A Weekend in Paris, and other adventures

Whatsup World!!
Happy Friday!!

So I realize that it is no longer Friday and I am a day late, but I am actually about 3 years late on updating this blog anyway so... Why not Today?
I started this blog to record my study abroad trip in Germany about 3 years ago and well...kinda lost track of updating it

A lot has happened since I last posted in this blog and I have quite a lot of catching up to do.  Heres a quick summary; I left Germany to go back to the US and finish my undergraduate degree, hiked for two months on the Appalachian Trail after graduation, and left the country again to live in London while working on my grad degree.  I've lived here now for the past 7 months and taken as many trips as I could, including winter break hiking the Camino de Santiago, which is a trail I learned about while on the AT.  Now I am about a month from finishing my time in London and will be heading to Shanghai to finish the last few months of the degree there!  Man this world is Great!!  So I may go back and add in some stories from these past few years but for now I will start off right where I am.  What better time to give this blog a second go then right at this very precise moment...So Yeah! Here we go!

So as the title says there is some significance to starting the blog back now, and that reason is Paris!

I have just returned from a weekend in Paris!  Had the long weekend and decided to go for it. The night bus was fairly cheap so I figured why not.  This turned out to be about an 11 hour trip if you include the hour and a half ferry ride in the middle of it.  But other then the lack of steady sleep, it was kind of fun.  On the way there, I left around 5:30pm and was on the ferry crossing the English Channel by around 10pm.  We left out of Dover and you could just barely see Dover castle sitting atop the giant white cliffs as we pulled out of the harbor.

The only problem with leaving at 5:30 was it landed me in Paris at about 4:30 and NOTHING was open!!  Not even the outdoor tourist attractions.  I found myself standing outside the Arc de Triumph at 5:15am looking across a huge 6 or more lane roundabout that the Arc is the center piece of, thinking to myself....there are no cars at this time and I think I even see some other tourist standing under it. I may as well run across and take a look!

This was not such a good idea apparently.  I got most of the way across the giant round about and realized the man standing in the middle was an armed guard wielding a pretty powerful looking weapon!  Fortunately I was not the first dumb tourist he has dealt with and he kindly pointed me back across the road and informed me the Arc was still closed.  GREAT way to start my adventure, with a shot of adrenalin.

I very happily slumbered into my hostel a few hours later, only to be told I could not check in until 2pm.  But I was in luck, I could leave my backpack safely there as I wonder the streets in search of breakfast and a way to burn up some time.  

I may have just been very hungry but this cheesy bread stuff definitely has a place in my top ten breakfasts of all time.  Topped in goat cheese, tomatoes and some other good tasting stuff I happily munched away.  I even an expat from Canada who showed me a nice park where I could eat, talk, and enjoy the company of some very friendly birds...

 

The Louvre

To burn up the next few hours I decided to check out the Louvre.  Ive heard its a bit famous or something...Well the line to get in certainly reflected that.  I waited 45 mins to get in but it was worth every second.  I planned to only stay until 2pm when my room was available but I got a bit carried away... 4 hours later I realize it is almost 3pm and there was still so much I had not yet seen.  I did however have time to hit the big numbers like Mona Lisa.  I gotta say I really don't understand all the hype.  The crowd in front looked like they were fighting to see a celebrity but honestly it was just another very nice painting.  I mean I can appreciate some beautiful art...I love Murillo, Van Gogh and Banksy but I just didn't get it.  

 Anyway there were a lot of very nice paintings, including some that seemed as big as a cinema screen. The building itself even felt like a piece of art.  The ceilings contain mass windows, and murals that are truly impressive.  Large indoor courtyards lined in ancient statues and hallways of art that seemed to go on for ever.  It seems to offer a little bit of everything!  I can understand how this place is considered one of the best museums in the world!  It does live up to it!

I finally settled into my hostel after the Louvre at around 3pm and all but collapsed into my bed.  I met a couple of my roommates who were all very friendly.  It was only a 4 person room which was great for the price of 25 euros per night. (Sidenote: hostels are not just about cheap living, they tend to have a unique culture that comes with them and always promise opportunities to meet some cool new people.)  Below is one of the room mates I had who is working in Germany for Hyundai and came to Paris for the long weekend.  

