OH. MY. GOODNESS.
I have never thought I had ADHD, although I always knew there was a slight possibility, but Paris can really make you feel like your neck is going to break. Which way to look? Left, right, high, low. Constantly.
While in Paris, I was distracted on a whole new level. Day one was a whirlwind, but in a pleasant way. I am all for being out of my element, and now that I have become accustom to the German way, France was an amazing escape, yet somehow familiar...
I should start off by stating a few things:
I booked this trip eight months ago. Yes, eight. Before we even moved to Germany! I wanted time to research a million things to make it a smooth and seamless vacation. My research definitely paid off.
As much as one can assume all of the highs of a vacation, not many prepare themselves for the lows. But I do. I have always lived by a simple motto that some people may see as "sad", or "negative": Expect the worst, hope for the best.
Technically, we arrived the night before around 5pm. Ate dinner, wandered into a nearby mall, and then called it a night around 10pm. Day one for us officially began the next morning (the 23rd), and it started with transportation. Our apartment was seated in a city called Serris, or better known as Marne la Valle; a suburban-ish place outside of Paris. Others know it as the Disneyland area.
I knew that train/metro tickets for our family would be about €260 depending on the value of the Euro upon our arrival. Total cost, for 5 days, five zones, and six people (2 adults/4 children) was €232. Zones matter, big time, and especially for us since we were staying in zone 5. We purchased our tickets, and jumped on the RER A.
We got off the train at Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station. Little did I realize that when you walk out of this particular underground station to the ground level, the FIRST thing you lay eyes on is the Arc de Triomphe. It was so weird!
I didn't plan on seeing this monument until later in our stay (and I later found out that the train stop I planned to stop at in a future itinerary was just across the street), but there it was, and we couldn't look away.
In the midst of seeing the Arc de Triomphe, we were greeted by an Asian couple. Very friendly, but spoke little English. They gestured that they wanted a photo and handed my husband their camera. I was confused at first because my husband was just getting ready to snap a picture of the kids and I when they walked up to him.
They started walking my way to pose. We politely moved away to get out of their shot, but they inched closer to where we were standing and then mustered enough English to tell me "No, with children" and pointed to me as well. I said "All of us?", while I pointed at myself and then the kids. They shook their heads in a overjoyed 'yes' motion, so we all stood together and had our picture taken with them!
Since my husband had my camera in his hand already, I told him to get one with it, too. After the awkward photo, they said "Our honeymoon, so excited!!! Thanks!!".
All we could do after they walked away was laugh while still confused about what had just happened. They were really nice, but I still felt the need to make sure I wasn't pick pocketed, and sure enough, that didn't happen. They were genuinely excited tourists like us, who also happened to want a photo of themselves standing very closely to someone else's family.
After a half hour at the Arc, we set foot to find the Eiffel Tower. From the Arc, you can make the top of the tower out in the distance, so we followed the tippy top, turning left, right, and cutting through neighborhoods. I liked this walk, even though my original intention was to catch the metro to Trocadero from the Charles de Gaulle station, rather than walking. But detours like this through unknown cities give you a real story; you see the people who live there, their houses, their frequented grocery shops, their children riding scooters.
For a brief moment, you feel like one of them. No tourists around. No swarms of people. Just us walking through a quiet neighborhood, and that is all.
For those who do not know what Trocadero is:
Once where a palace sat, and more formally called the Place du Trocadéro, this new-ish building houses museums, a theater, and a fancy restaurant. More importantly to someone like myself, this area also provides a stellar view of the Eiffel Tower.
The baguettes were €6 each, and oh so good. The vendor heats them up for about 5 minutes, which provides one the satisfaction of gooey cheese, tons of flavor, and soft warm bread. YUM.
The vin chaud hits you fast. I was semi-drunk, in love, and in Paris; stumbling along the cobbled footpath next to the Seine river. Ah, memories!
After crossing the bridge, we made it to Notre Dame, although our legs were ready to give up on us.
The line to see the inside of the cathedral was disturbingly long, so we found the line to the bell tower (where you can walk up a flight of stairs to see gargoyles up close, and views of Paris). The tower line was extremely short! Just one issue: They cut the line for the day and it was about 4pm when we arrived. BOO. Take notes if you ever plan to visit: Arrive before 2pm, or your chance may not happen.
I have never thought I had ADHD, although I always knew there was a slight possibility, but Paris can really make you feel like your neck is going to break. Which way to look? Left, right, high, low. Constantly.
While in Paris, I was distracted on a whole new level. Day one was a whirlwind, but in a pleasant way. I am all for being out of my element, and now that I have become accustom to the German way, France was an amazing escape, yet somehow familiar...
