My previous time in Paris taught me that one can never have too much time in Paris. So we booked a solid 5.5 days, and we knew it would be a welcome change from the punishing pace we set through sleepy Italy during the busy Christmas period.
After our flight, we had just enough time for lunch before meeting out Lourve guide. Finding him through Airbnb, he was a comedian who studied art and promised laughs. He forced it a bit, but it was an innovative and enjoyable take on the familiar art we were there to see.
Once on our own, we went back to the Rodin's Thinker:
And got to Notre Dame as the sunset. The blue is not a filter.
We stumbled across "Shakespeare and Company" that has been on the banks of the Seine since 1919, and it is recognisable from the cinema.
The next day was 'the first Sunday of the month' which meant Versailles and the major Paris Museums were free. As we headed to the Chateau outside the city, we realised we were the coldest we had been yet. For the first time, there was a wind, and it was bitter. Despite the excitement of seeing the famous palace, we struggled to stay warm.
The famous, opulent and ridiculously huge gardens were too exposed to explore, and frankly not that great in the dead of winter. The hedges hid bare soil and the vases, pots, and statues were all covered. We stayed just long enough to appreciate their summer potential before heading for the Musée d'Orsay.
The younger, less intimidating cousin of the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay is across the Seine and is a must visit. The former railway station has been renovated to an impeccable standard to house its impressive collection of mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914. With names such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh there are masterpieces in every room. It is also less tedious, as the more modern art of the d'Orsay has so much more in the way of subject matter than the mainly religious and mythological focus of most of the Louvre's works.
We were also very enamoured by the actual Star Wars ride. It was clearly an older ride that had been repurposed, but it was pretty amazing. There was a 'launch' and then we flew through some battles. Upside down and all around. We went 3 times. The third time, 10 min before the park closed, we sat right at the front of the ride. I didn't think it would make a difference, but it really did. There were pauses before the drops as the coaster edged over the abyss and it just flicked you around more. It was sooo exciting.
And later, stumbling a little jelly-legged from the final Star Wars ride, the castle was all lit up with various Disney films projected onto it, with fireworks going crazy. It went on for about 15 minutes and it is hard to believe they do that every single day!
The following day we were back to being tourists, heading up to Montmartre and to see the Sacré-Coeur. Montmartre is one of the only hilly parts of Paris and offers wonderful views of the city. It is understood to be a true Parisian suburb and a final stronghold of the more traditional Parisian lifestyle, slightly removed from the metropolitan city centre. It is visually dominated by the unique 1919 Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre. The unusual neo-byzantine domes are striking in the simplicity of the colour, with the stonework making it look like lace. Inside is the most impressive mosaic I have seen yet (even above the golden splendour of St Mark's in Venice). It is the largest mosaic in France at about 480 m² and the blue background and the detail are staggering.
At the base of the hill, we passed The Moulin Rouge, a largely disappointing experience.
And towards nightfall we wandered to the Catacombs of Paris, needing to wait in a cold, damp line for nearly an hour and a half. Starting as the Lutetian limestone quarries for Paris impressive architectural marvels, the total area covered is estimated at 322,000 very windy kilometres. The section we were entering is even more intriguing as it includes the Barrière d’Enfer (Gate of Hell) that leads to the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary, which houses the skeletal remains of some 6 to 7 million former Parisians. Created after conditions in the city cemeteries were becoming catastrophic for those still living, the ossuary received the dead for about a decade. If that wasn't morbid enough, in 1810, Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury decided to stack the skulls and femurs into patterns, and the complex labyrinth of bones has hosted illegal concerts, cinemas and other events, with a section being opened to the public, and safe to walk through.
Our final day in Paris was to be a gently paced one. We had 6 full days to enjoy France's capital and had ticked off the majority of things we wanted to see. We were headed to the Eiffel Tower for a quick second look and then a wander to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Élysées towards the Tuileries Gardens.
Arriving at the Eiffel Tower, we were surprised to see the place was deserted. Unable to resist temptation with the combination of no lines, we went in to go to the top. It wasn't even that early in the day - about 10am.
Approaching the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, we struggled to find our way to the underground passage that meant safe crossing over the gargantuan roundabout that surrounds it, with a ridiculous 12 feeder avenues, and no lines to guide the traffic. Eventually, we made our way down, then up to the top.
Walking down the Champs-Élysées, we passed the Ladurée Paris flagship store and stopped for their famous macarons, and passed other famous sites on our way to the Musée de l'Orangerie to see Claude Monet's Water Lilies.
That night, not quite done with Paris, I went up the only skyscraper 'Tour Montparnasse' for a night time look across the city and then walked to the Eiffel Tower.
After our flight, we had just enough time for lunch before meeting out Lourve guide. Finding him through Airbnb, he was a comedian who studied art and promised laughs. He forced it a bit, but it was an innovative and enjoyable take on the familiar art we were there to see.
Day two we went for a bike ride to hit the sights with a fantastic guide.
Once on our own, we went back to the Rodin's Thinker:
And got to Notre Dame as the sunset. The blue is not a filter.
We stumbled across "Shakespeare and Company" that has been on the banks of the Seine since 1919, and it is recognisable from the cinema.
