Paris Part 2

Last time i talked about the first part of our busy trip to Paris. We packed so much into our time in Paris, but we had a blast doing it all. Here is the second part of our busy and fun trip!

Day 4 Sunday, March 24th:
Sunday in Paris was our Museum day. On Monday many of the museums are closed (except the Louvre), so we decided to try and go to as many museums on the Sunday as we could visit. The Paris Pass came most in handy for our trips to these museums as it actually let us bypass the long "regular" line and gave us entry to a special "pass holder" line that was much shorter and gave us immediate entry. This saved us a lot of time, as we didn't have to wait in line to buy tickets and could just go straight into the museums. If you plan to visit museums when you visit Paris, I highly recommend getting the Paris Pass if only for this reason. We were able to see all the museums we wanted in one day with the time we saved not waiting in line (excluding the Louvre, which takes a day in itself). Plus, you get to smugly walk passed everyone in the other line and feel special. It was a busy day, but we enjoyed it!

The first stop on our museum day was Musee d'Orsay. This museum has many famous art works and is much smaller than the Louvre, so it's possible to do it in part of the day. We went first thing in the morning and were done by mid afternoon. It has paintings by van Gogh, including one of his "Starry Night" paintings that is really beautiful. It's not the most famous version of "Starry Night" that Dave and I were expecting, but it was still just as nice (of course it was, it was van Gogh!). Dave and I are no art connoisseurs, but we enjoyed seeing all the famous art pieces that we had heard about for so long. It's really neat seeing them in person because you can see the textures of the paint and the different layers. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures in this museum to share with you (although Dave did take one secret one...I gave him a look). 

Our next stop was the Musee Rodin. Rodin is a famous sculptor and you probably know him for his sculpture "The Thinker". This is what we came to see, but there were also many other beautiful sculptures too and the museum is neat because many of the sculptures are located in the garden outside. Rodin actually lived in the house that has now been turned into the museum and used to wander in the same gardens.

While we were in the gardens at the Musee Rodin, we noticed an interesting building across the way with a gold roof. We decided to check it out when we were done and it turned out to be the Musee de l'Armee. We decided to go in, since it was included in our Paris Pass and we were glad we did because this is where the tomb of Napoleon is located. The tomb is HUGE and it is quite impressive to see. There are also many other tombs in this building of famous military figures.

By this point we were getting hungry, so we headed to the Jewish Quarter to try out what is known as the "best" felafel in Paris. Now, I have never really had felafel anywhere else, so I can't really judge if it was the "best", but it was extremely delicious and very filling! When we got to L'as Du Fallafel the line to get to the counter was LONG. But, I was expecting this from reviews I had read. Having said that, they have a pretty good system and it does move pretty quickly. A man took our orders while we stood in line and then we just handed the paper to the window when we got to the front and in minutes we had felafel in our hands! We found a corner to hide in and scarfed it down! We both went for the spicy version and it was delicious. A very cheap and filling lunch.

After feeling rejuvenated from our lunch, we headed back to Notre Dame cathedral to check out the Archeological Crypt that is underneath it. I didn't realize that underneath the Notre Dame is this crypt that contains remains from when Romans lived in Paris. It was really neat to see all the ruins and learn about Paris' history before it was the Paris we know today. When we were in the crypt we learned that there was an old Roman amphitheater, called "Les Arenes de Lutece" located right near our apartment so we decided to check it out on our walk home. It was really neat to go through a side street and walk into this old amphitheater right in the city. Today, it seems to be used as a park, we saw many kids throwing and kicking balls around and a group of old men playing Bocci ball in the middle. Unfortuneately no gladiator battles, but it was still really cool.

By this point we were exhausted so we picked up a baguette on the walk home from Eric Kayser bakery. I had read that they were supposed to have the "best" baguette in Paris. We also picked up a bottle of wine and went home to relax and enjoy our snack before dinner. The baguette was very good, but I'm not sure if I liked it better than our baguette from our little bakery here in Toulouse. It was tasty, but very doughy in flavour. It was still very delicious and we had no problem eating it all with our wine. Once we were rested enough we headed to China town to try out a restaurant called "Pho 14" that's supposed to have the best Pho in Paris and for a cheap price too. Dave ordered the Pho and I had a vermicilli bowl and we each got a beer. The meal was very delicious and very cheap. After dinner,  we were exhausted, so went home and rested for our big day tomorrow at the Louvre.

Sneaky picture inside Musee d'Orsay

Musee Rodin

Rodin's famous and risky "The Kiss" sculpture

Dave thinking in front of "The Thinker" (we are very original)

Rodin's "The Gates of Hell" (don't worry, we didn't go in)

Musee de l'Armee

Napoleon's tomb (big enough? me thinks somebody had a Napoleon complex)

So close to the front, gimme!

So giant!

mmmmm

Archaeological crypt

Les Arenes de Lutece ( I enjoy that this old Roman ruin is just a French kid's playground now haha)

Wine and baguette break

Delicious vermicelli bowl

Pho

Day 5 Monday, March 25th: 

We got up early and headed back to Notre Dame again because Dave really wanted to climb the towers to the top of Notre Dame. We had tried to do it the first time we were at the church but the line was too long. This time we got there early and while there was a line, it didn't take too much time to get to the front. We lucked out and had a sunny morning too, which made it great for views from the top. And Dave got to climb things again, so he was happy. 

