We got into Paris on a Monday afternoon. After settling into our Airbnb, we grabbed some dumplings from around the corner (super delicious Ravioli Chinois Nord Est) and passed out in our new Parisian loft.
Walk Along the Seine
I woke up at 4 am, fully rested and ready to go. Jet lagged, obviously, and although I tried to be as quiet as I can, Keith woke up soon after as well. We both tried to go back to sleep, but hunger kept us up. We spent the early morning at our home planning the days, then went for a walk around our neighborhood, grabbed a chocolat pistashe from Du Pain et des Idees, and some groceries for the next few days. With full intentions to stay awake, we fell asleep again after we got home, until 4 in the afternoon.
Although a good portion of the day had passed, we felt super refreshed and decided to take a spontaneous trip down to the river. We walked around Cathedral Notre Dame, and also checked out Shakespeare & Company. Then when the sun started to go down, we made our way to the Louvre.
The air was brisk, and the roads were quiet. The cobble stones weren't even, but I couldn't stop gazing at the beautifully lit palace. I had never seen anything like this before. As we walked through the Louvre Palace, we could hear someone playing the cello in the corridors. The sound traveled all around as couples stood listening and the Institut de France quietly sitting in the background.
I didn't want to breathe, afraid that this moment would vanish as soon as I did. I didn't want to move, and tried, with max brain power, to remember every detail of this night. I hadn't felt this kind of "wonder" since I was 15. I hadn't even noticed that I had lost my sense of wonder until that night, when I felt it again.
We eventually made our way around the corner, and stepped into the Place de Carrousel following a jogger. Even the walls and gates brought me to a different time. Everything was brand new to me, and despite seeing the Louvre on TV a thousand times, it is simply nothing like the real thing.
The Pyramide stood in front of us, bright. There was a couple taking wedding photos around and some guy trying to sell us Eiffel tower key chains. But other than that, it was fairly quiet. We saw some tour buses that stopped briefly in front of the pyramid, only for a few minutes, and felt grateful that we get to spend as long as we wanted there.
It was true, I thought, Paris is super romantic. This whole night has been nothing but fairy tale scenes, and just as I thought things couldn't get any better, the Eiffel tower in the distance started to sparkle. Time slowed down for me at that moment. I didn't even need to try to remember the details anymore, as I knew I was never going to forget this night.
My recommendation:
Definitely check out the Louvre at night. Go around the Seine on foot. Give yourself ample time to wander around the river, discover amazing architecture, delicious foods, and charming stores.
Musee du Louvre
We went to the Louvre (officially, with tickets) the next day. Not knowing much about art, I had done a little bit of research before hand to identify some of the pieces I was interested in and to make sure we had enough time to see them. But when it came time, we were still super lost.
We entered the main lobby through the carousel metro entrance, which was a tip I read on the internet, to avoid long lines at the pyramid entrance. And although it paid off and we we got in fairly quickly, I couldn't quite figure out which side of the Louvre we needed to start with, and the overwhelming quantity of people were still impossible to navigate around.
In the end, we stayed at the Louvre for about 5 hours, and we went in approximately this order:
- Medieval Louvre
- Statue of Hercules
- Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
- Rebellious Slave
- Napoleon III Apartments
- Winged Victory of Samothrace
- Mona Lisa
The crowd at the Mona Lisa was stupid crazy, and overflowed to the rooms adjacent to it. I couldn't really understand what the fuss was about, and enjoyed the sculptures a lot more. But we did discover a painting that we did like (Scene du Deluge by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson), and made up a story of what it was about while waiting to get closer to the Mona Lisa.
My recommendation:
Pick a less busy day and pre-purchase your tickets. Identify the artwork you want to see and plan out a route. Be patient, it will most likely still be more crowded than you imagine.
Palais de Versailles
It was a colder day, the day we went to Versailles. I've always thought it was far away, but it was actually only 30 minutes outside the city. The RER double-decker trains were much bigger and comfortable than the metro, and it was nice seeing some nature as we headed out of the city.
