France: Paris I

Last weekend I went to Paris, and even though it was absolutely freezing I had a total blast walking around the city, seeing the sites, and eating as many pastries as I possibly could!

On Friday, Sheneka (my travel buddy!) and I headed to Victoria Station for our 9:30 PM bus ride to Paris! We took a Eurolines coach bus, and the experience could not have been more bizarre. After arriving in Dover (on the coast), we went through French border control and got on a ferry. The ferry was huge, and it had a bar, ton of food, a duty-free store. Sheneka and I spent the ride watching hundreds of University students drink their weight in beer as they got ready for a ski trip (ha!). An hour and a half later we got off the ferry, got back on the bus, and headed for Paris!

We arrived in Paris at 6:30 AM and caught the metro to a stop right by the Louvre, where we stocked up on Euros and found breakfast: freshly made pain au chocolat at a patisserie (yum). I also got a chocolate drink from a café down the road.

After breakfast we started our walking tour of the city! Our first stop was the street outside the Louvre, where we saw the Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. We then walked over the Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine (it had wonderful views of the waterway!).

From the Pont Neuf we walked around the outside of the Musee du Louvre . The outside was gorgeous, and it was fun to see the Louvre Pyramid in person! 








Sheneka and I also met Martin Sastre, a “film director and contemporary media artist” (thanks, Wiki!). I think he was filming a mock-up for something and he asked for Sheneka and I to help out for a few minutes, which was neat!

From the Louvre Sheneka and I checked out the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, before heading across the river to the Musee d'Orsay to get out of the rain that had just started! We spent a few hours in the museum, which I absolutely loved; we got to see a number of pieces by Degas, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir, in addition to a number of other beautiful works. The collections were amazing and the building was really beautiful inside! There were also some phenomenal views of the city from the top gallery!

Happily, it stopped raining right after Sheneka and I left the museum, so we headed back outside to explore the streets for a bit! We eventually headed over the Passerelle Solférino, a footbridge over the Seine.

From the bridge we walked through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde, where we saw the Parisian Cleopatra’s Needle! I love the fact that everywhere we went we could see the Eiffel Tower from behind the buildings!

After seeing Cleopatra's Needle we walked past the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées and across the Pont Alexandre III, from which we could see Les Invalides, another museum!

After all the walking (over 10 miles on Saturday alone!) we were super tired and our feet were killing us, so Sheneka and I headed to the hostel around 4:30 PM to check into our room and rest for a bit. We walked along the west bank and grabbed lunch along the way (I got a spinach quiche!).

Our hostel, the Bureau des Voyages de la Jeunesse (“BVJ Hotel”) , was located on a street right next to the Louvre! I couldn’t have asked for a better location. It was 30 Euros a night (with breakfast included!), and Sheneka and I got a little room with a sink, two bunk beds, and linens (the WC was right down the hall).

After taking a nap we headed out to see Paris at night! We walked along the Rue de Rivoli and went to the Centre Georges Pompidou, a crazy building housing a public library and the National Modern Art Museum. We watched a few funky videos in the basement and then headed back outside to find dinner!

In the square outside the Centre Georges Pompidou, Sheneka and I got crepes from a street vendor! I got sugar on mine, and he made them right in front of us. I couldn’t have been happier. We then searched in vain for some vegetarian food and settled on baguettes, brie, and an apple from the supermarche for dinner. We were so tired that by 10 PM Sheneka and I were out cold!

Stay tuned for Paris, part two!