I had heard of the famous catacombs of Paris, so I asked the hostel clerk how to get there and took off for the tube station.  It seemed like the ticket machines may have been a bit easier with a healthy french vocabulary to help, however, in the nature of true French hospitality a kind local helped me through the process and I was on the train in no time.

I finally found my way to the catacombs and jumped in line that wrapped around the corner.  I'm thinking, good thing I got here an hours before close! ....and 5 mins later the clerk tells me "Lines to long your not getting in before close"  apparently an hour wasn't enough... At least I found out before waiting too long though!  Now I have the evening free!

Since I had taken a train out there I figured I might as well walk back and see the city a bit.  The city is nice to just walk around.  Its full of old architecture and lively alleyways full of little shops and restaurants.  I found a quiet local pub and stopped for a bite to eat.  I had to test if the French wines and cheeses lived up to their reputation so I got a variety tray to try a couple and had a couple glasses of red wine to go with it.  Yes, is the answer...Yes they do live up to the reputation.  I think the stronger cheeses are even growing on me some. 

 DAY 2

Today I started off my day with a free breakfast at the hostel, which was not bad really.  It included about 5 varieties of bread, some yogurt, cheese, and a bowl of coffee.  I then jumped on board with one of the free city tours offered in the city.  I find these a really great way to get an idea about a city.  They always include some cool stories, tips about what to see, where to go and other useful tidbits...like the hidden entrance into the Louvre that avoids the line (great to know after I've already gone).  Also I leaned the Louvre use to be a royal palace, which makes sense after seeing the inside.

After the tour I tried once again for the Catacombs and once again made it there in time for a 2 hour line and a 2 hour closing time.  Not wanting to wait for nothing I took off for the beautiful Montmartre side of town.  This according to my guide is where many of the artist of Paris got much of their inspiration.  Much of it sits on top of a hill overlooking a grand view of the city so I can understand where the artists got it.  I found my way to the top of the hill and found a huge white church known as Sacre Coeur Church.  The church was nice, but even nicer was the spontaneous concert going on directly in front of it, on a stairwell overlooking the city.

I decided to trek the 2 hours back to the hostel just to walk through the city again, and again it proved completely worth it.  I found a nice restaurant where I was fortunate enough to find a waitress that translated the menu for me.  I tried some delicious baked duck and some escargot as an appetizer.  The snails were really good actually. They have the texture of a clam but taste a bit less like sea food.

By the time I got back to the hostel I was full of good food and my feat were ready to surrender.  I hopped in my bunk and was out for the night.  

DAY 3

Next morning I got an early start and headed to a meeting point to catch a train to Versailles.  I booked a tour to see the gardens so that I could see a bit outside of just the city of Paris.  This isn't exactly in the country side but it still offered a little bit of variety.  The train was a relaxing 40 min ride and even included some musicians walking the aisles.  

This was the prime time to see the gardens since they only turn the fountains on on Saturday and Sunday during peak season.  The King wanted a palace that was so magnificent that the fountains never turned off but it wasn't economically feasible then and it still isn't today.  The servants were just clever enough to learn the kings route he walked in the garden and would turn each fountain on moments before he passed, only to turn them immediately off again once he left.  The gardens are remarkable!  Everything perfectly well trimmed and manicured and right down to every blade of grass. Of course don't even think of stepping on that grass.  The palace includes guards ready to blow their whistle any time a toe crossed into the green.  The perfection of the garden was planned down to every detail.  This was actually designed as a statement from King Louis XIV to demonstrate his power by showing that even nature bent to his will.

So most of the palace was built under the rule of King Louis XIV who from what I gathered seemed to be a very effective and firm leader.  Unfortunately two Louis later the population no longer thought this of their king and we had the French revolution.  

