Oh La La....

October 27, 2012.  I made it back to Paris for the second time, only this time with a different group of friends.  Barcelona invaded Paris!  Nic, Stacee, Clara and I decided to all go to Paris on the same weekend.  I also planned to meet up with Anne, obviously!!!

(Earllyyyy morning taxi to the airport)

Nic and I arrived early on Friday morning and met up with Clara and Stacee, who were there the night before.  Anne recommended the hostel we stayed at and it turned out to be very cute and we had a four-person room to ourselves.  It was nice because there was a washroom in the bedroom; it felt like the dorms at college.

First up was Arc de Triomphe.  I felt like the tour guide because the other girls had not been to Paris yet; I guess I should have paid more attention on how to get around last time I visited instead of just following Anne’s lead.  It was also far colder than Barcelona, which I don’t think any of us were prepared for.

(Inside of Abercrombie and Fitch... so elegant looking.  There were more models dancing in the store than customers) 

Once we checked out the Arc de Triomphe we walked down the Champ Elysees to the Laduree restaurant.  We wanted to have tea and macaroons at the main restaurant located near the Louvre. 

We got there before 2pm, which is the time they start allowing only tea and dessert; so we decided to walk around the Louvre a bit to waste time until 2pm.  Luckily we went back to the restaurant a little before 2pm because by the time we sat down there was a HUGE line outside waiting for a table. 

Since I had macaroons last time I was in Paris I decided to try a different dessert.  It was a delicious raspberry crème tart.  I was very happy with my decision; I like macaroons but am not crazy about them like some people.

We were having a great time at the restaurant and all the French people were staring at us.  They all seemed to be having a horrible time eating tea and macaroons in Paris, it was very strange.  Parisians need to lighten up!

After some good (yet pricey) tea and dessert we decided to go to the Musee de Louvre.  Since I did not see the Mona Lisa last time I was in Paris, it was a must do for this trip. It just so happened that on Fridays after 6pm students and people under 26 years old get in for free!  So we all got to walk around one of the most renowned museums for free.  We saw many outstanding painting and statues, including Venus de Milo, The Wedding at Cana and Mary Magdalene. 

When we finally found the Mona Lisa I was a bit surprised.  It is not as big as I thought it would be; it was on a giant wall by itself behind a thick layer of glass.  The painting was outstanding and the museum reminded me a lot of the Vatican City. 

(Mona Lisa!)

The artworks located in both cities reflect religious aspect at the time.  The artwork is phenomenal however dark.  You seem to get an eerie feeling while walking around and seeing how long ago these pieces were completed.

(Venus de Milo- had to fight a lady to get a good picture)

After walking around the museum we went to see the Louvre at night, something else I did not do last time I was in Paris.  I strongly suggest seeing the Louvre during the day and night; it is so beautiful.  We had to take a ton of pictures, including the typical touristy shots.

After a full day of walking around we were exhausted and starving.  So when in Paris why not have take-out Chinese food and cheap wine?  We got some actually very tasty Chinese food from a street vender/shop near our hostel and a few bottles of wine to indulge in at the hostel before we went out.

After we finished up dinner and thawed out a little bit, we decided to take on the cold again and go to this bar the Clara’s friend recommended, Zero de Conduite. It was this tiny little pub type bar with a long list of drinks named after different cartoons.  To order your drink, you had to draw the cartoon on a whiteboard and the server had to recognize what you attempted to draw.  Surprisingly enough the server guessed all of our drawings.

After you ordered your drink you also got to choose a game to play; this bar reminded me of a bar back home where everyone played board games. I drew a fabulous Pinocchio, however the drink itself was terrible.  So terrible I could not drink it and of course they did not want to make me a different drink. After one drink (which was 12 euros….) we called it a night and decided to head back to the hostel to get some rest; Nic and I were exhausted.

October 28, 2012.  The Eiffel Tower was on the top of everyone’s list so we headed that way to start out the day.  There is a carousel located right next to the Eiffel Tower and we sat there for a bit watching everyone.

The Champ de Mars was decorated with giant bears from different countries; the United States’ bear was dressed as the Statue of Liberty.  It was very interesting to see the different costumes and decorations that went along with the other countries.  Canada was some mosaic tile design, it was pretty but probably should have been a giant maple leaf or a giant canister of syrup.  Nic was also a bit confused with the strange décor.

After we walked around for a while around the Eiffel Tower we decided to head over to the Latin Quarter and get some crepes.  I thought it would be a good idea to go to the same crepe place that Anne brought me to during my last visit. This crepe place is amazing!  There is a ‘menu del dia’, which includes a salty crepe, sweet crepe and a drink all for 5 euros.  Everyone was excited about this budget buster since the rest of Paris is so expensive.