NOTE: I am suffering from a terrible head cold as I write this. I am purposely not giving a shit about letter accents regarding French vocabulary.
I should start off by stating a few things:
I booked this trip eight months ago. Yes, eight. Before we even moved to Germany! I wanted time to research a million things to make it a smooth and seamless vacation. My research definitely paid off.
As much as one can assume all of the highs of a vacation, not many prepare themselves for the lows. But I do. I have always lived by a simple motto that some people may see as "sad", or "negative": Expect the worst, hope for the best.
This motto has been with me for many years, and has never failed me. I hate to admit, but I am a glass half empty type of person, although I do skip and fart rainbows when the sun is shining! But when, or if, things don't go as planned, my motto makes it easy to move on and say "Maybe next time". This came in handy for our first Paris experience.
Booking a hotel is easy. Getting there, easy. But being there is another beast. I already knew the history of the place, but the day to day bustle was another thing. Once I booked our apartment back in April, I jumped into reading blogs by seasoned travelers, took advantage of Trip Advisor, forums, pinterest, downloaded helpful phone apps, visited official websites for hours, addresses and prices. I studied the city transportation hardcore, and even brushed up on my French. I had my daily 'loose" itinerary, complete with train/metro directions from our apartment to our destination, and then our return trip, for each day.
Booking a hotel is easy. Getting there, easy. But being there is another beast. I already knew the history of the place, but the day to day bustle was another thing. Once I booked our apartment back in April, I jumped into reading blogs by seasoned travelers, took advantage of Trip Advisor, forums, pinterest, downloaded helpful phone apps, visited official websites for hours, addresses and prices. I studied the city transportation hardcore, and even brushed up on my French. I had my daily 'loose" itinerary, complete with train/metro directions from our apartment to our destination, and then our return trip, for each day.
I was ready for battle! Just missing some body armor that may have came in handy when a French ambulance nearly ran my ass over...but you'll hear about that on Day 4 :-)
Back to Day 1.
Back to Day 1.
Technically, we arrived the night before around 5pm. Ate dinner, wandered into a nearby mall, and then called it a night around 10pm. Day one for us officially began the next morning (the 23rd), and it started with transportation. Our apartment was seated in a city called Serris, or better known as Marne la Valle; a suburban-ish place outside of Paris. Others know it as the Disneyland area.
I knew that train/metro tickets for our family would be about €260 depending on the value of the Euro upon our arrival. Total cost, for 5 days, five zones, and six people (2 adults/4 children) was €232. Zones matter, big time, and especially for us since we were staying in zone 5. We purchased our tickets, and jumped on the RER A.
We got off the train at Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station. Little did I realize that when you walk out of this particular underground station to the ground level, the FIRST thing you lay eyes on is the Arc de Triomphe. It was so weird!
I didn't plan on seeing this monument until later in our stay (and I later found out that the train stop I planned to stop at in a future itinerary was just across the street), but there it was, and we couldn't look away.
The traffic was INSANE. Pure insanity.Like, why...? Why would you? I just...no words. Whirling around the Arc de Triomphe is the world's most dysfunctional vehicle round about. Seriously. My husband and I just stared at it for minutes upon minutes; fixated on the absurd amount of chaos that IS the roundabout. There are no lanes, and seemingly no rules. People just zoom in, weave around each other while honking their car horns, hope not to crash, and then exit. Again, no words can fully describe this hot mess.
In the midst of seeing the Arc de Triomphe, we were greeted by an Asian couple. Very friendly, but spoke little English. They gestured that they wanted a photo and handed my husband their camera. I was confused at first because my husband was just getting ready to snap a picture of the kids and I when they walked up to him.
They started walking my way to pose. We politely moved away to get out of their shot, but they inched closer to where we were standing and then mustered enough English to tell me "No, with children" and pointed to me as well. I said "All of us?", while I pointed at myself and then the kids. They shook their heads in a overjoyed 'yes' motion, so we all stood together and had our picture taken with them!
Since my husband had my camera in his hand already, I told him to get one with it, too. After the awkward photo, they said "Our honeymoon, so excited!!! Thanks!!".
All we could do after they walked away was laugh while still confused about what had just happened. They were really nice, but I still felt the need to make sure I wasn't pick pocketed, and sure enough, that didn't happen. They were genuinely excited tourists like us, who also happened to want a photo of themselves standing very closely to someone else's family.
For a brief moment, you feel like one of them. No tourists around. No swarms of people. Just us walking through a quiet neighborhood, and that is all.
We made it to Trocadero after walking for about 20 minutes.
For those who do not know what Trocadero is:
Once where a palace sat, and more formally called the Place du Trocadéro, this new-ish building houses museums, a theater, and a fancy restaurant. More importantly to someone like myself, this area also provides a stellar view of the Eiffel Tower.
