Paris Day 1: Eurostar, Tour Eiffel and Crepes!
So last Thursday Morning, around 5 am, two lovely young ladies got out of bed and started getting ready for a long day of travel that would finish in Paris. We got up, got some breakfast, and headed out onto the pitch-black streets of Oxford to catch our bus. Of course, we both couldn't keep our eyes open for long en route to London, so by 7am, when we got off, the sun had miraculously risen and the streets were starting to get crowded. We walked a few blocks to an underground station, hopped on and then off at Waterloo station, checked in with eurostar and patiently ate our second breakfast, four hours later, near the trains.
Eurostar, I must say, is amazing...train travel kicks all the other forms of travel's butt. We had cozy seats, a nice view of the English countryside, and a delightful 20 minutes underneath the sea as we zoomed under the chunnel. It was quick and nice and gave us a chance to sleep a little bit more!
Once we arrived at Gare du Nord, in Paris, we quickly got in line for a Taxi and I attempted to suavely say the name and location of our hotel to our enigmatic cab driver, but apparently my French is so rusty I didn't pronounce the word "rue" correctly and he made fun of me for the rest of the journey. Oops. I wasn't embarrassed for long, however, as he outdid me by singing along loudly to the cd's he kept playing that had energizing Mediterranean beats. Who's the fool now Mr. Taxi man? :)
It felt great to see Paris again...the buildings are so intricate and delicate, the streets are so wide and inviting. The weather wasn't perfect as a fog had crept into the city, but I didn't care much. Now that I've spent a lot of time in Europe, I was automatically comparing Paris to London and Oxford...noting the differences and similarities. I guess I'm viewing these places more like potential homes rather than places to visit!
Our hotel was lovely and posh. It's on Rue Pergolese, which is very near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. PERFECT location, if you ask me. It's near a great metro line ( La Defense) and within walking distance of every imaginable source of entertainment from clubs to restaurants to shopping to movies...it was great! They served us tea while we waited for our room to be "inspected" for cleanliness complete with madelines. Then we went upstairs, unpacked, used the loo and immediately headed out to see the glorious, gorgeous Tour Eiffel.
Now, as I mentioned, the Paris weather was a little foggy that Thursday. Little did we realize that the fog was so low it covered the entire top spike of the Tour Eiffel! What a weird sight it was! No problems though, we were still ready to make the trek to the underbelly of this immense monument and get our dozens of pictures.
We arrived at about 4:45, and at 5, to our surprise, the Tower began to sparkle! Apparently in the winter months (or perhaps just near the holiday season??) le Tour lights up every hour on the hour for a good 5 or 10 minutes. It was beautiful! We were so glad that it was our first stop in Paris.
After seeing the Eiffel Tower, we walked along the Seine for a bit and got a distant perspective of the city. I've never seen it so lit up before. Everything was glittering and romantic...especially with the fog.
We made our way back to the metro and decided to stop at the Champs Elysees for a Crepe and a stroll down the tree-lined street. Once again, everything was lit up as every tree had been covered with tiny white lights (thanks to General Electric who skillfully advertised their services with banners between the trees). Beau-ti-ful. Everyone was out and about, still shopping and eating and bustling. It was really cold, but very festive.
Post Crepe-and-hot chocolate for dinner, we walked home, around the Arc de Triomphe, and finally rested in our hotel, watching French MTV. We also took advantage of the fact that our hotel room had a fabulous bath tub...needless to say, we spent a good deal of time lounging around in white terrycloth robes smelling delicious.
And that was our first day! It was one of the best, with just the right amount of scenery and culture and chill time. Yay Paris!
Eurostar, I must say, is amazing...train travel kicks all the other forms of travel's butt. We had cozy seats, a nice view of the English countryside, and a delightful 20 minutes underneath the sea as we zoomed under the chunnel. It was quick and nice and gave us a chance to sleep a little bit more!
Once we arrived at Gare du Nord, in Paris, we quickly got in line for a Taxi and I attempted to suavely say the name and location of our hotel to our enigmatic cab driver, but apparently my French is so rusty I didn't pronounce the word "rue" correctly and he made fun of me for the rest of the journey. Oops. I wasn't embarrassed for long, however, as he outdid me by singing along loudly to the cd's he kept playing that had energizing Mediterranean beats. Who's the fool now Mr. Taxi man? :)
It felt great to see Paris again...the buildings are so intricate and delicate, the streets are so wide and inviting. The weather wasn't perfect as a fog had crept into the city, but I didn't care much. Now that I've spent a lot of time in Europe, I was automatically comparing Paris to London and Oxford...noting the differences and similarities. I guess I'm viewing these places more like potential homes rather than places to visit!
Our hotel was lovely and posh. It's on Rue Pergolese, which is very near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. PERFECT location, if you ask me. It's near a great metro line ( La Defense) and within walking distance of every imaginable source of entertainment from clubs to restaurants to shopping to movies...it was great! They served us tea while we waited for our room to be "inspected" for cleanliness complete with madelines. Then we went upstairs, unpacked, used the loo and immediately headed out to see the glorious, gorgeous Tour Eiffel.
Now, as I mentioned, the Paris weather was a little foggy that Thursday. Little did we realize that the fog was so low it covered the entire top spike of the Tour Eiffel! What a weird sight it was! No problems though, we were still ready to make the trek to the underbelly of this immense monument and get our dozens of pictures.
We arrived at about 4:45, and at 5, to our surprise, the Tower began to sparkle! Apparently in the winter months (or perhaps just near the holiday season??) le Tour lights up every hour on the hour for a good 5 or 10 minutes. It was beautiful! We were so glad that it was our first stop in Paris.
After seeing the Eiffel Tower, we walked along the Seine for a bit and got a distant perspective of the city. I've never seen it so lit up before. Everything was glittering and romantic...especially with the fog.
We made our way back to the metro and decided to stop at the Champs Elysees for a Crepe and a stroll down the tree-lined street. Once again, everything was lit up as every tree had been covered with tiny white lights (thanks to General Electric who skillfully advertised their services with banners between the trees). Beau-ti-ful. Everyone was out and about, still shopping and eating and bustling. It was really cold, but very festive.
Post Crepe-and-hot chocolate for dinner, we walked home, around the Arc de Triomphe, and finally rested in our hotel, watching French MTV. We also took advantage of the fact that our hotel room had a fabulous bath tub...needless to say, we spent a good deal of time lounging around in white terrycloth robes smelling delicious.
And that was our first day! It was one of the best, with just the right amount of scenery and culture and chill time. Yay Paris!
posted by Jess at 2:13 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Jess!
What a great trip to Paris. I love your pictures of the Eiffel Tower, and the crepes and hot chocolate look might tasty! I guess I better go ready about Day 2 and see if the fun continued! :)
Love,
Uncle Dave
I've been to Paris so many times, but have never seen the holiday lights. What a treat!
You and Julianna look fantastic. I'm so glad it worked out for both of you to go.
Can you make me a crepe and chocolat at Christmas?
Love,
dad
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