The entrance of the palace was a 10 minute walk from the train station. As we made our way to the gates, I noticed that I could hear my footsteps for the first time since we got to Paris. I breathed in some fresh air, and suddenly noticed how I had forgotten how it felt like to have so much space to myself. I didn't even realize I was stressed until the calmness of the country-side soothed my spirit.
We went first thing in the morning, again as per the internet's recommendation, made it past the security check point in front of the gates, and were in line behind about 50 people by the time 9 o'clock rolled around. And it was worth it, because soon after we arrived, the line grew passed the security gates and I estimated what looked like 300 people waiting behind us.
The tour followed a path that went around the rooms in the palace. Guided tour headsets were free and made the tour a lot more meaningful. The predetermined path made it easy to see everything, and there were also no time limits so everyone is free to follow along at their own pace.
After finishing the palace, we went into the enormous garden and had our lunch among the statues. It provided us some long sought after peace and quiet, and was just a superb day all around.
My recommendation:
Bring your driver's license so you can rent a golf cart to go around the garden. It is beautiful and definitely worth exploring. Find a quiet corner and eat those chocolate covered strawberries you brought with you. Trust me, you'll feel like royalty!
Montmartre
Montmartre was the first thing/area that caught my eye when I started planning our trip. In particular, the streets. I had an impression of the Paris I wanted to experience, and Montmartre fit the image I had in my head.
Unfortunately it rained quite a bit the day we visited, so we didn't end up walking around as much as we would've, or visited as many stores as we wanted to. But I made an effort to climb my way up to Sacre-Coeur, swung by Place du Tertre, and still managed to see the beautiful Place Dalida.
My recommendation:
As soon as we got off the metro (at Anvers) we realized that this was the place to buy souvenirs. Shops with cheap bags and scarfs crowded Rue de Steinkerque, with lots of selection. Montmartre is also a great spot to overlook the city as it's one of the highest points in the city.
Tour Eiffel & Arc de Triomphe
Despite what the majority of people we knew (as well as the internet) recommended, we didn't want to go up the Eiffel tower. In fact, we didn't want to go up Arc de Triomphe either, but what we wanted to do what get a good look at them. So we made 2 trips, one to see the Eiffel tower during the day, and another one, to see both of them at night.
The metro right next to where we live goes directly to Arc de Triomphe, we then needed to transfer onto a different train to get to Trocadero. The night we went was the day of the second France election, right after the results were announced. We came out of the metro at Arc de Triomphe and was welcomed by cars honking their horns on the road. Sirens were going, people were cheering, and there were tons of police cars all with their lights turning.
We walked a bit closer to Champs Elysees but there were too many people. All I could see were lights and what seemed like an avenue packed full of people. The atmosphere was positive, but a little tense nonetheless. Then there it was, standing above all the chaos, Arc de Triomphe, with its flags waving as if it stood for the party that won, proud and tall.
It was hard not to get excited. I felt like joining the party and seeing where it gets us, but it was 10 minutes to 10 pm, and we wanted to see the Eiffel tower light show again before we leave. So we ducked back down, ran across the long underpass, and caught our next train to Trocadero.
Trocadero is across from the Eiffel tower, and is a great photo/video spot. Palais de Chaillot itself is very impressive as well, and the second time we went there we saw 2 very entertaining street performers. But that night, the first time we went, the place was packed with tourists. The light show goes on for 5 minutes on the hour every hour between 8 pm and 12 am. We were barely able to take any photos without squeezing our camera in between people's heads/shoulders.
My recommendation:
See both places during the day as well as during the night. Make sure you give yourself enough time to walk down Champs Elysees as well as around Rue Saint-Dominique.
Timeline at a glance
2017-05-01: Arrive in Paris
2017-05-02: Walk along the Seine
2017-05-03: Musee du Louvre
2017-05-04: Chateau Versailles
2017-05-07: Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower (night)
2017-05-09: Jardin du Luxembourg, Eiffel Tower (day)
