We got up early this morning to catch the Eurostar train to Paris. Our train was scheduled to leave at 7:00 am, so we left our hotel across the street about 6 am, and walked to the underground tube entrance and walked through the tunnels underneath the street to St. Pancras Station. We made a final stop at Pret A Manger to pick up some pastries, then headed to the Eurostar check-in lounge. We had to have our luggage scanned, go through metal detectors and get our passports checked for France, and then sat and waited for the platform to be announced. While we were waiting in the lounge of the station, I found an ATM that issued Euros (instead of British Pounds), so I got some for our taxi once we got to Paris and until I could find an ATM in Paris that didn't charge high fees.
We got on board the train. I had ordered the tickets early and it was only a few extra euros for first class seats, so I booked them. It was fun to see the English countryside before we entered into the Chunnel to cross under the English Channel, and then see each French village with their typical churches and the steeples poking up.
Can I just say that the high-speed trains in Europe are AWESOME! I don't understand why we don't have them here. So convenient, a fraction of the price of air fare, easier to check in and get on the train, more comfortable and roomy than a plane, and is faster than a plane [when you consider the time it takes to get to the airport on the outskirts of the City, check in, security, wait, board, fly, pick up luggage, travel back to the center of the City, etc.] London and Paris are about as far apart as Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. A short, smooth 2-hour train ride at 200 mph and we were there!
Arriving at Gare du Nord (North Station) in Paris
We got in line for a taxi and had to wait about 15-20 minutes before it was our turn. We got in and went on a high-speed, sometimes heart-stopping ride thru narrow openings in the street between illegally parked cars and delivery trucks and seeing motorcycles weave in and out of traffic, but eventually got to our hotel, the Hotel Brighton. (I always worry about being taken for a ride by taxi drivers [literally], so we generally avoided them unless there was no other convenient way to get to our hotel.) The room wasn't ready yet, so they checked our bags and held them so we could start exploring. I had ordered our museum passes and metro tickets online and had them delivered to the hotel (and even emailed ahead and notified the hotel who assured me they would be looking for them and hold them for me), but when I asked for the package, they didn't know anything about it. (In my mind, I had worried about this scenario and was dreading it playing out.) We waited about 15 minutes while they searched (actually, I think they forgot about it until I went back to the counter and asked again) and then they found the envelope, so we headed out into the City with our passes and tickets.
Becky in the hotel lobby waiting for the staff to find our tickets
The gallery on Rue de Rivoli where our hotel was located
The metro stop was just a block away and across the street from our hotel. In most of the Paris subway stations, they had "gates" with doors that opened to allow you into the train. I kind of preferred the "Mind the Gap" announcements in the London tube stations.
Becky in the Tuileries Metro Station
We got off several stops later and walked the few blocks to the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame Cathedral is located. The building itself is impressive and is a textbook example of Gothic architecture. (Again, not my most favorite style of cathedral, but I love the exteriors and the carvings on the buildings).
West facade and main entry to Notre Dame Cathedral
The center window on the Notre Dame Cathedral with the figures of Mary and Christ
Below the rose window, are the 28 Kings of Judah. During the French Revolution, they were interpreted to be French Kings (royalty) and the heads were knocked off. In 1977, the heads were found buried in an adjacent neighborhood, but the statues had already been refitted with new heads after the revolution, so the original heads were put on display in the Cluny Museum (Becky went there).
Carvings above the main entrance into the Cathedral
Exterior stone statues and carvings
The Rose Window from the inside
Interior of Notre Dame Cathedral....very dark and ominous and medieval!
Its hard to comprehend how they were able to build a structure like this given the machinery and techniques they had available to them. Especially in 1160 AD when they started the construction.
Gargoyles on the exterior of Notre Dame
More Gargoyles
Paris architecture is so cool. One of the things that makes Paris so appealing to me is the consistent use of this style...everywhere!
We walked around the back of the cathedral where there is a small park. I would have loved to climb the towers of Notre Dame, but the line was long and would have required standing for a couple of hours in the hot sun. Instead, we found a quiet bench behind the cathedral in this park and just watched the people.
Many of the trees in Paris (specially those in a row or allee) are trimmed to be a box shape.
The flying buttresses on the sides of Notre Dame Cathedral
We crossed a small bridge from the Ile de la Cite and found these locks....all with names of lovers written on them. It made me wish I brought a lock for Rebecca and me.
On the end of one of the islands is the Holocaust Memorial. It marks the location where the Jews were held and then transferred to boats to be deported to concentration camps.
We walked back toward Notre Dame and found a small shop selling Quiche. We picked up a big slice (and a large bottled water) to share and crossed the street to a small park where we sat down and ate lunch.
The "Quiche" park
From there we walked a couple of blocks to the Latin Quarter. I love the feel of the Latin Quarter with its narrow, pedestrian streets, lots of shops and restaurants (not that we wasted our time shopping, however!).
