Destination: Paris, France
Date: March 27th-March 29th, 2008
Airline: Air Canada
Vacation Package: Air Canada Vacations
Duration: Weekend
Three action-packed days in Paris, planned spontaneously just because.
And so it began…
…with three siblings running rampant in the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal. The energy was high, we were hyper and anxious to hop on that plane, destination: Paris. Duration: 3 days.
“3 days??” you say? Yes. 3 days. One weekend in Paris. We were anxious to fly across the massive Pond for a mere *three* days. The Woo Kids are crazy like that.
“But you must have found some crazy deal. No?” Umm…not really. It just came about one day when everyone was sitting around the dinner table and my younger brother curiously tilted his head and, out of nowhere, said: “I want to go to Paris.”
Me: “Duuuuude. Me too!”
My sister: “I want to go to Paris!”
My brother: “So let’s go.”
Me: “Okay!”
So we all ran downstairs, found a 3 day air/flight package through Air Canada Vacations and booked it right then and there.
2 weeks later, we found ourselves sitting at a bar in the airport, toasting our crazy Paris trip with a few shots of JD. “To us!” we cheered and down our shots before going off to wait to board.
It would be a crazy whirlwind trip from then onward.
Paris, je t’aime!
Sleeping pills just don’t work…ever. I was groggy on the plane but I didn’t actually sleep. My eyes were closed and I looked like I was sleeping but I was conscious the entire flight over. And so it was that we hit Paris with no sleep at 8am-ish, the start of a brand new, action-packed day. There was no time to slow down. No time to complain of fatigue. If you’re going to hit Paris in ONE weekend, you’ve got to be on the go all the time…or at least you have to if you’re me. Do I ever waste time? No! Anyone who knows me knows I am a busy little bee, always on the go. So I was ready…ready to take in the City of Lights.
By the time we landed, we were wide awake and hyper on our excitement. It took all of 30 seconds to pass through customs and then we had to weave our way through the massive crowds to find a free space near the teeny tiny Parisian baggage claim.
“Getting lost in Paris….Priceless.” said the sign above the conveyor belt. I laughed and glanced at my siblings. Knowing us, it could have easily happened.
After we got our bags, we walked through the terminals to look for the trains that would take us into the city centre. I vaguely knew where I was going, having studied my Paris guide. My younger siblings followed, trusting I knew where I was going. Haha. Lost in Paris? Just maybe.
But no. We were fine, finding the right train and settling in to our seats. No sweat. There were even people to serenade us in our car as we headed into the city. Think typical French accordion music. What a way to set the mood. It was fun!
It’s a good thing I had become so familiar with the transit system in London.
The Paris system was similar so it was very easy to get around. We headed for the hotel first to check in and drop off our bags. The Tryp François Hotel was on Rue Montmartre right outside the Grands Boulevards metro stop. Quite convenient! And it was quite the fancy place too! Lucky us. We’d sleep very well that night. Though we were tempted to crawl under the covers when we arrived, we just dropped off our bags and then started our touring, Asian-tourist style with our cameras at the ready. Like we cared? Pfft. 3 days in Paris = taking as many pictures as we could. So much to see, so little time!
We hit the Palais Garnier first (I <3 the Phantom!) and then made our way to the Jardins des Tuileries and of course, the Louvre. I can’t even begin to describe my love of that Museum.
Seeing as it’s now midnight as I write this, I won’t even try. Let’s just say I liked it better than the British Museum and I love the British Museum. Then there was the Musée de l’Orangerie to see the beautiful Nymphéas. If my room was painted with the Waterlilies on all walls, I’d never want to leave my flat.
It started to rain as we left that Musuem but we walked in it anyway, making our way up the Champs d’Elysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. Luckily, by the time we climbed to the top, the clouds finally started to clear, the rain stopping and a beautiful rainbow graced the sky. The sun was starting to set and the city seemed to magical from the top of the Arc, the way the lights and shadows played across the faces of all the buildings. Splendid!
We headed back toward the hotel afterwards. My feet were soaked and sore and fatigue was starting to settle in. We wouldn’t go to slep until we had something to eat and did we ever eat well. Across the street from the hotel was a restarurant called Le Brébant. I had an amazing salmon steak and Justin had duck. Kristin had a lovely pasta dish and with wine…it was the perfect way to end our first extravagant day in Paris.
It was only the beginning.
