First, a primer. I learned quickly on this trip that I am not a good tourist. I like go at a slow pace and I find the crowds and bustle of museums overwhelming and exhausting. While it was fun, it got to be too much. After leaving the UK, we decided to treat the Paris portion of our trip differently. We had been in London for 5 days and we were pretty non stop with our touristing and sightseeing. We'd be in Paris for almost four days, and we decided to treat it more like a vacation than a tourist destination. We didn't make big plans everyday, but decided to chill and relax and see sights only if we felt like it. I say we, but it was mostly me. Dallin kindly went along with it because he is nice and he'd just been there. I was the overwhelmed one.
If I could sum up our Paris experience in a few words, it would be this-- riding bikes, and eating salami and cheese in beautiful places. Perfect. I was worried it would get boring, but it was heaven.
We slept in and ate breakfast. We bought a bike rental pass for our whole stay there, and we would sometimes just ride around the city. Or walk. Whatever. Then we'd stop at a fancy cheese shop, and buy exactly what the Parisian couple in front of us bought, because they looked like they had good taste. Also buy some salami. Ride our bikes back to Luxembourg gardens, or to a pretty cemetery, or by the side of the Seine. Stop and eat. We went to 2 museums, hiked Sacre Coeur and went to a church service at Notre Dame cathedral. But more on those later.
Here's the breakdown. Not by days, I didn't even keep track. Just events.
From London, we took an overnight bus and ferry across the channel and landed in Paris at about 6 in the morning. One thing I learned-- nothing is open in Paris at 6 AM. Nothing. We wouldn't be able to check into our room until 1, so we decided to wander through the city with our luggage. That wasn't our best idea. We were both hangry and tired after being on a bus all night. I know, cry me a river you poor souls wandering in PARIS. After some lunch and a nap, we were much better.
We stayed in THIS apartment that we found through airbnb, and it was perfect. Two blocks from both the Pantheon and Luxembourg Gardens. Exactly what we needed.
Dallin had come to Paris a few weeks before with his seminar group. While he was there, they had gone to get falafel in the Jewish district and he couldn't stop talking about it. It was one of our first stops.
In front of Sacre Coeur, overlooking Paris. That hike was a work out-- the slope rivaled any mountain hike I've ever done. It was amazing to see the houses built onto that hill, it didn't look like it shouold've worked.
The Seine.
Our feet. On the steps in front of the Seine.
Walking around outside the Louvre.
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