Before leaving we made a list of everything that we wanted to do. We had a pretty large list, but felt that it was doable. I am proud to say that we did everything, but one thing on our list and even then we made it to the Catacombs, but it had just closed when we made it there.
Teaching over here has several advantages. One of those is that we are not currently working on Fridays. So we left for Paris on Friday morning and got into Paris, well just outside Paris, at about noon. We flew RyanAir. RyanAir is a super cheap airline that flies throughout Europe. They provide cheap flights, but have very strict regulations with bags and other restrictions that they will charge outrageous amounts for. Our only concern was the weight and size of our carry-ons. They only allow one per person and it can only weight 20 kg. We ended up being fine, but saw several people have to check their bags at the gate being charged 50 euros. Also, RyanAir only flies into Beauvais-Tille which is about an hour and fifteen minute bus ride to Paris. We didn't realize this until the night before and had a semi-panic attack thinking that it was going to be very difficult to make it into Paris. All worked out well and we made it into Paris around 2 pm Friday afternoon.
Paris in early March is so cold! The weather was bitter cold and overcast on Friday and Saturday, but the sun came out and it warmed up on Sunday which made for a nice last day. So on Friday we walked everywhere. We first walked to the Eiffel Tower, which is huge. Rob used to work at the Saint Louis Arch and thought that was tall. The Eiffel Tower is almost twice as tall!! After that we walked to the Louvre Museum. They had discounted rates on Friday so of course we made sure we got those. We spent about 3 hours wandering around with the audio guides and were absolutely astonished by its size. The Louvre used to be the Kings' of France's Palace, until Louis XIII became king at age 9 and decided it wasn't big enough. He then built the palace in Versaille which is just outside of Paris. The Louvre has 3 sections and each section is 5 levels....HUGE! We basically wandered around seeing the major works of art including (of course) the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is pretty interesting. Smaller than we thought it was, but nevertheless very interesting. We looked at it for a couple minutes, which is a long time to look at a painting. We found out that the average looking time at the Mona Lisa is only 9 seconds! Another fun fact, if you spent 9 seconds looking at every picture/statue in the Louvre, you would be at the Louvre for 3 days! After a long day of walking around we made our way to the hostel. We settled in and went to the nearest restaurant and had pizza..ha.
Saturday we woke up early and ate the free breakfast at the hostel. Baguettes, cereal, and "coffee"...yuck, but it was free. Next, we decided to shower.... huge mistake. First of all they were gross (Rob can get over that) and worse case we thought was that the water was going to be cold and we know that cold showers are not fun, but doable. Well we were surprised by the complete opposite...burning hot, boiling water. So hot that neither of us were able to take showers. Needless to say, it was gonna be a shower free trip. We were not going to let that bother us. We found a free walking tour which was one of the highlights of the trip. It was about 3 hours long. It took us by the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Palace used before the Louvre was built (which had the only evidence of Hitler's four year control of Paris...bullet holes in the building), the site of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre when thousands of Protestants were drowned in the Seine river, the bridge with hundreds of lockets where couples write their names on it, lock it on the bridge, and throw the key into the river. It finished at the beginning of the Champs-Elysee which is a very famous street with lots of high end shopping stores. It also leads to the the Arc de Trioumphe.
Saturday night we decided to check out Paris' nightlife. One of our friends that we met in Barcelona recommended an area called the Latin Quarter. It is near Notre Dame and was a lot of fun. They have tons of shops, restaurants, and bars. It is similar to the Barri Gothic area of Barcelona, which has lots of small streets and always crowded. We went to a bar and had the best mojitos! Thank god they were good because they cost 7 euros a piece...oh yea, Paris is EXPENSIVE!! Especially in the winter when its cold out and in order to warm up you head into shops and restaurants. After drinks, we went and got crepes. Erin got a Nutella Crepe and Rob got a Bacon and Cheese. The bacon wasn't the same, but they were delicious.
Sunday was another jam packed day. It was the perfect day with the sun shining and the temperature warming up. Started out at Notre Dame. Beautiful! We went while there was an international mass going on with each song and reading done in a different language. The inside is so intricate that it is amazing that is is 850 years old. We then found a little known memorial to the victims of the holocaust right next to it. It is right off of the river and outdoor, but is built so that when you enter is it completely silent. It was very somber. Next, we went to the famous book shop "Shakespeare and Company". This is were Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ezra Pound gathered to write and share ideas. Erin, being the English major/teacher had to buy a book so we bought A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway...one of our favorite books. We then went to the steps that were used to film Midnight in Paris. Next, we went Montmartre and did a little bit of shopping. Montmartre is a hill north of Paris. At the very top is the Basiclica of the Sacre - Coeur or Sacred Heart. It is supposedly the location in which the Jesuit Order of priests began. We found the church very interesting because several of the stain glass windows were dedicated to the French saints, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louis. It is a very cool and lively area with several street performers, artists creating and selling paintings, and a beautiful panoramic view of Paris. It also had some awesome shopping which Erin loved :)
On our way home from Montmarte, we stopped by the Moulin Rouge! Very cool and still in use as a night club/theatre. Sunday night tried going to a restaurant recommended by a friend for their steak. Unfortunately they weren't making food for some reason so we headed back towards the Eiffel Tower because we wanted to see it at night. We had a very nice dinner and headed back to the Latin Quarter for one more crepe before we left on Monday morning.
Overall, we had an awesome time! Paris in the summer is probably a much different experience, but we are so glad and thankful that we were able to see this amazing city. Since we have come over, we have not once questioned our decision to go on this adventure. We are both settled in at our jobs and are enjoying every single experience. We are also getting very excited for our friends and family to come visit! :)
