Paris is the most visited city in the World. It's the capital city of France and it's the city of lights. It's known for its fashion, architecture, art, food and beautiful French people.
All in Attendance: Mike, Cesar, Kristen
Let me start out by saying, there is no way a person could enjoy Paris in a 36 hour period. We didn't naively assume we could do it either. Why did we so it? It cost over 1000 euros to fly from Calgary to Pairs. So even if we have to take 3 separate 36 hour trips to Paris - all transportation costing anywhere from 60 - 110 euros for both ways, we'll still be pocketing away more money in the end. Vacation days, although numerous, are still indispensable and it is always possible to arrange for transportation to and from Paris without taking days off of work.
We took a flight with Vueling which flew from Zürich to Paris Orly Airport direct which is infinitely more convenient than anything other possible airport. We took the Orly Bus into the city. We got off near the Denfer-Rochereau metro station and decided to wander around the city from there.
We stopped at a restaurant and got some breakfast. My mother makes this breakfast sandwich sometimes of bread with melted cheese and ham, served with a fried egg. She calls it a "croque madame". Imagine my surprise when I found out my mother wasn't trying to spruce up her breakfast sandwich with a fancy name and I did, in fact, eat a croque madame as my first french meal.We took a stroll through the Jardin Luxembourg. We also wandered around the high class fancy haute couture shops before taking a walking tour around the city. We got a refresher on our Marie-Antoinette and Napolean history. France is really glamourous because they put such a high focus on aesthetics and the arts. It's also really nice because during Napoleon's rule, he raped and pillaged a lot of countries and took their treasures to be put on display in France - like the Egyptian Obelisk which now sits right where the guillotine that executed the last king and queen of France once stood.
After marveling the Arc de Triomphe which is encircled by a lawless-crazy-multilane traffic circle (we heard that some insurance companies don't even cover you on it) , we decided to opt for the cheapest and silliest dinner you can get in Paris: cheap red wine and fresh baguette sandwiches. The setting for our dinner? Why the Eiffel tower, of course.
The next day we took an early start. We had stayed in the Leo Legrange Hostel which is close to a metro station but far from anything else. The whole place also had an atmosphere similar to that of a drop in center due to it's sketchy loiters, haphazard decor and overall smell. It was 20 euros a night which is cheap for Paris but it is definitely worth it to book ahead and get something much better for the same price. At least they had fresh soft and tasty baguette for breakfast.
Sunday consisted of hopping on an off Paris’s crazy efficient and well-organized metro system. We had only a few short hours to sight see. We went to see the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur which is stunning in the Parisian morning light. We went to see Notre Dame de Paris which is another stunning cathedral. A little tidbit: Victor Hugo wrote a novel of the same name about a certain famous hunchback to give widespread attention to the cathedral to prevent it from being torn down. A few more quick spots all over town and suddenly 36 hours seems like no time at all.
We decided (in a heart wrenching decision) that museums will have to be seen the next series of Paris trips. Instead, we used our last remaining hour in Paris to visit the Père Lachaise Cemetery. What’s so special about a cemetery? Well beside it’s quaint and beautiful (and I suppose morbid) atmosphere, it is also the final resting place of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. I was positively bouncing at the thought of paying my respects to one of my favorite authors but unfortunately I was greeting with a sign about some sort of renovation nonsense. Oh well, that’s what the next trip is for right?
Paris is certainly worth all the hype it gets. The city is so beautiful (as are the people). Have I fallen under the naive pretense that my life would exponentially increase in glamor if I could only become Parisian? Certainly!
Things I loved:
- Well dressed Parisian women
- Dijon Mustard on everything
- McDonald sells beer
- De parler en français
- The Louvre
- Musée d’Orsay
- Musée Rodin
- Musée de L’Orangerie
- Go to the Catacombs
- Take a French cooking class
- Go to Versailles
