A Weekend in Paris

A few weeks ago, Gabby and I took a weekend trip to Paris, which is the one trip to continental Europe I've taken this semester. It turns out Paris isn't really that far away- I think it's actually closer to London than the Lake District and Edinburgh (but I'm not sure). Ever since the Eurostar was built, which is a fast train that goes direct from London to Paris, travel to Paris has become a lot easier. Prices can get pretty expensive though, especially for a trip on a Friday or Saturday, which is when Gabby and I wanted to travel. We eventually decided to take a chance and take a Megabus to Paris. It was a nine hour trip, but it was much cheaper. We booked tickets for an overnight trip Friday so we wouldn't have to pay for accommodation that night. Anyways, the trip turned out interesting. During the first half hour of the trip, the lady sitting next to me ate an awful smelling sandwich, whose scent haunted me for the next four hours. Once we got to the coast at Dover, we all had to exit the bus and move to passenger areas on a ferry. After the ferry journey we boarded the bus again to finish our journey to Paris. Fortunately, I was able to sleep soundly and steadily until we arrived, so I actually felt okay upon arrival. My advice for anyone considering a long journey on a Megabus: know what you're getting in to; get a window seat, bring a pillow, ear plugs, eye mask, and sleeping pills. 

Upon arrival in Paris Gabby and I took the metro to St. Ouen, which is north of the city, where we had accommodation booked via Airbnb for the next two nights. After checking it and having a short rest, we got back on the metro to find a coffee shop. We started out exploring the area around the Eiffel Tour. When we first started walking around, I had actually forgotten about the tower. We crossed a bridge over the Seine and the tower came into sight (previously blocked from sight by a large building). I was so surprised! It was probably a mix of tiredness and genuine awe at seeing something I had only seen in pictures and in movies. Even in the mist and rain, which was the weather on our first day, the Eiffel Tower was beautiful.

Our first view of the Eiffel Tower!

We eventually learned that the area around the tower isn't as tourist friendly as we thought, and we struggled to find a coffee shop with takeaway coffee. Eventually we found a nice little shop with excellent cappuccinos, which made the search well worth it. After a little more meandering, we stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant and split a pizza (we were too starving to look for anything else!). After being refreshed by a meal, we were ready to see more of Paris. On Saturday we visited the Orangerie and the Arc de Triomphe. For dinner we bought pastries and macarons from a little shop, then took a bus back to the Eiffel Tower area to eat with a view of the tower lit up beautifully at night. Once we got back to where we were staying, we watched “Midnight in Paris”. It’s a cute little movie and was cool to watch in Paris!

A bridge with locks- but this isn't THE lock bridge

Arc de Triomphe

View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

The drum major of a band playing outside the Arc de Triomphe

We started Sunday with mass at Sacre Coeur, which was absolutely beautiful! The view from Montmartre is stunning, and we were blessed with wonderful weather. After mass we grabbed some coffee (Gabby and I can't live without our coffee, as you can probably tell by now!) and walked to Montmartre Cemetery. It was actually very peaceful, and the fallen autumn leaves looked very beautiful. I visited the graves of Zola, Degas, and Dumas. Walking back to a metro after visiting Montmartre Cemetery, we unintentionally passed Moulin Rouge, which was pretty cool! After that we visited the Orsay, which was my favorite museum in Paris. In the evening we went to the Latin Quarter and visited the Royal Shakespeare Company Bookstore and enjoyed a dinner of goat cheese and tomato galettes (delicious!). Notre Dame lit up at night was beautiful, and I looked forward to visiting it the next day.

Sacre Coeur

Montmartre Cemetery

Degas' grave

Moulin Rouge

Musee d'Orsay

On Monday we grabbed breakfast at a boulangerie (bakery!) in St. Ouen then headed to the Louvre. It was massive. For three hours I walked around and saw as much art as I could, including the Mona Lisa (overrated...) and Venus de Milo. After the Louvre we moved our luggage to new accommodation, then we went to Notre Dame, where I caught the end of Evening Prayer. I tried unsuccessfully to sing along in French, but partially redeemed myself when we sang the Magnificat in Latin. Gabby and I enjoyed the Latin Quarter so much we decided to go back, this time for nutella and banana crepes (also delicious!) We finished the night with cocktails (no French martinis, though!) and a creme brulee. So good!

Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates at the Louvre

The famous Venus de Milo

Artemis

St. Thomas!

Notre Dame

Evening prayer at Notre Dame

The Eiffel Tower sparkling at night

Instead of visiting Versailles on Tuesday, which we had originally planned, we decided to stay in Paris. I had originally planned to climb the Eiffel Tower that day, but the weather was so foggy that the time and money spend to climb to the top wouldn't have been worth it. Instead, Gabby and I enjoyed a slow day in the city, having a cheese and bread lunch in the JPII park by Notre Dame. In the afternoon we headed to the station to catch the Eurostar back to London (a MUCH more enjoyable trip than the Megabus!)

I didn't get to see the Sainte Chapelle or climb the Eiffel Tower on our trip, but I had a lovely time. Paris really is a magical city. There is so much beauty everywhere. So much art, music, food, history, culture. It was a wonderful extended weekend, but I was ready to be back in London, the city of all cities! 

Au Revoir!