view from Montmarte
After arriving at our hotel, it was 11pm and we were starving, so we walked across the street to a restaurant and we were told that they were closing. The bartenders told us where we could go to eat and when they saw us walking the wrong direction, the one ran outside to tell us we were going the wrong way, took us to the right restaurant, then told the hostess that we needed a table for 2. Throughout our entire trip, we encountered many, many nice french people. It's not always true what they say about them!!
Moulin Rouge
Friday, we visited the Moulin Rouge, Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur. In Montmarte, we stopped at a cafe for a beer and to people watch. We must've had 20 people try to convince us to buy a caricature painting. One man was willing to bargain and was quite persistent. He started at 50 euros which we absolutely refused. We kept talking him down and finally talked him into doing a picture of both me and Shelly for 20euro. He was a very nice man and ended up sitting with us for about an hour while doing the painting. We then visited the Romantique museum that Shelly read about in her Michelin guide to Paris. They gave us free tickets into the museum, for what reason, i'm not sure, but I was glad we didn't pay! The museum was just some artwork from a famous family and while it was nice to look at, I don't think it was worth paying to get in.
Sacre Coeur
That night, we had reservations at a restaurant called, Monteverdi. It's an Italian restaurant in Paris, but we went because the owner is a friend of Shelly's friend in Delaware. There was another couple that night that was from Delaware and they have the same friend in common with Shelly. A very small world! We joined them for a glass of wine after dinner. Shelly and I then set-out on the Parisian nightlife scene. We were in the Latin Quarter, where all of the young adults hang out.
Eiffel Tower at night-view from Arc de Triomphe
Saturday, we took the train to the Eiffel Tower. It was a very windy day, so the line was not terribly long. We went up to the second and third floors and practically froze outside in the wind/trying to take pictures. We then wandered around the city trying to find the Arc de Triomphe. It took us a bit of time, but we found it. It was dark by the time we found our way there; we were able to take some neat "night" shots. We paid to go to the top, which I hadn't done on my 2 previous trips to Paris. I loved the view at the top because we were able to see the Eiffel Tower lit up and even saw the flashing lights which go off for 5 minutes every hour. We had dinner that night on the Champs Elysees at Pizza Vesuvius. Again, Italian, I know! Family friends of the Caggiano's live in Paris and the one son works at this pizzeria.
Champs-Elysees
We hopped on the subway and took it near the Notre Dame. It was a very sketchy station where we got off and we couldn't seem to find our way. I spotted a church that was large and reminded me of the Notre Dame and I thought it was the view from the side. Clearly, I didn't remember anything about the Notre Dame because it was definitely not this church! Shelly was surprised that there weren't more tourists around when I told her that that was it...now it makes sense. After asking for directions, we found our way. The church was beautifully lit up at night. There were street performers, lovers kissing in the street and friends drinking wine...a beautiful scene and last stop location in Paris before our 7:30am flight the next morning...brutal!
Paris has always been and continues to be my favorite European city. I'm glad that I was able to re-experience this city with Shelly. It was the perfect first-spot destination for the beginning of what I hope to be a wonderful year.
Shelly and I atop the Arc de Triomphe
No comments:
Post a Comment