October 8, 2013
After we settled in to our cute and funky hostel that was at the base of Sacré Cœur de Montmartrae We set off to explore this city with our map in hand, thinking it would be simple to walk to all the sights. So we walked and walked and walked. Again, we looked at the map and realized we had only walked a small portion of Paris, but we continued. That night, we walked from the Cathlic Roman Church to the Arc of Triumph and then to the Eiffel Tower!!
The Arc of Triumph is surrounding by a circle of traffic without crosswalks toward the arc. The entrance is hidden in the middle of a long tunnel that extends from one side of the circle to the other. It took us so long to find the entrance, but we followed an Asian tourist and voilà!! We were there! The building is massive and so detailed! It was really surreal to be standing in front of it!
The Eiffel Tower is visited quite frequently by tourist, but we didn't comprehend the beauty of this structure until we were standing in front of it. Beside the tower, lays a field of grass where people relax and eat while enjoying the creation - this was the obvious place to enjoy our two meals in Paris of a bagget, sausage, wine and cheese. :) Staring up at the Eiffel Tower really put this whole trip in perspective! There is something about that building that is just so mesmerizing! It makes you feel small!
The Norte Dam is absolutely gorgeous in the architecture. Gargowals surround the sides of the building to drain water and ward off evil. There are crazy details of saints, and of course the magestic two towers! Gothic architecture is amazing! Inside, a sermon was preached as tourists flooded the grounds and some participated in the service. Candles were offered at a low price of ten euros. ;)
We randomly stumbled upon the bridge of love and it was so beautiful in the way thousands and thousands of locks shimmered in the light. Sadly, the locks are cut because it is illegal.
The Louvre is gigantic!! Unfortunately, with our short stop to Paris, a 12 hour day looking at art in the Louvre was out of the question. However, the intricate architecture and colorful gardens were so amazing and satisfying! We can't stop being awed by French architecture because of the details!
We got lost heading to the Catacombs (do to false directions) and were ten people away from being let in before closing. That's right, we were that close and they didn't let us in. It's ok though, we will see them in Rome!
Our time in Paris was a quick adventure, but totally worth it! We were amazed at how much we actually liked this city! Yes, most of the people can seem a bit rude, but we also met a lot that were very nice!
We mastered the metro after our first evening of walking miles and miles - that felt like a good accomplishment!
On our last evening in Paris we ate our dinner in front of the sparkling Eiffle Tower, and then rushed back to our hostel to grab our stuff and catch our night train to Barcelona!
There was one small problem once we got to the train station...all the trains were canceled via strike! We talked to the people at the information desk and, due to our lack of French, we were even more confused! Long story short, we pretty much scored out of the deal and got to sleep on the non-moving train, got free food and a free high speed train the next morning (but we also lost a day)!
It was quite an interesting night. We enjoy each day and the adventures they bring!
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