Destination #16: Paris, France
We ended our Eurotrip in Paris, the city of love. <3
Cliffton went to Paris in the Fall of 2013 and I remember him sending me lots of pictures and sweet messages on how he wished I was there. I still remember him sending me a picture of the lock bridge, with a lock that said Cliffy <3's Adeline. All of these pictures allowed me to imagine myself exploring the streets with Cliffton, posing with the Arc de Triumphe, eating Duck Confit at a cute cafe, nibbling on a Laduree macaroon, and admiring the street artists along the banks of the Seine. I have never dreamed as much about a place as I have Paris.
All that said, I tried to guard my expectations because I didn't want to get my hopes up, but they were pretty high (just like they were for Maldives, and Italy). We spent our first night walking up and down Champ de Elysees, and dining at Laduree. When in Paris, I think it's perfectly acceptable to have macaroons for dinner. The next day, we went our separate ways since I wanted to go to the Louvre and Cliffton already went in 2013. He did not wish to endure it again. I gave myself a time limit of 4 hours, which actually turned out to be just about right. It's true you could spend a while day there, but even after 2 hours, I was exhausted from fighting my way through crowds, and running to get ahead of tour groups. I was pretty scared standing in the mob that surrounds Mona Lisa and was nearly crushed a few times. Despite the touristy "hardships" it was completely worth it to see legendary works of art and masterpieces up close and in person. After my morning at the Lourve we went to lunch at a cute cafe, then walked on over to Notre Dame. The minute I saw this magnificent medieval cathedral the Hunchback of Notre Dame theme song kept playing in my head. And as we walked through the nave and pews inside the cathedral I kept singing, Esmerelda's "God Help the Outcasts" which didn't amuse Cliffton. I can't decide if Disney enriched my Notre Dame experienced, or tainted it. Either way Disney musicals really made an impression. From there we wandered to the Luxemburg Gardens. We decided to rest a bit and play Pokemon (which we still hasn't gotten old yet :)). Paris has some pretty good ones, unfortunately we never found Mr. Mime though (the European exclusive Pokemon). We also found ourselves in an adorable boutique shopping area. The streets of Paris are full of surprises. I feel like you can just wander, and still be amazed at how picturesque the buildings are with their colorful little shutters, large French windows, and potted flowers.
Our second day we went to a modern art museum which was pretty creepy. I guess I've never appreciated or understood modern art...BUT they had this adorable corgi instillation which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that we headed to the most visited paid monument in the world (according to Wikipedia): the Eiffel Tower. There is no warning as you walk up the stairs to see it. It's not behind any walls or obscured. It's huge and bold and truly magnificent. It's also not solid black like I expected. It's more of a burnt beige color. But when we reached the top of the stairs and the sight of it hit me, I was surprised to find myself tearing up. We spent a good part of the day there.
The next day we started off at Moulin Rouge and walked our way over to Montemarte, an adorable hill top artsy market and cafe area surrounding the beautiful Basilica Sacre-Coeur. Our day there was so relaxing, and typically Parisian (in my mind). We sunbathed in the grass lawn in front of the Basilica, perused the streets lined with eager artists and their canvases, and dined at a nearby cafe on crepes. We also spent a good part of the day watching a real mime (not Mr. Mime from Pokemon) play jokes on all the people crossing the street to walk to Montemarte. We spent our last two days in Paris catching a cruise on the Seine River, eating their famous steak and frites at Le Relaise de l'Entrecote and picnic-ing in the Champ du Mars with the Eiffel Tower overhead. Our last night there we perched ourselves on the top of the Arc de Triumphe to watch the sunset.
In a strange way Paris feels familiar because of the world famous monuments and numerous depictions of it in artwork, movies and novels. I don't think I am alone in having a preconceived image of how it will be before visiting. At the same time it still feels so foreign. I felt like an outsider admiring how beautiful and regal the whole city is. From the grand monuments like the Eiffel Tower to the smaller roads with boutiques selling handmade perfume and silk purses, the whole city is a work of art. I don't feel like I'll ever be able to describe it quite right, but our visit to Paris felt like a dream. And one day I would like to relive it.
