Day 5 (cont): Arrive in Paris

We arrived in Paris which was a bit overwhelming at first as we didn't understand anyone around us and just the sheer amount of people at the Gare du Nord train station. Got some Euros from the ATM and then took the RER to the Luxemburg stop to get to Hotel Trianon. Desk clerk didn't speak much English and we had a small problem when checking in so we had our first language barrier problem. Everything ended up being sorted out so it wasn't too harmful. We dropped our bags off and took the Metro to go see the Eiffel Tower!

I think it goes without saying that seeing the Eiffel Tower in person is such a magical moment. I know I'll always remember how we were walking down the street from the Metro station and we looked between two buildings and WOW—there it was. I think we took 100 pics in front of the tower, trying our best to capture the breathtaking setting and as good as some of the pics are, I now believe that it's just an impossible task.

We then strolled from the Eiffel over to the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées, which took us a good 30+ min. The Champs was hopping even though it was 11pm on a weeknight, most of the outdoor restaurants were still very crowded. We finally decided on a place (George V) and had our first French meal sitting on out on the sidewalk. I had a steak and fries while Shannon had shrimp,  scallops, and mushrooms baked in a shell. Both were very good as was the entire experience.

Day 6: Wake up in Paris

We woke up to a beautiful view and slept with our window open. It was cool with just a little street noise. We made out way to the Arc de Triomphe. We walked to the underground tunnel to cross the street and get an up close view which is pretty amazing once you are under it.

After leaving the Arc we strolled around the city with no agenda, getting lost on purpose and loving it. During this stroll Shannon said "I love this city, every time your turn the corner there's another beautiful building or moment—they are everywhere!" and it's 100% true. This is also when I first noticed the different way of life, it seems that the people here know how to slow down, sit back and enjoy each and everyday—if not moment.  Park benches everywhere were in heavy use while shaded grass areas were full of people having picnics or just enjoying a book.

We walked back to our hotel area and went into the Luxemburg Gardens where we found a beautiful shaded area with a small pond and some benches so we took a rest to sit back and enjoy life as the French do in a green heaven.

We headed back to our hotel in order to start the Rick Steves' Best of Europe in 14 days ETBD tour portion of our trip. We had a kickoff meeting at 5pm to meet our guide and the other 25 members of our tour. This was a big moment because I knew that the guide and the other tour members would have a fairly large hand in how much we'd enjoy the next 14 days. Of course I didn't know it at the time- but now I can say what a GREAT guide (Colleen) and group we were blessed with! After the intro meeting we had our first group dinner together at a very nice French restaurant along with our first of many French bottles of wine. Dinner was wonderful, especially the asparagus soup and the creme brulee. We also took the chance to get to know some of our new tour buddies. After dinner we did a narrated boat cruise on the River Seine through the heart of Paris.

Day 7: Wake Up in Paris

We started off with our group checking out Sainte Chapelle, a beautiful Gothic church which is famous for it's stained glass windows. After that we moved on to the world famous Notre Dame cathedral before getting a great Paris & French history lesson from our guide Colleen. We then headed next door to a wonderful memorial to all the French victims of World War II. Parting ways from the group for a few hours, we had lunch (I had a delicious tomato & mozzarella panini) followed by a tasty crêpe while walking around the Latin Quarter. We then met back up with everyone at Saint Michel fountain to head off to the Louvre. Here at one of the most visited and largest museums in the world we met up with a local guide who brought us around to some of the most famous paintings in history, including the Mona Lisa.

For our last night in Paris we split from the group and headed up to Basilique du Sacre-Coeur which we heard had great views of the entire city as it sits on top a big hill. While walking up the hill we passed the famed Moulin Rouge Theatre. Once we got to the church we were not disappointed with the views or the atmosphere as there were couples drinking bottles of wine and musicians playing music, it was a wonderful experience. 

After sitting on the steps for awhile and taking in the moment we left to head back to the Arc de Triomphe to go to the top for a night time view of Paris.  It wasn't a stroll in the park as it is 284 steps to make it to the top but as you can see in the pictures it was well worth the effort! A wonderful way to close out our time in Paris.

Day 8: Wake Up in Paris

Sadly our last morning in Paris. Checked out and loaded up on our tour bus for the first time meeting our bus driver Ronnie who was was great! He made the short drive over to the Musée d'Orsay to drop us off for a few hours there. We really enjoyed the museum which is famous for it's impressionist collection. After lunch at the museum we loaded back on the bus for the ride out to Beaune in the Burgundy region of France.

page 2 of 12

This is one page in a 12 page series of our Europe 2007 trip. Links to other pages:

London - Paris - Beaune - SwissAlps - Austria - Venice - Tuscany - Rome - Munich - Weisbaden

Group Pictures - Favorites & Thoughts

Related Links:

Europe Trip Page - Our Family Site