We got to Paris the next day and didn't do much that day since it was a 13 hour train from morning to about 9pm. We asked some people for directions to our hotel. Apparently it was an Indian community with lots of immigrants here. The hotel wasn't so bad but it was small, very small. We ate at a local restaurant in front of Gare du Nord. The food was good, I don't know if part of the reasons was us being hungry for a day at the airport and riding the train.
First full day in Paris
The next day we woke up early and went to meet our friend in District 13 for our metro and museum passes. We ate at a Chinese restaurant, it was delicious and cheap. From there, we went to the Garden of Luxembourg, the Pantheon, and Notre Dame. I was impressed by the Pantheon, it was beautiful, clean, and the design were very well preserved. Notre Dame was free to enter so it was very crowded. There are lots of histories of Paris in this church. I was disappointed that we couldn't get up to see the view from the church and the gargoyles around the balcony.
Next, we headed toward Louvre Museum. On the way, we passed Ponte Neuf, a famous old bridge in Paris. Louvre appeared to be very old on the outside, but once we got inside the square with the Pyramids, it was beautiful. We took a lot of pictures here. We also came back at night to take more pictures when the crowd was gone. We lined up to get inside the spacious museum. There were lots of sculptures and artworks. Among them was the famous Mona Lisa.
We took some pictures outside of Louvre again and walked toward the Garden of Tuileries. From there, we headed toward the Place de la Concorde. It was one of Europe's most historic square with a 3200 years old Obelisk in the middle. From here, we strolled along Champs-Elysees. There was a festival or something so it was crowded. We were tired so we sat at a McDonald's and tried out some French McDonalds. It was great and cheap (in Paris). Ironically, the staffs at McDonald's here speak English better than some of the ones in America.
Finally, we reached the Arc de Triomphe. From here, we took the metro to La Defense to see a modern Paris with lots of high-rise modern building and structures. You can see the Arc de Triomphe from La Defense, which is couples of miles away.
At the end of the day, we finally headed back toward Montmartre. It was about 9pm and we walked up hill to see the Roman-Byzantine Sacre-Coeur. We went to see all that in the first full day in Paris. It was a lot and we did it at a fast pace. We knew there are a lot to see in Paris, that's why we allocated almost 4 days for it but we lost a day in Madrid. So, we only had 2 full days, which we took the second full day to Versailles.
Second full day in Paris
For the second day, we went to the Chateau de Versailles. There are lots of rooms in this colossal palace. There were many artwork as in all the palaces. The one thing that I really like here was the garden. There was a 17th century fountain of Neptune. The place was so beautiful I don't know how to describe. We were walking and there are music everywhere from inside the trees. There's a large lake with a shape of a cross where people kayak and bike around. We rent 2 bicycles and started to bike around the lake. It was beautiful, nice music, quiet place. I was releasing myself to nature. All the sudden our friend hit a hole and felt from the bike. She probably broke her elbow. We saw blood all over and we had to call medics to assist her. A very romantic scene turned into disaster. However, the medics arrived and took care of her. They also took her to the local hospital where she was treated by some intern doctor, who made the wound worst the next day.
For the night, we went to visit the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly, it started to rain and everybody started running. We went to a restaurant nearby to eat. The food was great but it was pricey. I was told that this restaurant pays about 1 million euros / year for rent. That's why our meal was so expensive but it's worth it. I had some duck with potatoes, it was delicious. After that, we went to take some more pictures of the Eiffel Tower and Louvre museum at night.
I wish I can see more of the places that I planned to see (Rodin Museum, Orsay Museum, Latin Quarter, Pompidou...) However, we did not have enough time. Plus, things are very expensive in Paris. So all in all it was a good visit. There's always next time for more. I wish that the bike accident did not happen to our friend. The wound was pretty bad and she had to cancel her trip with us to Italy :( We were so sad... But at least she's okay now and is healing quickly.
One thing I noticed about the French is that they never enforce anything. Lots of signs are there just to satisfy the rules, I guess. Louvre museum does not allow people to bring water or snap photograph with flash. However, we brought in 2 bottles of water each one about 2 Liters. The guard saw that and they did not care. About one hundred people flashing cameras at the Mona Lisa at the same time and the guards did not bother doing anything, either. At the Orly airport to Berlin, we did not have to take out anything and we went straight through the gate without any problem. We did not even have to put our hand luggage into the box to see if they fit. Gotta say I love the French.
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