Most of the museums in Paris are closed on Monday, the Louvre is not (it is closed on Tuesdays though) so we decided to make the rest of the day our Louvre day, and it's so big you need a day to see it. We got there at mid-morning and we stayed until it closed. We did a pretty good job of seeing a lot, but we missed out on a few wings because there just wasn't enough time. Also, the museum is undergoing some construction in a few of the wings and so parts are shut off to the public, making it very confusing to get to certain wings without getting turned around. We managed all right though and only got lost a few times. We saw everything we wanted to see and the Louvre is really amazing.There are so many famous art works that you have heard about your whole life and it really is cool to see them in person. We saw the Mona Lisa and many other famous works, it was great!

After the Louvre, we decided to head down to the Arc de Triomphe. We had walked by a few times but hadn't been to the top yet, and of course Dave wouldn't stand for not climbing to the top of something if given the chance. We got to the top just as the sun was going down and it was nice to take in the view as the sun was setting. If you are looking for a good view in Paris and don't want to wait in a line, this is the place. There was never a line when we were there and it is easy to get to the top without waiting. Plus, the views are just as nice as anywhere else.

By this time we were exhausted and our feet were killing us from walking all day at the Louvre so we headed home. We didn't really have the energy to find somewhere to go for dinner and wanted something quick, feeling too tired for a "french" meal that can sometimes take awhile. So, we actually went to McDonald's near our apartment and picked up takeout and then got a bottle of wine to bring home. We had a little wine and McDonald's picnic in our apartment and it was honestly delicious and the perfect, relaxing way to end the day. I know, I know... I can't believe we ordered McDonald's in Paris (don't judge me!).  After that we called it a night.

View from the top of Notre Dame Towers

This gargoyle is enjoying a snack

Dave and I at the top of Notre Dame (excuse my squinty eyes)

The Louvre

Dave thinks the real Venus de Milo is almost as good as the Gummy Venus de Milo

The original "Tebowing"

Mona Lisa

Winged Victory

Outside the Louvre (it's GIANT)

Arc de Triomphe

View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Day 6 Tuesday, March 26th: 
This was our last day in Paris, and it was really only a half a day because we had a train to catch that afternoon. But, since our apartment was so close to the train station (a 5 minute walk) and since we still had a few things we wanted to see we decided to try and cram in a few more things before we had to go home. We woke up early and headed straight for the Catacombs of Paris. Under the ground in Paris lies catacombs that have the remains of about six million people. The Catacombs are dark and damp and the bones line the sides of the tunnels and are arranged in interesting ways. It was kind of creepy but neat to see and the audio guide provided us with a little bit of history about the catacombs. It was really interesting and I'm glad we got a chance to learn a bit about this "creepy" part of Paris. The Catacombs also used to be old mines and there are some neat stories and carvings in the walls that are very interesting to see. We enjoyed our visit here and I'm glad we were able to squeeze it in.

There's nothing like finishing up a visit to a catacomb full of bones with a snack run for macaroons. But, I was determined to visit some of the famous macaroon shops that I had read about before leaving Paris. I couldn't come to Paris and not try a macaroon! So, we rushed to the famous  Pierre Herme and got a selection of macaroons to have on the train ride home. They were delicious. We had many flavours, but the creme brulee was our favourite. It had a vanilla and caramel flavouring and almost tasted like a roasted marshmellow. It was soo good. I've had macaroons here in Toulouse, but they were just okay, so I wasn't expecting much. But, the macaroons in Paris are really very good and I can see why they are so famous now. We also got an Infinite Vanilla tart from the same bakery that I heard was supposed to be good. We shared it and it was also really, really delcious. I wish we could have bought more, but it was pretty pricey. We enjoyed our feast on the train home though and gobbled up all of our treats!

By the time we were done getting our macaroons, we realized that we were cutting it close for our train. So, we took the metro back to the apartment, and ran home. I grabbed our bags and Dave bought a few baguette sandwiches for the train and then we did a last quick clean of the apartment before literally running to the train station. We got there just in time and about two minutes after we got on the train it departed the station (good thing we ran!). It was worth it though, and after we cooled down we relaxed and enjoyed our last Paris lunch on the train with our feast of baguette sandwiches and macaroons.

One of the carvings in the wall of the Catacombs

That is all bones

Very creepy down there

Let's follow up those catacomb pictures with pictures of food. Seriously though, look how good that all looks! How did I ever decide?

Macaroons!

Mmmm so good. I think this one was Blackcurrant flavour. We took a picture like this of every macaroon we ate, but I'll spare you looking at all of them.

Infinite Vanilla Tart (much better than finite vanilla tarts)

Look at that filling. So good!

We had a great time in Paris and I'm glad we got to visit before we left France. We packed in a ton and I loved everything we saw. There is so much to see in Paris that I'm sure you could go back many times and never see it all. We had a great time seeing what we did and enjoying some Paris treats while we were at it. It was a great trip!

Until next time...

Au revoir