We did stop at a restaurant that was selling Nutella crepes, which were excellent! (Is anything with Nutella NOT excellent?!)
Rebecca at the crepe shop
Latin Quarter streets
Placa St. Michel
I love the metro signs...even the simple ones like this have an artistic quality to them.
Seine River crossing back to the Ile de la Cite
We walked back to the Ile de la Cite to see Sainte-Chapelle chapel (once a royal chapel and part of the palace). The original French kings had a palace on the Ile de la Cite, which eventually became government buildings after the French Revolution. It took us a while to get into the chapel because we had to go through security clearance and the chapel and the French supreme court shared the same entrance. But the wait was worth it....
Inside of Sainte-Chappelle....a chapel begun in 1239 AD and one of the first to incorporate substantial use of stained glass. It was really breathtaking to see nearly 360-degrees of stained glass 3-4 stories high.
Sainte-Chappelle is loosely(?) translated "Holy Hat"....because the chapel relic is the "Crown of Thorns" worn by Christ and was supposedly brought by the crusaders to France. They bring out the crown once a month and put it on display, but we weren't there when it was.
The high altar and the stained glass surrounding it on the East end
Rose Window on the West end
They were restoring a section of glass on one side, so we didn't get the full effect.
The panes of glass tell the stories of the Bible window by window
Even the outside, has a "thorn" motif
Adjacent to Sainte-Chappelle is the remains of the Capitian Palace, the former royal palace for French kings and queens
The French Supreme Court within the same complex
In the Conciergerie (remains of the Capitian Palace), this is the room where Marie Antionette was held a prisoner prior to her execution on the Placa de la Concorde a few blocks away. (The mannequin of Marie Antionette was kind of creepy with a black head scarf).
Marie Antionette's chapel in the Conciergerie
Courtyard in the Conciergerie
The Conciergerie along the Seine River
As we started walking back to our hotel to take a break and check into our room, we passed this flower shop. It just seemed so Parisian
Me on the Pont Neuf with the Eiffel Tower in the background
Pont Neuf with the Conciergerie behind
Paris streets
A cool art nouveau metro sign
Our hotel building
Gallery of shops near our hotel entrance
Hotel entrance
Our room on our fourth floor "balcony" overlooking Paris. The Arc du Triomphe is barely visible up the street and the Grand Palais is visible just left of center (glass roof). A summer carnival was set up in the Tuileries just across the street. There was a bit of noise until 11 pm or so, but we never got to bed that early, so it didn't bother us too much.
The Eiffel Tower from our balcony
The Louvre and the Tuileries gardens from our balcony
The ferris wheel that blocked our view of the Louvre pyramid.
Paris traffic! Nearly non-stop.
The view to the side street out of the balcony in our bathroom (The doors stayed closed most of the time! I'm not sure there is much value to having balcony doors in your bathroom)
Fountain and pond in the Tuileries
Becky in the Tuileries looking toward the Louvre
The Louvre entrance and pyramid
The Louvre: Hallways that go on forever and are filled with sculture after sculpture. (And they don't bother giving the sculpture air-conditioning, so it was a bit warm!)
The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Probably my most favorite item in the Louvre. It sits so gracefully at the top of a big staircase.
La Giaconda (Mona Lisa) on the far wall. We went on an evening when the Louvre stayed open until 9:30 pm, so most of the day crowds had left for the day. It was a very pleasant time to go. This room was the busiest of any we went into.
Becky with a smile that matches Lisa's (if not surpasses!)
The most photographed item in the Louvre
While the Mona Lisa is quite small, the Wedding at Cana on the wall opposite the Mona Lisa is one of the largest. Very cool. We studied this painting in my art history class.
Another big painting we studied in art history: The Coronation of Napoleon
While the real stars of the Louvre are the paintings and sculpture, I also found the ceilings to be pretty impressive!
The Venus di Milo. Just what were her arms doing??
Louvre Sculpture
A Leonardo da Vinci painting (I think) being studied by Becky
Another shot of the Winged Victory. I wish I had gotten it with the staircase
Napoleon's apartments in the North wing of the Louvre.
One of the "Louvre Highlights" listed in the brochure. I wish I could remember what they were. But we saw most of the highlights and walked nearly the entire length of the north and south wings of the Louvre.
From the da Vinci Code. at the entrance to the adjacent underground shopping mall
Another cool art nouveau metro stop sign
We took the subway to the Champs d' Elyses and picked up some dinner of pastries and french baguette sandwiches. We then walked nearly half the length of the Champs d'Elyses looking for a subway entrance to go back to our hotel.
The Champs d'Elyses was packed with people out for the evening. There were shops, restaurants and theaters all up and down the street.
We finally ended up at the Arc du Triomphe. We tried to go up to the top, but just missed the closing time by about 30 minutes. (They don't light up the Arc very much and it was hard to get a good photo in such low lighting.)
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