Paris with My Head in the Clouds

I got off the plane at Charles de Gaulle feeling like a rock star. I had just hopped a jet to Paris for the weekend! After buying a metro pass, I took the train into town. Rock stars might not usually take the metro, but my pass was indispensible during the weekend. Feeling hungry, I stopped at a boulangerie for an apple tart and a baguette. French Food was a major agenda item for this trip. 

I met my friends from USC, Jessica and Michael, at our hotel, and we set off in search of dinner. Eventually we found a nice prix fixe dinner that was in our budget. I got lamb in a delicious sauce, a roasted tomato, and the only lima beans I’ve ever liked. Plus dessert was included, so we all got chocolate mousse. We ate for several hours and stayed quite late. It all felt very French.

Although my usual homebody-self was kind of feeling like it was bedtime after our huge meal, we had other plans. Jessica had found a place offering free salsa dancing on Friday nights. Turns out that the Café de Cuba was right next to the Moulin Rouge. That was a bonus for me.

Inside the atmosphere was good, the only cover was the 2 Euros for the coatroom, and there were good dancers. We had a great time until the place cleared out around 2 AM. That’s about when the metros stop running, but we were close enough to our hotel to walk back. 

The next morning we got up bright and early like proper tourists. It was time to pay homage to the Eiffel Tower. Pre-sale tickets were sold out, so we got there just before they opened at 9:30 and didn’t have to wait in line for too long. We bought our tickets and started our ascent. The views from the top were spectacular! Paris just stretches on as far as the eye can see. 

Once the wind on the tower got too cold, we made our way down. We had spent quite awhile admiring the views, and we were hungry again. Nearby was a small café were I got a croquet monsieur, which is like a grilled ham and cheese, but with cheese on top too.

Our next major attraction was Notre Dame. There was a security line to get in, but it moved quickly. The cathedral is beautiful on the inside. I especially had to stop to admire the famous stained glass windows.

 

You can climb to the top of the bell tower at Notre Dame as well. Since we were all about fabulous views, we got in line. This one moved much more slowly, since they can only let groups in every ten minutes. But we made it before I froze in the shady line. Admission to the top was free with our visas, since we were long term residents of the EU and under the age of 25. (Otherwise it costs a few Euros.)

Then began the 400 steps to the top. Halfway up is the Chimera gallery, where all of the gargoyles are. Some of my favorite pictures from the trip are with the gargoyles. They just have so much personality, and the view below is wonderful.

One last set of stairs led us to the tippy top, with another panorama of the city. You just don’t get tired of looking at it.

 

To be honest, the stair climb wasn’t all that bad. But I did need a snack afterwards. We stopped back at our hotel for a little break on our way to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, also known as the sacred heart of Paris, or the big white church on the hill. We timed our visit almost perfectly, so we got a peak of the sun setting below us before we went inside. The structure inside and out was impressive, but no photographs were allowed inside.

After we admired the basilica’s interior, we were treated to a view of the city at night. With all of the lights, including a bit of the Eiffel Tower, it was easy to see how the city got the moniker, “The City of Lights.” Definitely a place to see at night.

Since the hill up to Sacre-Coeur is not insignificant (200 steps) the metro system operates a funicular to the top. It was awesome! The street between the metro and the funicular was lined with crepe stands and cute souvenir shops. I had to have a quick crepe.

Our next stop was Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore across the Seine from Notre Dame. I’d seen pictures of it all over the internet, so I was excited. It was the coziest little bookstore with books crammed up to the ceiling and rolling ladders. Upstairs were two reading rooms with a piano, that someone was playing, and a cat. It was a reader’s paradise. Although, they respectfully asked for no pictures inside.

After that cozy detour, we were hungry again. We were right next to the Latin Quarter, a series of streets full of restaurants, food stands, and gift shops. We wandered around for a while before finding a gyro/kebab place with very reasonable prices and open tables. There were lots of budget-friendly places to eat in the Latin Quarter.

Sunday our group spit up since we all had different getting home plans. I decided to check out some of Paris’ free museums. MuséeCarnavalet was first. Housed in an old hotel, or town house, it was basically a museum about Paris. There was lots of lovely artwork featuring the city’s landmarks and glamorous population. Plus several different historic exhibitions with artifacts that talked about famous citizens, the Revolution, and Napoléon. Also, some of the rooms were restored to their original splendor. I enjoyed the museum a lot and spent almost two hours there.

For lunch I took the advice of the lady who worked in the gift shop and went a few blocks down to a Yiddish bakery. Their quiche was very yummy. Then I headed to the former home of the Bastille to see the Victor Hugo house. It is just a few blocks away. 

Also housed in a former hotel, the museum is one of the apartments were Victor Hugo lived. You go through a few restored and recreated rooms to experience the full life of the poet, in Paris and in exile. It is a very small, but nice museum, and the hotel surrounds a lovely park.

After that, I only had time for a quick pain au chocolat before I had to head back to the airport. It was a whirlwind weekend, but I loved it. Not only did I spend most of the time with my head literally in the clouds, but I got to see some old friends in a brand-new place. I guess Audrey Hepburn was right when she said “Paris is always a good idea.” 

Postcards from Paris