"Paris is always a good idea."
~Audrey Hepburn
~Audrey Hepburn
July 12th, Tuesday
Today we leave London for Paris. We filled our bellies, once again, with the best breakfast buffet in the world, and we filled our days and nights full of sights and experiences and so many memories. And even though it feels like we've done so much, we didn't get to nearly enough of our seriously long list of things to do and see. It was merely a glimpse of the offerings available in London (not to mention the surrounding areas).
… and that’s what this particular trip is all about. It's a sample. Two days in each city (really, it’s two nights), whether it’s a major city or a small town- it’s not enough to fully experience anything. But it's more than enough to sample the area. To get the feel or vibe of a city and to check off the most critical, most coveted bucket list items from each place.
I'm sorry to be leaving London but I'm also so excited to arrive in Paris. I can hardly believe my good fortune. To be in an amazing city, traveling to another city I’ve always dreamed of seeing... All of us are just trying to soak everything in.
… and that’s what this particular trip is all about. It's a sample. Two days in each city (really, it’s two nights), whether it’s a major city or a small town- it’s not enough to fully experience anything. But it's more than enough to sample the area. To get the feel or vibe of a city and to check off the most critical, most coveted bucket list items from each place.
I'm sorry to be leaving London but I'm also so excited to arrive in Paris. I can hardly believe my good fortune. To be in an amazing city, traveling to another city I’ve always dreamed of seeing... All of us are just trying to soak everything in.
We are going to be EARLY to the train station (zero chance of missing our train to France). At least we get to shop around and buy souvenirs and lunch for the train and explore a bit.
Eventually it's our turn to get in line. We have to go through customs (which means a France stamp in our passports!!!) The Eurostar speed train, via the English Channel, to Paris is such an easy way to travel. The train travels at over 200 kilometers per hour (120+ miles an hour) and because of the speed, it takes just 2.5 hours to go from London to Paris.
The train isn’t actually all that exciting. You’re in a tunnel for a lot of the time so there aren’t many great views until we emerge in France. But it sure was a breeze- super convenient - and... now here we are in Paris!! In France!! We leave the station and walk about two blocks to where our temporary bus and driver are waiting. They’ll take us to our hotel and then when we leave France we’ll get a brand new Rick Steves bus and our permanent driver from Paris to Florence (where she'll leave us and go pick up another Rick Steves group).
|
Our hotel in Paris is the Tourisme Avenue. It’s double occupancy (like all of the hotels on tour) so Grace is my hotel buddy for the Paris portion of the trip. This particular room has a separate toilet/bidet room and shower room and, a little coffee machine.
|
*Tip: because we get two nights in each city it’s best to do any necessary laundry on the first day. That gives the longest possible drying time before we move again. The towel warming racks in the bathroom are perfect for drying some wet clothes too so- bonus.
We unpack and hit the road- we do have all of Paris to see after all.
We unpack and hit the road- we do have all of Paris to see after all.
Our Hotel in Paris.
This gorgeous flower shop is next door to our hotel. It’s so lovely. We drove past so many cafes, fresh produce stands, and flowers on our way through town, I am loving the feel of this city already. Everyone is super excited to get out into the heat and see all that Paris has to offer.
And so far Paris is everything we had hoped it would be. As the sun began to set and the lights started to come on, the cafes started to glow. This picture just captures it perfectly. It feels like the real life embodiment of what I hoped to see in Paris. I loved walking around this city so much.
Our group's destination is the Bateaux Mouches. A boat tour down the Seine River at sunset. We floated past famous museums, the Orsay, Notre Dame, an unbelievable moonrise, and the Eiffel Tower at dusk… just in time for the lights to be seen (it was almost as if someone had planned it that way...). Thanks Rick Steves Tour, this was a cool experience.
We watched the tower sparkle and then walked past it to get back to our hotel. It's so impressively huge. We can't wait to go up it tomorrow.
Then, since it was only midnight… and all of the cafes were open, including this one next door to our hotel, we decided to have a leisurely drink and enjoy the night (which is still super warm, but no longer unbearable). Plus- after the heat of the day, everyone is drinking water like it’s our full-time job, like we're getting paid. We need to fill up before sweating it all back out tomorrow.
