The City of Lights and 98 Degree Heat

We had a lengthy day of travel from Florence to Paris. Bus to Airport, Flight with an hour connection in Amsterdam, land at Charles De Gaulle, train to Les Halles and then a walk up Rue De Montagueil (which was bustling with all kinds of great activity), up 5 flights of tiny stairs to our adorable Airbnb in Paris. It was a studio apartment at best. Nick and I decided, officially, the tiny home movement was not for us. However tiny it was, it made up for it with the location and the true Parisian feel. It had a perfectly charming and old world style with all the modern amenities. Plus, Jules, the Airbnb host was wonderful! We mustered up enough energy to grab some food and plan the following day of activities.

I reached out to my friend Jenny who had lived in Paris for a few years to get all the insider tips. We worked primarily off of her list that she, conveniently, broke down into categories like shopping, eating, museums, etc. To give credit where credit is due, we owe a lot of our experience to her suggestions. They were fantastic!

Day one was dedicated to checking the “big boxes”. We started from our apartment and took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. I know everyone has heard this a lot, but we took the Metro everywhere and it is an amazing public transportation system. It was easy to navigate, clean and we were able to get anywhere we needed inexpensively. I was awestruck seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. It’s amazing the feeling when you experience something for the first time that you have only ever seen in pictures. We got there at 9:30am and there was NO LINE. Security is tight, however, and it was very common to see the beefy French military guys walking the streets with big guns. Regardless, we are on a budget so opted only for the second floor which still provided a tremendous view.

Our attempt at a selfie at the Eiffel Tower

After catching the sweeping 360 degree view, snapping loads of pics and geeking out over the elevator system they used, we walked from the Eiffel Tower along the Seine River, passed the tunnel where Princess Diana died, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. What a sight! We got there just in time for the raising of the French flag in the middle. Beautiful. I learned the Arc was created by Napoleon as a monument to all of his battles and conquests. After experiencing the monument, we walked back down the Champs towards the Louvre. By this time, we were starving. We decided we wanted to live like locals, so we picked up some baguettes (sandwiches) and some sparkling water and relaxed in the Jardin de Tuileries in front of the Louvre. It is simply stunning and truly worth the walk through to experience it. It was also a welcome break in the shade after being in the punishing 98 degree heat.

Last stop for the day was the Louvre! This was one place I did my own research. I expected it to be a complete mess of tourists so I had an alternative entrance planned, etc. Well… that was not needed and we walked directly into the main entrance designed by IM Pei. Walking into the Louvre itself is an experience. It’s beautiful. You walk into a work of art. I understand why some people may decide to wait in line to see it. Nick and I split up and he went to the bathroom while I decided to queue up for tickets because surely the line for tickets would have to be insane. That wasn’t true either. I walked right up to an automated ticket booth. We were into the Louvre museum (security line, ticket purchase, bathroom break, map pick-up) in 10 minutes!! Note to those that have not been to the Louvre, the map they give you sucks. It doesn’t tell you anything really and it’s difficult to get a sense of where you are. There are, however, lots of signs for the Mona Lisa. It’s amazing how many times we ran into priceless works of art like Delacroix, Botticelli, etc. and there was NO ONE IN FRONT OF IT. No sign, no security, nothing. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss it. That’s the crazy thing about the Louvre. There are so many amazing works of art but the only thing people know it for is the Mona Lisa. I guess most people go to see that one work of art and leave. I don’t understand that. Seeing the Mona Lisa in person is an awesome thing and should be done if in Paris. It’s also frustrating. I swear no one is actually looking at it. It’s just a barrage of cameras, and phones and ipads and selfies. Regardless, I stood in front of it and took it in for as long as I could stand it and wasn’t being rude to others. It was very cool. We circulated through as much of the Louvre as we could. It’s daunting, gigantic maze filled with too many amazing artworks to see. I feel like I need to go back 10 more times to say I actually did it. What I did see, however, totally made the trip worth it.

French Crown Jewels- Pictures don't do them justice. Swoon!

After the Louvre, we just wanted to sit. Jenny recommended Le Fumior (also recommended by Jules our Airbnb host) which is the bar/café where all the great writers used to hang out in the 20’s like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. We enjoyed happy hour and got our fill of the olives and nuts they provided while reflecting on how great of a day we had. We saw so many amazing things. It was perfect.We made a quick stop at the grocery store and picked up some food for dinner and called it an early night. We were exhausted from our big day and knew we had another one ahead of us.

FINAL THOUGHT: Some days, everything falls into place. There are those times, like our first day in Paris, where it just feels like it’s meant to be. You’re happy, productive, relaxed and the world is smiling at you. Those days are the rare, easy days where the universe throws you a bone. I’m grateful we took advantage and also took some time to relax and reflect on the day we had. We were surprised at how easy it had been but know not every day of travel (or life) is like this one…so no getting complacent!