Paris, Pt. Deux
We managed to cross off a good chunk of sights and activities from our Paris To-Do List that first day. The second day promised to be just as busy. Luckily for us, we woke up bright and early and were delighted to be greeted by actual blue sky and sun! It was a good thing, too. My only pair of flat shoes had dried from the rain the day before and I would have been pissed if it rained again. And here I was thinking of packing 4 pairs… I should have at least packed one more pair.
After an amazing continental breakfast that would give us ample energy for the morning, we hopped on the metro and headed straight for the Cathédral de Notre Dame. We wanted to go early and first thing to avoid the long line ups to climb the towers. Walking along the Seine on our way to the Cathédral, my heart was racing as I caught the first glimpses.
It rose majestically into view and I stood in awe before that amazing structure, eyes pouring over all the little details of the architecture and design. The kid in me hummed songs from Disney’s Hunchback as we walked toward the entrance and we were all filled with such serenity as we wandered on our own inside. The stained glass, the candlelight, the tall pillars and arches. It was all so magical.
After we finally found our way outside, we headed straight for the line up to climb the towers. Oh how I love spiral staircases….not. It reminded me of the insanely narrow climb up the inside of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland though not as narrow. Going up was fine…it was walking back down. I don’t do well with heights and long spirals downward.
Eh. I survived and it was well worth it. The view was spectacular, of course, and we managed to snap a few typical “Gargoyle overlooking Paris” shots. We had a look at one of the massive bells and after admiring the view a little longer, descended the winding staircase back to street level.
Our next stop was across the street, settling in to a cozy little café in the shadow of Notre Dame for crepes and ‘café crème’. Apparently, they just don’t say ‘café au lait’ in Paris. We bought berets for fun and donned them as we sat drinking coffee and eating crepes in a Parisian café. How Paris of us! The crepes were fantastic…chocolate and banana…sinful combo for me. Once re-energized, we were off again, wandering along the Seine snapping more pictures as we made our way to the Musée d’Orsay.
We browsed the stalls of the ‘bouqinistes’ along the way. I picked up a few Art Nouveau-styled posters for my bedroom because I’m girly like that. Some of the stalls sold such lovely prints. I’ll have to go back one day for more.
The Musée d’Orsay was another fabulous museum. I love sculpture so the whole first floor was of great interest to me. And of course, I can always appreciate the Monet, Van Gogh, and Seurat paintings. It was a good thing we bought the 2 day Museum passes. They really came in handy and allowed us to visit any Museums we wanted. Speaking of sculptures, we were off to the Musée Rodin afterward so I could see the Thinker, the Burghers of Calais and the Gates of Hell for myself. I get a thrill seeing artwork I studied in school with my own eyes.
We visited Napoleon’s Tomb after, went back around Blvd Montmartre for another fabulous dinner, and then went to visit and climb the Eiffel Tower at night. My sore feet and injured leg would have preferred to take the lift up the Eiffel Tower but the long lines forced us to make the trek up. Haha wow. For someone who easily suffers from vertigo…that was a fun experience. My sister was all bubbly and ‘go team’ all the way up. My feet protested but by the time we reached the first level, I had quit complaining. The view was well worth it. We even made it to the second level for more amazing pictures and then back down. It was late in the evening and the line for the lift to the top was too long. Ah well. Next time.
We slept like babies that night, our dreams filled with the sights and thrills of Paris. Our trip was 2/3 done.
Day 3 Recovery
On day three, Kristin woke up feeling sick and spent the entire day in bed. Poor thing. It appeared she had caught a stomach bug and was unable to join Justin and I as we wrapped up our whirlwind Parisian weekend. The day was fairly casual as we took our tme venturing out into the rain to visit the Cimitière de Montparnasse where many famous people like Jean-Paul Sarre and Simon de Beauvoir are buried. We also visited the Cimetière de Père Lachaisse where Jim Morrison and other famous people are buried. We would have liked to visit the catacombs, but unfortunately, it was closed that day for renovations. We shopped a bit in the afternoon at the Galeries Lafayette and spent a quiet evening relaxing and packing while Kristin tried her best to recover her strength.
—
It was an amazing trip. It was a weekend in Paris with my siblings. And though my Justin and I caught the stomach flu Kristin had and were sick upon arrival back home, it was all worth it.
Sites of Interest: Coming soon.
Photo Gallery:
Paris, France 2008
136 photos
View this on Flickr.com >
Destination: Mal País, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
RECENT Comments