Then, since it was only midnight… and all of the cafes were open, including this one next door to our hotel, we decided to have a leisurely drink and enjoy the night (which is still super warm, but no longer unbearable). Plus- after the heat of the day, everyone is drinking water like it’s our full-time job, like we're getting paid. We need to fill up before sweating it all back out tomorrow.
"Good night" from Paris!!
July 13th, Wednesday
The hotel buffet is great. French pastries, yogurt, eggs, meats, beverages... a veritable smorgasbord.
After breakfast we were supposed to play pétanque but something bad happened (I never even found out what)- LOL, maybe the balls melted in the scorching heat? I don’t know. The thing about being in Paris is... I want to do and see everything in Paris. So, if pétanque's out, something else fabulous is in. And what was “in” was a history lesson and sight-seeing walk around Paris with Bea.
Rick Steves guides use something called the Whisper device to lead tours and we get ours in the lobby this morning. It’s a little box with headphones that you wear around your neck so that you can easily hear the guides without them having to shout. It’s a great system as it lets you move freely around while still hearing everything. There’s no need to be in the front of the group if you don't want to miss out. And, If you’re sensitive to different ear buds, you can use your own.
Rick Steves guides use something called the Whisper device to lead tours and we get ours in the lobby this morning. It’s a little box with headphones that you wear around your neck so that you can easily hear the guides without them having to shout. It’s a great system as it lets you move freely around while still hearing everything. There’s no need to be in the front of the group if you don't want to miss out. And, If you’re sensitive to different ear buds, you can use your own.
We end up in the cutest little neighborhood, watching the shops open for the day. We're a little early for the opening of the macaron shop that Bea wanted us to experience so we get a break to explore. That means coffee for Dan and crepes for the rest of our little group.
Having crepes in France is high on Grace’s “absolutely must do” list. We’re happy to make that happen. And, when the tour group meets up again, it’s macarons for everyone!! Coincidentally, eating macarons in Paris also checks “eat macarons in Paris” off of Abby’s "absolutely must do" list. Coffee, crepes, and macarons - our "must do" lists aren't exactly wild but, they are delicious.
Having crepes in France is high on Grace’s “absolutely must do” list. We’re happy to make that happen. And, when the tour group meets up again, it’s macarons for everyone!! Coincidentally, eating macarons in Paris also checks “eat macarons in Paris” off of Abby’s "absolutely must do" list. Coffee, crepes, and macarons - our "must do" lists aren't exactly wild but, they are delicious.
It’s around this time that one of our tour groups bails out of our walking tour to go see the catacombs. I didn’t realize we could do that. Brilliant! We didn’t make plans in advance that overlapped with anything on the tour. But, what a great idea. They only missed a tiny section of the group tour. Plus, it would be cool underground, the perfect activity for today.
The rest of us finish up the tour and then we have free time for the rest of the day. We journey to the Rue Cler for lunch, one of the most famous market streets in Paris. We have our guides to thank for the recommendation. The artisan food shops and fresh berries and smells, flavors, and sights were well worth the quick trip.
The rest of us finish up the tour and then we have free time for the rest of the day. We journey to the Rue Cler for lunch, one of the most famous market streets in Paris. We have our guides to thank for the recommendation. The artisan food shops and fresh berries and smells, flavors, and sights were well worth the quick trip.
And now we have almost three hours until we need to be at our Eiffel Tower reservations. So- we say goodbye to Jim and Darlene who are returning to the hotel, and we walk about a mile through molten lava air to stand in line outside in the blazing summer heat in order to get into the Orsay Museum (Musée d'Orsay) for a super speedy walk through. Worth it. Stepping into the richly air-conditioned space was so luxurious - it was also pretty necessary since I would not otherwise have survived.
Just basically sprinting past some of the most famous works of art in the world.
With travel time we only have 90 minutes in the museum. 90 minutes is not enough time to see this museum, there was no leisure happening for us, almost no "lingering". But we did manage to see the masters and most of the other works. We could have wandered the museum all day- but I would have been super thrilled with even 30 more minutes.