After some delish lunch we walked by the Sant Michel fountain and made a wish.  Notre Dame is right across the street and I really wanted to go back in to see the cathedral, this worked out perfectly because it was beginning to rain.  I am always in awe whenever I enter cathedrals with this type of prestige.  The detail and structure are indescribable. I love Notre Dame and would walk around forever in there. 

Once it stopped raining we walked to the Pont de Arts or the ‘Love Bridge’. Paris is the city of LOVE…. or lust?!  We walked along the Seine River and visited with the little booths selling little trink-its, artwork and books.

We then made our way to the Jardin de Luxemburg. I must recommend visit this garden during warmer months.  When we went the gardens were dead and it was not as glamorous as it normally would have been.  Something funny about Paris, which I did not notice before, was they make you pay to use the washroom.  And there is a different in cost between men and women; unless the man needs the toilet, then it is the same.  How awkward would it be to be a guy that needs to specify they need to use the toilet and not just the urinal!?  Not only is it a bit embarrassing but it will cost you!

After the Jardin de Luxemburg we went back to the hostel to freshen up and get ready to go out.  We had dinner at this little Italian place.  I had a great pizza that had a fried egg and sour cream on top; sounds gross but it turned out to be really very good and I am sure very healthy!

We then went to a late night bar that I visited last time I was in Paris.  McBride’s is an Irish Pub and plays a very random selection of music.  It is a fun vibe and there are many tables and a dance floor.  I believe we all had a lot of fun and the drinks were not overly priced either.

The tricky part at night in Paris is finding a taxi.  When we left McBride’s we were trying to flag down a taxi for over an hour, it was very frustrating!  It was freezing and none of us had a map where we could just use to walk back to the hostel.  We finally snagged a cab and rushed back to the hostel.  The great thing about the hostel is the location.  Plug-Inn is located just 2 blocks from Moulin Rouge so we got to see the red light district and Moulin Rouge every night. 

October 29, 2012.  Sacre Coeur is located very close to our hostel and wanted to see this fabulous cathedral.  Stacee and Clara wanted to go to a few markets before meeting up with us at Sacre Coeur, so Nic and I got to sleep in a bit; which was much needed!  Anne and a couple of her friends decided to meet up with us and walk around with us for the day.  So we all met up at Sacre Coeur and walked around for a bit. 

I love the little village located at the top of Sacre Coeur, very cute little shops and cafes.

After Sacre Coeur we decided to head over to Pere- Lachaise Cemetery. I am very happy we decided to visit this cemetery because it was outstanding.  It is a bit morbid to say a cemetery is beautiful, but that is exactly how to describe it.  There were a ton of little buildings and statues everywhere.  It had a strange feeling of being in a tiny city.  We saw Oscar Wilde’s grave, which was strange to me because I did not understand what his connection was to his monument.

(Oscar Wilde's grave)

I also thought this was pretty cool because one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago is called “Wilde” after Oscar Wilde.  It was like a little connection to home!  We also saw Jim Morrison’s grave, which was very plain and did not stand out at all.  I was expecting something a bit more flashy.  I feel bad for the surrounding graves of famous people because many of them were vandalized.

It also surprised me the Jim Morrison was buried in Paris to begin with.  I did some research and found out it was because he died in Paris and he felt like he did not have a connection to his family in the United States and wanted to be there.

(Jim Morrison's grave)

After walking around the cemetery we went for a drink at a bar next to Moulin Rouge.  It was great to see Anne and catch up with her!  I feel fortunate to have seen her a couple times while we were both living in Europe.

Last thing on our list for must-dos in Paris is to climb the Eiffel Tower at night.  We decided why not make this the grand finale of our trip?!  So after a few drinks we decided to get some dinner at the same fondue place (Refugee de Fondue) that I went to before with Anne.  The girls really liked it and it was something different and very filling.  We then went to the Eiffel Tower and saw it sparkle, still my favorite part of Paris. 

Then we decided to actually climb the stairs of the tower.  It was a good idea since we definitely need to work off the cheese and meat fondue we devoured.  It was 669 stairs to the top and it was not the easiest climb, however totally worth it!

When we got to the second tier of the Eiffel Tower we stopped and took some pictures, unfortunately by the time we got up there is was too late to buy a ticket to go to the very top.  So we settle for this view, which was not settling at all!  After a bunch of pictures we walked back down the Eiffel Tower and went back to the hostel.

We all had very early flights in the morning and decided a couple hours of sleep were needed.  I had an amazing time with everyone and would love to go back to Paris anytime!