48 hours in Paris...

My two days in Paris were pretty much a blur of me hoofing it all over the city to see and do as much as possible. I had two things in my favor...1) I borrowed a tour book from Marie-Caroline that divided up the city into sections and mapped out the best path to take to see everything, and 2) the Metro system is not significantly different from the subway system in Chicago, London, or Vienna, so I was able to master it quite quickly. I think I successfully saw most of the major tourist attractions, and I KNOW I successfully took too many pictures! Here are some samples...

First stop...Palais de Chaillot and Trocadero fountains...

The Eiffel Tower was right across the street. I was completely prepared to be underwhelmed...I was anything but! Seriously, it is huge and amazing, and I don't even have a bizarre obsession with steel like some people I know ;) I opted not to spend the money (or the time...the line was massive) to go up, but I did do plenty of staring and snapping!

I followed the guidebook and made it to the Invalides, which includes the Dome Church (which houses Napoleon's tomb), Musee de l'Armee (and a bunch of other military museums), and the Hotel des Invalides (veterans' hospital established by Louis XIV).

I wandered down the Boulevard St-Germain to check out all the cafes and find St-Germain-de-Pres and the Fontaine des Quatre Points Cardinaux in front of St-Sulpice church...

...then made my way along the Left Bank of the Seine to the Ile de la Cite where Notre Dame is located. Again, I decided against a tour of the towers in favor of time (another long line), but I did queue for a bit to be able to get into the ground floor of the cathedral. The interior is beautiful, but I was a little disappointed by the level of commercialism (glass booth for confession with a "live priest" available daily from 9:30a to 2:30p...really?) as well as the lack of reverence that many of the visitors portrayed. I found walking around outside in the sunshine and admiring the exquisite Gothic architecture to be much more enjoyable!

Ah yes...how could I forget! I took a break during my tour of the cathedral grounds to enjoy my first crepe in France! There was a little cafe on the street next to Notre Dame with a stand out front and a man making crepes right there. I opted for apricot...maybe not the healthiest choice for lunch, but it was delicious!

From there I walked back up the river to the Pont des Arts and crossed over to the Louvre. Inconveniently, the Louvre is open every day EXCEPT Tuesdays, so I spent some time walking around the courtyard and surrounding gardens before heading back to the apartment for the evening.

Wednesday was a short day, since I had to catch the Eurostar back to London at 6:15, and had to be at the station to check in about an hour before that. I went to work with Marie-Caroline and left my bag there, then walked along the Champs-Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe past the Petit Palais and Grande Palais to the Concorde.

I continued on back through the Jardin des Tuileries to end up at the Louvre. I spent the rest of my time wandering around the Louvre and not seeing half of it! One could easily spend days in that place. It was a little unsettling to have to push through a huge mass of people to get close enough to see the Mona Lisa, and not even be able to stop and really appreciate it because of all of the shoving. It felt a little weird to be taking pictures, since most of the pieces are better enjoyed in person, but here are some of the "famous" ones...

All in all, I very much enjoyed myself in Paris, and I feel good about what I was able to fit into my short time there. The city was much prettier than I expected, and I was surprised by the amount that I was able to see and do without spending much money at all. I think Paris definitely warrants a return trip...but next time I'll be bringing a friend! :)