With travel time we only have 90 minutes in the museum. 90 minutes is not enough time to see this museum, there was no leisure happening for us, almost no "lingering". But we did manage to see the masters and most of the other works. We could have wandered the museum all day- but I would have been super thrilled with even 30 more minutes.
Did you see "Whistler's Mother" kids? Good - move on. We don’t have time for art and culture and beauty. We are on a mission to get through this museum- we’ve got an Eiffel Tower to see.
The Eiffel Tower was on EVERYONE's "absolutely must do" list. The Eiffel Tower is the one thing we purchased tickets to months in advance. We knew we did not want to miss out on going up.
This structure is super impressive and just MASSIVE up close. You know what else is massive? The lines. We have timed tickets but apparently so does all of Paris. So, we wait on the ground for a long time before going up (like an hour past our ticket time). Luckily, we are standing by one of the most amazing landmarks in the whole entire world. So- zero people care about our “plight.”
The Eiffel Tower was on EVERYONE's "absolutely must do" list. The Eiffel Tower is the one thing we purchased tickets to months in advance. We knew we did not want to miss out on going up.
This structure is super impressive and just MASSIVE up close. You know what else is massive? The lines. We have timed tickets but apparently so does all of Paris. So, we wait on the ground for a long time before going up (like an hour past our ticket time). Luckily, we are standing by one of the most amazing landmarks in the whole entire world. So- zero people care about our “plight.”
And obviously- we do eventually get our turn to experience the tower. “Going up… and up… and up…”
Grace does not “LOVE” heights. But she likes missing the Eiffel Tower even less than she doesn’t like heights so- she’s all in. She’s just not SUPER all in close to the edge. And everyone is impressed with the views. Wow!!
Grace does not “LOVE” heights. But she likes missing the Eiffel Tower even less than she doesn’t like heights so- she’s all in. She’s just not SUPER all in close to the edge. And everyone is impressed with the views. Wow!!
And- we thought the lines on the ground were bad? Those were kids play compared to the lines on the first platform to go up to the tippy top. Some wrapped around the tower, so you had standers and then literally every tourist trying to get by. It was a mad house. We met a lovely couple from Australia and took advantage of the views while we waited. We were in the queue for at least another hour. Our line was in the shade, so we were super thankful about that. We eventually made it up to the top (where we spent about 30 minutes looking out at the spectacular views before spending another 30 minutes in line to go back down).
And bonus- the first platform no longer seems all that high after being at the top- so Grace is not even bothered with the view anymore. 😂
Dan and Abby decided to walk down to the bottom, so they take the stairs, which is an amazingly cool experience for them. Since Grace wasn’t feeling like dangling off the Eiffel tower hundreds of feet in the air, we went with the McVickers to the lower platform to see it. We were glad we stopped to explore. This lower level has a glass walk and a restaurant - it’s a really neat design and was fun to see. It would have been fun to hang out here.
And bonus- the first platform no longer seems all that high after being at the top- so Grace is not even bothered with the view anymore. 😂
Dan and Abby decided to walk down to the bottom, so they take the stairs, which is an amazingly cool experience for them. Since Grace wasn’t feeling like dangling off the Eiffel tower hundreds of feet in the air, we went with the McVickers to the lower platform to see it. We were glad we stopped to explore. This lower level has a glass walk and a restaurant - it’s a really neat design and was fun to see. It would have been fun to hang out here.
PS - we found out after talking to a bunch of the other tour members, that people with later tickets (sundown on the Eiffel Tower) had no lines and no wait at all. They were also smart because going later gave them a longer time in the afternoon for whatever they decided to do in their free time (for us - it would have given us another hour or two in the Orsay). Live and learn. And, who knows? Maybe it varies by day? But we would have moved the time later if we had been thinking about how it would fit with what we wanted to do in the afternoon.
We are all super hungry and thirsty by this time, so the grandparents and kids take off for the restaurant in a funny little taxi and the rest of us walk the mile (through boiling lava air) to meet up for dinner. We could have hopped in a cab but we didn't want to - we wanted to see the city (and then we wanted to drink two gallons of water and other beverages at dinner).
|
So delicious.
Watching the city light up on our walk back to the hotel.