Catching up on Paris

After an exciting day at the Louvre, Becca and I went to The Eiffel Tower. I was told Paris is a million times better at night, and that is very true. The lights of the tower were beautiful. Standing 1,063 ft high and weighing 7,300 tons, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited structure in the world. It wasn't busy when we arrived, probably because it was a late weekend night in the middle of winter, but it was a lot better than I imagined it.

I love things that are shiny and that light up...christmas lights, disco balls, diamonds...ect. So the Eiffel Tower fits in perfectly with some of my favorite things. 

We took a lift up to the second level, and saw the entire city light up! Hence, the city of lights. We then walked down the numerous flights of stairs to the first level. I read online there was a winter-wonderland setup on the first level of the tower, so we had to see for ourselves. It was a let down, but there were some cool ice-carved structures.

Heading home to our hotel we got lost on the metro. This has happened a few times. 

The Next morning we went to Musee d'Orsay to see Monet and Van Gough. The Museum is an old train station with beautiful classic architecture. It is also along la Seine. The major river running through Paris. 

Day 2

Day two in the unfamiliar city, Becca and I decide to wake up at 4am and plan our day. The Louvre is our top priority since I have a great love for art history and Becca likes everything. We purchased our metro tickets and were on our way, right off the subway I was in awe...through iron gates was the most amazing sight I have ever seen.

 The steel and glass pyramids were what immediately caught my eye along with the beautiful fountains which were almost frozen from the chilly atmosphere. The museum is a former castle, with the original moat and drawbridge still on display.

It took us all morning 8am-Noon to see everything La Louvre has to offer. One of the finest museums in the world filled with culture and art history; of course it took us nearly 4 hours to see everything. The Mona Lisa was the first major art piece we saw. It was covered in a double layered glass case and surprisingly very small for what I had imagined. 

The next exhibit was of Picasso and Delacroix. It was amazing. how Eugene Delacroix could paint of such massive canvases. Picasso's artwork was exactly as I had imagined it...breath taking. 

Of all the rooms in the Louvre, I had my favorites. The Greek statues and the Egyptian collection. I dragged Becca around for hours in just these two areas alone. The Venus de Milo made my whole Paris trip worthwhile, and its only day one.

Paris.

Flying isn't one of my favorite hobbies, but touring Europe has always been a dream of mine. So I set aside my pessimistic views, took a 50 ml sleeping pill and passed out so I could ignore the crying of annoying kids and the obnoxious girl who wouldn't stop talking about herself to some poor fool of a man next to her.

Once the plane landed at CDG airport in Paris, I felt it was needed to unfasten my seatbelt- before everyone else!- and before the pilot turned off the "fasten seatbelt light". I already had my giant of a backpack packed and my shoes on...all i needed was my sister's approval to jump up and shove her way off the plane ahead of me. yea- that plan didn't work. being in row 21 has its disadvantages when trying to get of the plane in a hurry. 

of course there was a luggage delay. i hate airports and everyone that works at one. so my plan to bounce out of there in a reasonable amount of time and shot down. but thankfully my bags were the first out! becca and i took off with our three small suitcases ready to leave and get a cab. we decided we should probably use the currency exchange at the airport so we could pay for our cab w/out a hassle. Well something is wrong with french numbers, because after 5 wrong elevator rides we were lost, circling the airport. 

finally we arrived at our hotel. very cute on a cozy little crowded street in the 9th assessment in Paris. Axel Opera Hotel. snow on the ground and all!

Cute, yet creepy at the same time. The lift aka elevator fits about 1/2 a person. fitting more than one person in it seemed very dangerous, i thought of taking the stairs up three flights but opted to squeeze in. we took two trips to get all our luggage into the room.

It was almost like I was in "being John Malcovich" the movie, on the 1/2 of a floor. the hallway to our room was about 3ft wide. we came into an awkward encounter when two other guests were leaving their room we had to shimmy face to face past each-other thru the hall. our room also small. 

we took a long nap...after traveling 24hours you are exhausted and jet lagged. after that we headed to dinner. Paris streets are the most amazing sight ever. filled with lights, people and excitement! 

We took pictures everywhere, admired the crepe stands, explored some amazing shops then ate at a quaint pizzeria. again the restaurant was awkwardly tiny, we faced a couple that felt the same way as us...embarrassed when we hit our heads on the lamps hanging very low. 

after dinner we explored more, the 20 degree weather didnt stop us, however the fact the we got lost did. I realized while my sister and i were lost i wouldn't mind living in one of these amazing apartments in this great city. the beautiful and detailed architecture makes the city even more beautiful.

now: back in our room, warm at 10pm a little tipsy from the bottle of wine at dinner, were ready to sleep in the city of lights.