After getting a few shots of the Trocadero building and it's gardens, and of course the Eiffel Tower, we set forth to the Eiffel Tower itself. Before I could even ask the kids if they want to ride the famous Paris carousel, our kids saw the carousel and began begging to ride it. I let them, for my own pleasure more than their own.
For €10, they hopped on and gave it a spin while the husband and I ordered cheesy baguettes from a vendor right next to the carousel (while keeping an eye on the kiddies).
The baguettes were €6 each, and oh so good. The vendor heats them up for about 5 minutes, which provides one the satisfaction of gooey cheese, tons of flavor, and soft warm bread. YUM.
We ate our street vendor lunch while sitting along the Seine, and some beggar birds approached us, which entertained the kids. Now that we were full, we visited the base of the Eiffel Tower, snapped a few photos, explored the area, took advantage of the clean WC nearby, and found a vin chaud (hot wine) vendor on our journey to Musee d'Orsay. Of course, I had to get some vin chaud. I am starting to prefer mulled hot wine over regular wine! The dinky plastic cups were ginormous at a whopping €8 each, but the husband and I didn't care. We had to have it. We also bought some hot chocolate for the kiddies. A grand total, just for hot beverages, of €32! And no souvenir mug included like you get in German cities....cheap asses.
The vin chaud hits you fast. I was semi-drunk, in love, and in Paris; stumbling along the cobbled footpath next to the Seine river. Ah, memories!
Seeing the Pont de Alexandre in person was a real treat! One of the most beautiful bridges I have ever laid eyes on. Almost feels like an art gallery over the river.
Musee d'Orsay was a HUGE must on my list. Musee d'Orsay, for those who do not know, is an art museum that houses famous works of Impressionists of France (and other stuff, too, none of which is important to myself). Renoir was a heavily studied subject of mine in college, so this museum was a 'come hell or high water' visit for me. I also have a fondness of Degas that my grandmother sparked. She has notoriously hung art in her home throughout the years, and so my love of Degas' ballerinas began before I was in kindergarten. I happen to love Monet, Manet, and some other famous names that are showcased here as well.
Did you know?:
Fun fact. The elephant and a rhinoceros outside of Musee d'Orsay once sat at the old Trocadero Palace, but were moved to this location before they demolished the old palace. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
The d'Orsay does not allow photos inside, and there are a gazillion employees lurking in every corner to enforce the rules, but I was able to get a couple on the DL. I did hear some employees yell at folks for taking pictures, though.
Did you know?:
Fun fact. The elephant and a rhinoceros outside of Musee d'Orsay once sat at the old Trocadero Palace, but were moved to this location before they demolished the old palace. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
The d'Orsay does not allow photos inside, and there are a gazillion employees lurking in every corner to enforce the rules, but I was able to get a couple on the DL. I did hear some employees yell at folks for taking pictures, though.
When you head up to the top floor, the famous clock of this former train station hosts a great view of the city. There are also glass windows and doors where one can snap lovely photos of Sacre Coeur, if one wishes to do so. I don't think the employees really enforce the no photography rule around the clock because others were snapping pictures left and right. Then again, there isn't any delicate art near the clock, which may be why they are lax about it.
Another fun fact: This museum was once a train station known as Gare d'Orsay.
Another fun fact: This museum was once a train station known as Gare d'Orsay.
We headed to the love lock bridge that is technically no longer. Kind of sad, kinda. The city deemed the bridge too heavy and now they are replacing the railing, one at a time. They have boarded up the pedestrian side of the railing, but the locks can still be seen while standing off of the bridge. Funny, vendors are still selling locks, and you guessed it, people are still buying them and putting them where they can!
By this time, our vin chaud was wearing off, and I was starting to see straight. The funny thing about mulled wine is that it hits you fast, and disappears within 20 minutes. No headache, no gross feeling. You're good to go!
After crossing the bridge, we made it to Notre Dame, although our legs were ready to give up on us.
The line to see the inside of the cathedral was disturbingly long, so we found the line to the bell tower (where you can walk up a flight of stairs to see gargoyles up close, and views of Paris). The tower line was extremely short! Just one issue: They cut the line for the day and it was about 4pm when we arrived. BOO. Take notes if you ever plan to visit: Arrive before 2pm, or your chance may not happen.
Since our Notre Dame plans didn't work out, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower, knowing we could catch a train to our apartment from that vicinity. We still had a sliver of daylight to kill while on the way.
We found our metro stop, boarded our RER train, made a quick stop at Champs de Elysees, and back to the apartment in Serris we went. What a long day! But for our first day in the city center of Paris, it was a lovely day.
Next post: Day Two
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