It has been a busy 3 days, but I finally found time to post an update of my last few days in Paris.
Day 3:
Friday was Museum day! We all got our museum passes and were set free to go to the museums of our choice! I grouped up with Holly, Katie, Justin, and MiLeah. We begin at the Louvre and look around there for a couple hours. We saw the Egyptian section (we saw a mummy) then we Went through some of the Greek statues and finished with the Mona Lisa. After our legs were aching and our stomachs were rumbling we decided to go to lunch at one of the local restaurants nearby the Louvre. We then looked at a few shops near the restaurant (I saw some amazing cars parked nearby). After the girls bought matching scarves, we continued to the Orange Museum which is not orange or about oranges at all, but rather contains Monet's paintings of the Water Lilies. The Water Lilies were beautiful, but I really didn't think they were all that they are cracked up to be. Eventually, we decided to go to the modern art museum. I am not fond of modern art, and this museum reinforced my opinions on the subject. The sounds of crickets, a pallet of feed sacks, or a video of a naked woman dancing like a monkey is not art... at all.
After we had enough of being artsy-fartsy people, we made our way to the Latin quarter (a local and tourist hotspot with lots of cheep food vendors) and ended up eating dinner at a small pizza place.
Day 4:
Saturday the group met up and went to the Arc de Triumph! Most if the group went to the top and got an awesome view of the city. After that the group was free to do whatever we wanted to do, so a lot of us decided to try and go to the catacombs that stretch underneath Paris. Unfortunately, there was a three hour line to get into it so we all decided it wasn't worth the wait. From there on out MiLeah and I were not with the group because we didn't want to eat sushi for lunch. We tried to catch up with the group after lunch but we could not find them. So we made due on our own.
We first started at the Eiffel Tower. We went clear to the top by climbing the stairs to the second floor, and taking the elevator the rest of the way (because it was the only option). The view from the top is amazing. I would wait the 2 hour line again in a heartbeat to see it again.
From the top I spotted 2 Ferraris and one Lamborghini, so of course I begged MiLeah to come with me and see it. As soon as we got to the bottom, we power walked to where the cars were, and to my amazement, they were still there! They could actually be rented for 89 euros and were able to be driven by anyone with any kind of drivers licence. I was incredibly tempted. But fortunately I chose the wisest option and didn't spend my money. I took lots of pictures and was just happy to see those amazing cars.
We then walked to where we thought we had seen the smaller version of the Statue of Liberty (the one the French kept after giving us the big one). It was a long walk, but it was worth it. MiLeah and I had never seen the American statue, so it was neat to see its smaller, French sister. MiLeah and I then went to Cafe de Officers for a relaxing candlelight dinner and had teramasu for dessert.
Day 5:
Sunday the group went to Versailles. This was probably my favorite place we have gone because we were free of the packed city streets and finally had some elbow room. Versailles was a palace for the nobles, and it definitely looks like it. Gold ornamented all of the buildings, and the architecture was incredible, but was really astounding were the gardens. Everything was perfectly manicured and pristine. I loved walking through the shrubbery hallways that were over 15ft tall. But the most enjoyable experience was seeing a water show that occurred ever 10 minutes. The small group I was with just sat in the bank and enjoyed the music and waterworks that danced before us.
After we left Versailles, MiLeah and I went shopping for some souvenirs and grabbed a crepe for dinner. Now we are heading out to catch up with the group to see the Effel Tower one last time at night before we depart for Barcelona tomorrow.
Aurevoir for now! If I have time, I will say Hola tomorrow!
GGMa, GMa and I are enjoying your latest post adventures! No French macaroon tastings? ...I remembered a little tip I was given for interacting with people in France but I guess it's a little late to be sharing now. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour Gma is wondering if the water show is anything like the one at Branson Landing?
Thanks for keeping up with my travels Renee and for keeping the Grandmas informed!
DeleteNo, I didn't ever have an opportunity to grab one! Every time I saw a candy shop, I was with a big group and I wasn't able to stop.
It is really hard to compare the too. On one hand, Paris had more water jets with better timing to the music. But on the other hand Branson had fire and rock music. So I can't really say which is better.