Sunday, August 1, 2010

A Lazy Day in Paris


Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

We had an early start this morning as our flight to Paris departed Madrid at about twenty past seven. Although we have really enjoyed Spain and are sad to be leaving it behind us, we are looking forward to Paris and the last few days of our trip. It is hard to believe that we are headed to Paris and nearing the end of our trip, it has been an amazing couple of months!

We arrived in Paris around half past 9:00 this morning. I had written down instructions for how to get from the airport to the area we are staying before we left so we arrived with some idea of where we needed to go, which is always helpful. After locating the correct train we got in line to purchase tickets, after seeing the people in front of us pay 16 Euro for two tickets to Paris I decided to double check our Eurail discounts to make sure we didn't have one on any public transportation in Paris, and sure enough our pass allowed for us to have free travel from the Airport to the Gare du Nord, one of Paris's main train stations. So we got a pass and hopped on the train. It was about a 30-40 minute train ride to the Gare du Nord where we switched trains and hopped on a metro line that took us to Montmartre. Once off the metro in Montmartre we had to find our way to the hotel from there, as that was where my instructions ended. I had the address and went into a restaurant to inquire if they could point us in the right direction, unfortunately the individual did not speak much English and was not familiar with the street. So we picked a direction and started walking. Shortly thereafter we came across a hotel and ducked in as I was certain they would know where our hotel was, and sure enough they did, and they even printed us off directions and a map. After getting directions we were at our hotel in just over 5 minutes. Luckily the hotel had a room ready so we didn't have to store our bags and we were able to go and have a much needed rest.

Perhaps because we have been traveling for nearly two months or perhaps because we had been up since five o'clock this morning, but neither Tim nor I felt like doing much, so we decided to rest for a while and maybe just explore the area around our hotel, and not go into the center of Paris today. This turned out to be a great use of our time, as I had not realized that where we were staying, Montmartre, was in fact a major tourist destination in Paris, so after a brief rest we headed out. We walked by cafes and restaurants before finally selecting a place for lunch. Our first lunch in Paris, and it was a major success, we shared the best baguette either of us have ever had! After lunch we continued through the darling streets of Montmartre towards the butte of Montmartre. Once we reached the butte of Montmartre, we climbed to the top to see the spectacular views of Paris and tour the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. After a quick peak inside the Basilica we made our way back down the Sacre Coeur and over to the Moulin Rouge before heading back to our hotel for another rest.

A little later we walked back towards the metro station where we had arrived and had dinner at a restaurant called Indiana Cafe, it's not at all obvious that we miss home! They unfortunately did not have an English menu, nor did our waitress speak much English. Tim was looking at the club sandwiches, of which they had several different types, one of which was called the "Indiana Club". Tim asked what was on the "Indiana Club" and our waitress described it as a red animal from the sea and I kid you not made "pinchers" with her hands. I'm not sure what was funnier, her impromptu game of charades or the fact that they put crab on a sandwich called the "Indiana Club".

After dinner we went back to the hotel and watched a movie before heading to bed.

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