

Photos HERE.