Paris: Part Two

So on Saturday night we went to...

the Eiffel Tower! It was really cool. Every night they light it up, and every hour they have a little light show, which is featured on the left picture. The tower was realllllyyyyy big. I was very impressed. It's not really surprising that it was the tallest building in the world when it was built. We took the stairs up, as it was cheaper and less crowded. Unfortunately, we could only go up to the second floor, but that still gave us some pretty incredible views of the city. As we were going up the stairs, Caitlin started freaking out about the height. I was worried she was going to have a panic attack or something, but luckily she survived. It was close, though.

On Sunday we went to Notre Dame in the morning. We went up into the bell towers for free (first Sunday of every month). There was a lot of stairs in a tiny spiral. It was sort of dizzying, and then we walked out a door and there were these incredible views. There was also chimeras.

They have wire fencing to keep anyone from falling off. I guess people were shorter back in the 13th century, cuz the original guardrails were really low.

After that, we had lunch before going to Mass inside the Cathedral. It was really pretty. There were a lot of people there for church. It was a little strange though, because they didn't close the cathedral to visitors during that time. So there was a constant stream of people going around the periphery of the church during the service. They were all quiet, but it still seemed a little odd. I guess there isn't anything they can really do though. The cathedral is gigantic anyway, so there is still plenty of room.

Next, we went to the Champs-Elysees. We started at the Place des Concordes, where that giant obelisk is located, and walked down to the Arc de Triomphe. The obelisk is actually the oldest building in Paris, as it was brought intact from Egypt during the 19th century. I wonder how exactly it was shipped. Once again, we thought about how much prettier everything would be during the spring or summer. But there were some interesting shops, such as a jewelry store with 40,000 euro watches for sale.

Next, we came back to Notre Dame for an organ concert. It was pretty crowded, actually. Apparently, they have free concerts every Sunday afternoon. The organ was really impressive. Since there wasn't a Mass going on, we were able to take pictures of the inside.

For dinner we went to a Tex-Mex restaurant near our hotel called the Indiana Cafe. We were both curious what French Tex-Mex would be like. I had enchiladas and Caitlin had tacos. Contrary to the weird expressions on our faces, it was actually pretty good. Not as good as at home though; it seemed more bland.

That night, we went for a cruise on the Seine. It was cool to see all the sights lit up at night. It was very cold though. Still fun, and I'm glad we did it. The next morning we got up to catch our 9:16 train. Unfortunately, our train got stopped on the tracks for two hours for some reason, and we ended up getting back to Aix late. But we made it, and we had a fantastic time in Paris.

Paris: Part One

Adam and I spent last weekend in beautiful Paris! We took the train from Aix after our Friday classes. It's only a three-hour ride, so we were in the city of light by late afternoon. We checked into our hostel in the Latin Quarter and then went to McDonald's for a quick dinner. I know, I know. You can't believe that we ate at McDonald's on our first night in Paris. But we were looking for something cheap and fast and were also curious if McDonald's is better in Europe.

The Verdict: European McDonald's are a lot cleaner and nicer than their American counterparts, but the food is exactly the same. Also, they were very stingy with their ketchup {and Adam and I are huge ketchup lovers}. After dinner, we walked across the Seine to the Louvre, which is free on Friday night for students. We couldn't believe how gigantic it was! It's seriously five times larger than the Met in New York.

We saw so many famous works of art that I learned about in the art history class I took last year. Of course, the most famous painting is the Mona Lisa. We walked around and just admired everything for a few hours, until the museum closed at ten. The next day, we woke up bright and early to take a 45-minute train ride to Versailles {after stopping for croissants at a nearby bakery, of course}.

Here's the palace from the front. It was built in the 1600s and inhabited by the royalty until Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were killed during the Revolution. During the 1800s, it was turned into a museum about French history and lived in again for a brief period. After World War Two, the French government restored the palace and open it up for tours.

The chapel were royal weddings, baptisms, and christenings were held. The famous Hall of Mirrors, with large windows down one side of the hall and mirrors on the other side.The amazing chandliers bounce light around the room. Aren't the ceilings so beautiful?

Adam and I posing in the Hall of Mirrors. After wandering around the palace for a few hours, seeing the state rooms and part of the French history museum, we had lunch in the Versailles cafe. We each enjoyed a slice of overpriced quiche florentine, salad, and a pastry for dessert.

After lunch, we investigated the huge gardens behind the palace. Here's a glimpse of Versailles from the back. Unforunately, it was cold, rainy, and muddy so we didn't stay for too long. It made us wish that we could come back in May and see everything in bloom!

We took the train back into the city and went back to our hostel for a brief nap. Then we had dinner at a quaint French restaurant in the Latin Quarter. For 12 Euros, you got an appetizer, main course, and dessert. For starters, I had a salad and Adam ordered the French onion soup. We both had the coq au vin as our main course. For dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse and tarte de pomme. Stayed tuned for part two - what we did on Saturday night and all day Sunday!