After checking into our clean budget hotel we went to the Champs D'elysee to walk along the tree-lined posh shopping district and after realising that we can't afford anything we ended up at the Arc de Triomphe. The arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and today also includes the tomb of the unknown soldier.
On Thursday night we went to an irish pub in Montmarte near Moulin Rouge where there was a live band playing. The Metanoya is a rock band with a pair of twins singing harmonious duets of english tunes and a couple french ones as well. We were instantly drawn into their music, and the fact that they were dressed in medieval corsets and blouses with bell sleeves was a plus as well! Their sound reminded us a lot like Evanescence - so we bought the album!
On Friday morning we waited in the long line outside the Louvre and once in (30 min later) we followed to herd to see the Mona Lisa. Neither of us thought it was all that impressive, and it was much smaller than we imagined. I loved the medieval Louvre section in the basement where there are remnants and rooms leftover from the Louvre palace that was once the centre of royal life before a new palace was built out in Versailles during Louis XIV's reign.
On Friday morning we waited in the long line outside the Louvre and once in (30 min later) we followed to herd to see the Mona Lisa. Neither of us thought it was all that impressive, and it was much smaller than we imagined. I loved the medieval Louvre section in the basement where there are remnants and rooms leftover from the Louvre palace that was once the centre of royal life before a new palace was built out in Versailles during Louis XIV's reign.
Syd and I were really impressed with the Liberty Leading the People painting by Eugene Delacroix as it instantly reminded us of Les Miserables and the French Revolution.
After quickly exiting the Louvre after spending only a mere 2 hours there (which is nothing if you know the size of that museum), we enjoyed walking around Paris neighbourhoods to find food (cheese and meat and baguettes) and wine and shared a quaint picnic in Babylone park.
In the late afternoon we went to the top of an office tower called Mont Parnasse to view the city from the 56th floor. The views of the city, including the hotel des invalides and the eiffel tower were just amazing when lit up at night!
Lastly, we ended our Friday night with a trip to the Eiffel Tower and had fun with some night shots taken by our awesome digital SLR!
Lastly, we ended our Friday night with a trip to the Eiffel Tower and had fun with some night shots taken by our awesome digital SLR!
Observations:
The metro system in Paris has a massive amount of different lines, all numbered. However, the distance between stops is so short that the doors barely close before you are at the next station! So it is deceiving how far or how big the metro system actually is. What it does mean is that you don't have far to walk anywhere in the city before you run into a metro station.
As hard as I tried to speak French to get served in restaurants and cafes (and I think I did a pretty good job actually), the servers always looked at us with disdain and were quite rude. Nyla swore that one guy spit in her crepe the first evening! It was quite an adjustment to be in a city that speaks little to no english and is not willing to be nice about it either! Needless to say after 4 days in the city with the language frustration we were happy to get back to London on Sunday - the land of the English! ;o)
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