The next day was 'the first Sunday of the month' which meant Versailles and the major Paris Museums were free. As we headed to the Chateau outside the city, we realised we were the coldest we had been yet. For the first time, there was a wind, and it was bitter. Despite the excitement of seeing the famous palace, we struggled to stay warm.
The famous, opulent and ridiculously huge gardens were too exposed to explore, and frankly not that great in the dead of winter. The hedges hid bare soil and the vases, pots, and statues were all covered. We stayed just long enough to appreciate their summer potential before heading for the Musée d'Orsay.
The younger, less intimidating cousin of the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay is across the Seine and is a must visit. The former railway station has been renovated to an impeccable standard to house its impressive collection of mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914. With names such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh there are masterpieces in every room. It is also less tedious, as the more modern art of the d'Orsay has so much more in the way of subject matter than the mainly religious and mythological focus of most of the Louvre's works.
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| The d'Orsay clocks offer views of the Louvre, Seine and Montmartre. |
The next day we headed to Disneyland Paris for a complete changeup.
Standing in a very slow moving line, we realised near the front that we had lined up to 'meet' Darth Vader, not go on a Star Wars ride. When we entered the room, an assistant told us sternly "No talking, no smiling." The staff in every area had been so nice and friendly, even the food vendors that it was a bit of a shock. Darth Vader came and got the people in front of us, swirling his cape all dramatically and I started to get the giggles. I tried to damp it down, and the assistant kept shushing me. It got worse when an older guy went in by himself and stood on the cape and the assistant then started giggling too. Once it was our turn I was a mess. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. Couldn't for the life of me stop.
We were also very enamoured by the actual Star Wars ride. It was clearly an older ride that had been repurposed, but it was pretty amazing. There was a 'launch' and then we flew through some battles. Upside down and all around. We went 3 times. The third time, 10 min before the park closed, we sat right at the front of the ride. I didn't think it would make a difference, but it really did. There were pauses before the drops as the coaster edged over the abyss and it just flicked you around more. It was sooo exciting.
Photos of the ones you could buy. The left was a log-flume Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was pretty chill and very, very impressive with the robotic scenes we saw. I finally got up the courage to put my hands up for the drop and they photoshopped a pirate battle over my hands. Rude. Two of the three Star Wars rides, the one on the right was the last ride. I love Sarah's face in both.
We also, for once, seemed to have impeccable timing. Wandering across the park at 5 on the nose, we noticed a lot of people crowding the castle. and then the music started blaring and there were floats and dancers and characters everywhere!
And later, stumbling a little jelly-legged from the final Star Wars ride, the castle was all lit up with various Disney films projected onto it, with fireworks going crazy. It went on for about 15 minutes and it is hard to believe they do that every single day!
The following day we were back to being tourists, heading up to Montmartre and to see the Sacré-Coeur. Montmartre is one of the only hilly parts of Paris and offers wonderful views of the city. It is understood to be a true Parisian suburb and a final stronghold of the more traditional Parisian lifestyle, slightly removed from the metropolitan city centre. It is visually dominated by the unique 1919 Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre. The unusual neo-byzantine domes are striking in the simplicity of the colour, with the stonework making it look like lace. Inside is the most impressive mosaic I have seen yet (even above the golden splendour of St Mark's in Venice). It is the largest mosaic in France at about 480 m² and the blue background and the detail are staggering.
At the base of the hill, we passed The Moulin Rouge, a largely disappointing experience.
And towards nightfall we wandered to the Catacombs of Paris, needing to wait in a cold, damp line for nearly an hour and a half. Starting as the Lutetian limestone quarries for Paris impressive architectural marvels, the total area covered is estimated at 322,000 very windy kilometres. The section we were entering is even more intriguing as it includes the Barrière d’Enfer (Gate of Hell) that leads to the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary, which houses the skeletal remains of some 6 to 7 million former Parisians. Created after conditions in the city cemeteries were becoming catastrophic for those still living, the ossuary received the dead for about a decade. If that wasn't morbid enough, in 1810, Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury decided to stack the skulls and femurs into patterns, and the complex labyrinth of bones has hosted illegal concerts, cinemas and other events, with a section being opened to the public, and safe to walk through.
Our final day in Paris was to be a gently paced one. We had 6 full days to enjoy France's capital and had ticked off the majority of things we wanted to see. We were headed to the Eiffel Tower for a quick second look and then a wander to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Élysées towards the Tuileries Gardens.
Arriving at the Eiffel Tower, we were surprised to see the place was deserted. Unable to resist temptation with the combination of no lines, we went in to go to the top. It wasn't even that early in the day - about 10am.
 |
| Why are we all alone? |
Approaching the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, we struggled to find our way to the underground passage that meant safe crossing over the gargantuan roundabout that surrounds it, with a ridiculous 12 feeder avenues, and no lines to guide the traffic. Eventually, we made our way down, then up to the top.
Walking down the Champs-Élysées, we passed the Ladurée Paris flagship store and stopped for their famous macarons, and passed other famous sites on our way to the Musée de l'Orangerie to see Claude Monet's Water Lilies.
That night, not quite done with Paris, I went up the only skyscraper 'Tour Montparnasse' for a night time look across the city and then walked to the Eiffel Tower.
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