Paris

Sunday night we took the Megabus to Paris. Typically we would have taken the train to Paris but since it was a last minute booking the ticket prices were way too expensive. We were supposed to arrive in Paris at 6am Monday morning but since everyone on the bus was going to Paris they cut out the other stops. Plus our driver was somehow able to convince border control into not checking our passports before we got on the ferry to France. All of this meant that we got in much earlier than we expected: 3:30am. 

The city was so quiet and cold as we walked into the city centre. We were able to get really great photos of the Arc de Triomphe (see above). 

It is a tradition for tourists to write their names on a brass lock, attach it to the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge, and throw the key into the Seine river as a symbol of their everlasting love. Unfortunately, these locks are damaging the bridge and officials have said it is a safety hazard. They have started putting up these panels to try to prevent more locks from being added but as you can see from the photo below, they haven't been able to stop love! As a great respecter of infrastructure I did not feel we could participate in this romantic tradition. 

One of our first stops was Notre Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris" in French) I did not realise that Notre Dame is actually on an island on the Seine. 

Below is a close up of the western side of the cathedral. 

And here is a photo of a view of the eastern side from across the river. 

The inside of the cathedral was just as beautiful as the outside!

After we walked around the islands we went to La Sainte Chapelle, which was built by Saint Louis in the mid-thirteenth century to house relics. It has fifteen beautiful, high stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible. 

We were lucky that it was really sunny the day we went because it made the stained glass that much more impressive. It was definitely worth the really long wait in line!

We bought a dual ticket for Ste Chapelle and the Conciergerie, which was built as a royal palace in the 14th century but later became a prison and torture chamber. It was used to incarcerate enemies of the revolution during the Reign of Terror. Inside we were able to see a reproduction of the cell where Marie Antoinette was kept before her beheading. Below are a few photos inside the Conciergerie. 

After touring those sights we walked around, took some photos, and got some lunch. The buildings in Paris are so incredible. 

We stopped by L'éclair de Génie and tried a caramel eclair. It was good but it was much more pretty and expensive than it was delicious. 

Throughout our time in Paris we used the Metropolitain subway system. It had quite a few differences than the tube in London. For example, you have to open the doors manually and a lot of people would open the doors and get out while the train was still moving. There were also a lot of homeless people sleeping inside the Metro stations. 

Below is a view inside one of the Metro cars. 

I really liked some of the signs in the stations like this one below. 

One of the downsides to visiting Paris in December is that all the leaves are gone. We will definitely have to come back again during a different season to see Paris in bloom. 

Another church we visited was Eglise St-Eustache, which was surprisingly empty when we visited. It is a beautiful church with free admission. I would recommend it as a top sight to anyone going to Paris. 

Below are a few photos of the inside of St-Eustache. This church is where Louis XIV celebrated his first Holy Communion, where Voltaire is buried, and where Mozart chose to have the funeral mass for his mother.  

While walking around Les Halles, we stopped at Comme A Lisbonne for egg tarts. They were so amazing! Definitely the best egg tarts I've ever had. 

They gave us a cinnamon packet to sprinkle on top of the egg tarts. This was new to me but it really made them even better, if that is even possible. 

Below is a photo of some Parisian street art near Centre Pompidou. 

We did some shopping at Bon Marche Grand Epicurie food hall. It was this massive store with tons of speciality food items. 

Below is a photo inside the food hall. It is really difficult to capture how massive and impressive it is. It was actually a bit overwhelming. 

While at the food hall we bought some bread, a caramel custard dessert, and this vanilla bean butter (see below). We brought it home as one of our souvenirs so we haven't tried it yet but I can't wait!

The food in Paris is unbelievably good. Those of you who know me know how much I hate ham. But Paris is this magical place where ham actually tastes really good. I ate more ham in the three days in Paris than I have in the last several years combined. Below is a photo of my croque-monsieur sandwich with ham and broiled cheese. 

And our creme brûlée for dessert! Delicious!

On one of our walking tours we walked around the Hotel des Invalides, which was built by Louis XIV to provide housing for the 4000 disabled war veterans. The building is amazing! I love any building with a gold dome (I'm talking about you, Des Moines!). 

Below is a close up of the doors. Inside this building is where Napoleon is buried but we didn't go inside to see his tomb this trip. 

Below is a photo of the Pont Alexandre III which connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarter.

Wednesday morning we walked by the Palais Garnier, which is on my list to tour on our next trip to Paris. 

Next on our list was the Louvre. We had no idea what was in store for us! The line to get in was insanely long. When we got in line there was a sign saying the wait time to get in was 3 1/2 hours. Luckily, it took closer to 2 hours. Lines in Paris are no joke! If you plan to go to Paris and want to visit the Louvre I would recommend buying your tickets weeks in advance so you can get in the line for ticket holders (which was also a long line but nothing compared to our line). 
Here is Warren taking a quick break from standing in line. 

Below is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which is next to the Louvre. The sides of the arch show depictions of Napoleonic victories and on top of each pink marble column is a soldier of the emperor's Grand Armee. 

Luckily we had come on Tuesday morning and taken some photos around the Louvre so we could get straight in line on Wednesday morning. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays so it is a great day to come and take photos with less people around. 

Here is a photo inside the Louvre. 

My favourite part of the Louvre was the state apartments of Napoleon III. 

These rooms were so opulent and over the top! 

One of Warren's favourite pieces in the apartments was this interesting three person couch (or chair?). I said that it would be perfect for gossiping!

No detail was left out of the decor of these rooms.

Below is the grand dining room which features this immense table.

The Louvre was originally a fortress built by the French king Philippe Auguste. On the bottom level of the Louvre, visitors can walk along the original perimeter moat and see the piers that supported the drawbridge. 

We also saw the Winged Victory of Samonthrace (also known as Nike of Samonthrace). It is on the landing of this grand staircase in the museum and is really impressive as you walk up.

Things got a little crazy when we went to see the Mona Lisa. In order to see the Mona Lisa up close you have to get in this mosh pit of a line. I wanted to see it up close but Warren backed out after a few minutes. There is no logic to this line. There are three sections and the Louvre workers up front give you a certain amount of time then they open up the barrier and force a random amount of people out. I was never able to be at the very front but there was no way I was going to get back in line! It was definitely not worth it just to see it up close (especially considering the rumours that the real one is actually in a vault somewhere and the displayed one is just a really great copy). 

Warren and I did what every other tourist was doing around the Eiffel Tower and took a selfie. I did find out an interesting fact: it is illegal to post night photos of the Eiffel Tower because the lights are considered a work of art and can't be reproduced under copyright law. So I will only be posting daytime photos of this amazing landmark!

 Since Wednesday was New Year's Eve there were all these street vendors selling bottles of champagne with plastic cups. We also wondered how many people proposed to their significant other on the Eiffel Tower that night!

Here is a view of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées looking toward the Arc de Triomphe on New Year's Eve. It was so crowded as we walked back to our coach station. They put on a fireworks show at the Arc at midnight. 

Some of the preparations for New Year's Eve included boarding up windows at the businesses along Champs-Élysées.

 Below you can see police in riot gear standing in front of a boarded up Swarovski store. Sadly, our bus left at 10:30pm so we didn't get to see any of this craziness unfold. 

Even after spending several days going non-stop in Paris there is still so much that we still want to do. It was an amazing city and I can't wait to go back!