I was going to go into the actual palace since it was free with my student ID but there was a two hour wait for that as well and I was hungry.  I decided to venture into the city of Versailles a bit and find a restaurant.  I had a nice relaxing meal and a couple more French wines before realizing I needed to rush back to Paris if I was going to catch the Easter Service at Notre Dame!  I hopped on the train and made it just in time to get inside the cathedral.  I didn't understand a word of the sermon but it felt like it was a good one and the cathedral is worth seeing the inside of.  This was the second foreign service I had attended on a holiday and both times they burnt the same incense which has now become a distinct smell in my mind.  Although I am not exactly Catholic so maybe it is just a Catholic thing.

I thought about just calling it a night after the service but then again it was my last night and I hadnt been to the Eiffel Tower yet!  So I checked my map and headed across town, arriving just in time to head to the top before close.  And remarkably, there were somehow no lines! I decided to take the stairs just to feel the height of the tower.  You can only walk as high as the second level though before taking an elevator up to the very top.  At 300 meters (900 feet) up the view is breath taking and wind comes with a sharp bite.  I didn't stay up long, just long enough to walk around a take it in a bit.  Also I was shocked to learn that Gustave Eiffel actually use to live up there and had a small apartment in the tip top.  Imagine going to sleep to this view each night!

DAY 4:

The Final day... I crawled out of bed still tired but knowing it was my final day but not wanting to move.  I got up early and enjoyed the free hostel breakfast once again.  I tried one final time to go to the catacombs and thought since I am getting such an early start there is no way I am not getting in this time!  In fact when I got there not a single person was waiting in line...because apparently they are closed on Mondays =(  I call this a reason to go back and a few unplanned for hours that I had intended to spend in line.

I decided to grab some breakfast in a quiet cafe looking out into the streets and enjoyed a coffee while watching the Parisians passing by and going about their day.  Seemed like a good time to relax and relaxing it was.  I finally got up the energy to re evaluate my plan and I headed for Les Invalides witch contained the army museum and the burial site of Napolean Bonaparte.  I found the latter particularly interesting due to the layout of the tomb.  From the entrance you can look down into a great chamber that contains the sarcophagus or you can walk down a grand marble staircase where you can look up from below.  I was told it was designed this way so that anyone that enters to see it is either bowing down to Napoleon or looking up to him....well played French people. 

The army museum was equally as remarkable.   Containing tons of old armor and weapons, and a great display on WWI and II.  I got a bit carried away here as well and ended up spending a solid 3 hours admiring the history.  Realizing the time I rushed across town to the Cathedral of Notre Dame one more time.  This time I was going to the top!  I made it just in the nick of time as the "line is too long to make before close" sign went up 3 people behind me!  But I made it so now I could relax...and relax...and continue relaxing.  I was still in the back of the line and ended up "relaxing" for about 2 hours.  But, that is ok because upon reaching the top none of that even mattered.  Gazing out at the monuments and architecture gleaming in the sunlight in the ancient city of Paris on this sunny Monday evening, everything seems to stop and life is good.  Even with some funky looking gargoyles gazing out there with me.

So that pretty much summed up the trip.  After Notre Dame I just collected my bag from the hostel, ate some dinner and waited on my 10:30pm bus back to London.

Five things I learned while in Paris:

1. A little bit of the language goes a long way.  Just learn some basic phrases before you go and it will be appreciated by the locals.  I spent about 2 days reviewing a list and it was plenty to get me by.
2. Parisians are not rude.  I have heard this stereotype and its ridiculous.  I didnt meet an unfriendly person all weekend.  However this may be different if you do not listen to item 1.
3. The food is AMAZING!!  I am all for backpacking on a budget and buying food at a supermarket some times, but in this case it is a shame not to try what the restaurants are cooking.
4.  The city has a lot of lines but that's normally because what ever people are waiting to see, is a thousand times worth the wait.
5. Four days is enough to see a good chunk of the city but it is definitely worth a much longer stay.


So Thanks for reading everybody. I am going to try to continue sharing stories on here as frequently as possible.  I don't have any more trips planned until I leave for China but if I have time in the next few weeks I will try to add in some of the other cities and trips I have gone too over the past few months.  If there is anything in particular that you think would be fun to hear, let me know in the comments!

For now merci and au revior!!