(and the night before on the train from Venice to Paris)
We got on the train and into our compartment and settled. It wasn't long before we had a few companions. A French lady joined us and we spoke to her about the church in explanation of how we knew each other and why Aubrey had lived in Armenia for 18 months. The best part was the fact that I was able to speak to her in French for the most part until my vocabulary would not allow, then we would switch to English until her vocabulary was limited. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to use the language I have studied for 11 years in such a way to be able to communicate.
Not long later a French gentleman joined us and we spoke some in French but mostly in English with Aubrey as well. He made the comment that my French was very good. He wanted to know how I had come by my accent since I did not sound American. He couldn't place me in any specific reason in France, but I was satisfied to not sound like a American. I am amazed at how fulfilling just that simple compliment made me feel. That task alone made the trip worthwhile. It was one BIG check on my Bucket List!
Sleeping on trains was so much fun and more comfortable than anywhere I have ever slept except a very warm and comfy bed. It was warm and rocked you softly and only jumped every once in a while.
We woke up in Paris and we wowed by the train station.
Gare de Lyon
We dropped off our stuff (after quickly freshening up) and headed out to see the sights. It was certainly an extremely different kind of city than either of the ones we saw in Italy and we were with walking distance of most of the things we wanted to see. And joy of joys, now we could communicate with all those around us.
The Place de La Bastille
Remember July 14, 1789 & The French Revolution
"Storming the Bastille"
It is a place I have studied but I honestly didn't realize that absolutely nothing remained of the old prison.
A school, if I remember correctly--beautiful.
Notre Dame
My heart was thrilled by a sight of the Seine and the outline of so many wonders.
A cross walk sign.
It is not as large as some of the churches we had already visited but it was just as magnificent.
Look to the Heavens
I couldn't get enough pictures of the stained glass windows.
Why don't more churches have them now?
The Rose Window
A Heroine to be proud of.
Sometimes I wish I new more of the symbolism you see in these.
The metalwork around a tomb.
Arches to sing to.
They were holding a mass while we were there.
Now that is a vaulted ceiling.
As we left we saw the entrance to the catacombs and I thought Aubrey was going to bust a blood vessel with excitement, but unfortunately they were closed that day and we were never able to go back.
Well I suppose we will just have to make another trip ;)
So we moved on...
The Palais de Justice
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity (Brotherhood)
A motto to be proud of.
One can certainly see the imposing and intimidating hand of justice waiting to pass judgment.
Fountaine of Saint-Michel
Proof of the Reconstruction of Paris in the 1800s.
L'Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
(careful, it isn't the one you are thinking of)
These Horses of Saint Mark were stolen from Venice by Napoleon Bonaparte and then returned almost 20 years later by one of Napoleon's captains. Since then they have been replaced with replicas in France and also in Venice due to all the pollution that was threatening their destruction. The originals are now only on display within the basilica
The weather was beautiful and sunny, but rather chill compared to the heat of Italy.
We had to wear pants and cardigans to be lovely and comfortable.
The Gardens outside of the Louvre that we enjoyed for a while before we headed on.
It honestly made me want to live there.
Julius Caesar
Yes the French like Disney too.
Long live Rapunzel and her movie Tangled!
A pantheon.
Le Place de la Concorde
I would have taken a wider picture but they were already preparing for the celebrations of July 24th and there was construction going on all around it and along the road nearby.
It made crossing the road sketchy and almost dangerous.
So glad we didn't drive at all in Paris.
A lovely park where we stopped to eat lunch from one of the street vendors. We got a hot dog for a little bit of home and a nutella crepe that was a small piece of heaven that made me want a whole lot more.
I think they are a little addicting--and no I have not found one that good in the US (unless it be the homemade ones by Rachel).
Us on our bench
The Grand Palais
A museum but we didn't actually go in,
there are just too many of them in Paris to visit them all.
L'Arc de Triomphe
(to me the original, even if not by date of construction)
And this is why you go close to see even if it is hard to get too and too small to get a picture of the whole arch, because you just can't see facial expressions like that in any other picture but your own.
The tomb of the Unkown Soldier
(we saw that tomb in every country we visited)
His ribs are the drain, you get it?
It was just too funny to see this painted on the sidewalk;
I guess it is one way to learn the bones in the body.
La Tour Eiffel
You can see it far before you get there as the Champs-Élysées has you walk almost straight for it.
I even got a little statue of it for Elaine as a souvenir, a wonder of metal.
I even got a little statue of it for Elaine as a souvenir, a wonder of metal.
I think she was just so excited she couldn't hide it.
A beautiful place and two beautiful women.
Now here is the story of why Aubrey and I spent 4 or 5 hours at the tower.
It just so happened that the day we decided to visit they were having technical difficulties that had them down to using only a single lift instead of the four they normally have. So we had to wait in line for 2 hours waiting to get our tickets. (Lesson: Always buy your tickets ahead of time if at all possible because it means you get to skip the lines pretty much everywhere!)
We did have the chance to chat with some fun Italians behind us and we had our beacon of hope in a the green cap kids. There was a school group or some such a good ways in front of us in line and we judged how far we were moving by their neon color. The moment we saw them buy tickets and ascend on the lift we cheered for we new that it was not hopeless. Unfortunately I don't think either of us actually took a picture of them--I wish we had.
This is the fix-it elevators.
This is one I may have to print out and put up for it is fabulous.
We appreciated them working but wished they had fixed it sooner.
Such metalwork.
With our tickets, on the platform, waiting for the elevator to descend.
Old fashioned looking lights.
Can you imagine going up this when it was first built?
When a man ran the elevator from the outside?
The first level.
The Louvre and its gardens
The Grand Palais, I think...
What a view!
I think it was about this point that Aubrey commented, "It is a very good thing that neither of us were afraid of heights" and I responded, "Yeah I am weird; I actually really like heights, to stand at the edge and look down and all you can see." And I mean seeing this can you blame me?
Apparently Mr. Eiffel had a small but cute and rather unique apartment at the top with his daughter where he entertained a slew of famous people. I believe this one is supposed to be Thomas Edison.
The Arc de Triomphe at a very cool angle, I mean you can see the circle that has all roads spiraling out from it.
The random bit of downtown sky scrapers certainly didn't fit to me.
It was like having one mountain in the middle of flat Louisiana.
This is the line we waited in. It goes all the way under the tower to the far corner and as you see wraps around back to the tower after it hits the road. And believe it or not when we came down around 9 p.m. it was still there. We just hoped they would get to go up as the last ascent is around 11 p.m. or midnight, I forget.
At the top there is a champagne bar that was extremely popular.
It just made me laugh; better not get too tipsy or you might have a problem with being so high up.
Poster displayed when the Eiffel Tower was first built since it was at that time the new high building.
Now that is my girl enjoying this amazing place.
The gears that move the lift.
Once we finally got home we went to a Chinese restaurant next door to our hostel and ate a ton of delicious food. By the time we were finished we were so tired we did nothing but go up and get ready for bed in our little room. Oh and we met our adorable little Asian roommate and chatted about what we had all done.
What a whirlwind day!
Now what could be left to see?
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