Since this trip was several years ago and I don't have the original itinerary on my computer, I'm going to do the best I can to remember everything we did. Hopefully, the sequence of our 800+ pictures will help.
Before I get down to the specifics I have to say that Paris is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I'd been to Paris twice before our honeymoon but my visits were very rushed. We debated between France and Italy for our honeymoon but my parents' extra nudge made us pick France. I'm so glad we did. We still haven't been to Italy as a couple but I hope we'll change that in the near future.
Paris is such a magical and romantic city. I don't care what people say about Parisians. They might not be in-your-face friendly, but I don't think they're rude either. On some level, I can relate to their frustration with tourists, especially Americans, not speaking French. I will say that I've been to the Loire Valley, which is a couple of hours outside of Paris and there's a definite shift in personality. French countryfolk are definitely warmer. That being said, I don't think anyone should be afraid to go to Paris because of the stereotype of the snotty Parisian. The way I see it, no matter where you are you're probably going to encounter nice people and grumpy people. Just focus on the positive and you'll have a great time.
Paris is out-of-this-world enchanting and beautiful. You absolutely HAVE to go in your lifetime. Don't think about it, just do it!
Our Itinerary (Nov. 2-9, 2007)
Friday, November 2
We arrived in Paris extremely early, probably 5:30am. We pre-paid for a shuttle to pick us up and drop us off at our hotel. That was a mistake. In the future we'll probably take a bus or cab. I wish I remembered the name of the shuttle company because I would call them out and dissuade others from using them. Basically, they don't open until 7:00am. Well, guess what? That's a problem when you arrive at 5:30am. Then again, maybe I should blame expedia because I booked everything through them. They shouldn't make a service available that conflicts with your arrival time. Anyway, they finally picked us up and dropped us at our hotel. By then, we were exhausted. I don't sleep well on planes and I don't think that Evan got much sleep either.
The Hotel Villa Alessandra was still putting our room together so we sat down in the lobby and snoozed. They were very accommodating and got our room cleaned up earlier than was required of them. We were able to check in, drop our stuff off, and nap! We were very tired and grouchy so the nap was essential to a successful trip.
The room was extremely small, which is to be expected with most European hotels. It was kind of like an oversized closet with a bed and bathroom. That being said, the room was very clean and well-decorated. The concierge was always nice and helpful. I'd definitely stay there again. The location was also superb! We were within walking distance to the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe and other important landmarks.
When we woke from our nap, feeling refreshed and less grouchy we set out to explore our environs.
As you can see, the weather was a little gloomy. I think this is common during a Parisian autumn. A great trick to finding cheaper prices is going during low season, which is what we did. We got married in early October but put off our honeymoon so we could be more budget-friendly. We didn't let the weather get us down. A real traveler can have fun under any circumstances.
One of the highlights of our Parisian honeymoon was seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night.
Saturday, November 3
We got up and walked over to Trocadero Square, which is opposite the Eiffel Tower and got our first nutella crepes of the trip. An absolute must-try!
And then we went to the train station to buy tickets for a half-day outing at Versailles, my favorite European palace. Despite going to Paris during the low season, Versailles was still crowded. That probably had something to do with it being Saturday.
If you don't go anywhere else, you have to go to Versailles. It's so full of history and majesty. Its opulence is second to none and the gardens are so peaceful, well-kept, and extensive. I'd been to Versailles before but I didn't have the time I had this trip to really enjoy and explore the gardens. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
Marie Antoinette's quarters
Today we went with Paris Vision to Bruges, Belgium for a day trip. It was a four hour drive there, we spent four hours in Bruges, and then we drove another four hours back to Paris. Needless to say, it was a long day. Do I wish we could've had more than four hours in Bruges? Absolutely. I know it's "touristy" but I also found that it had retained a lot of its authentic charm. And when we were there, I didn't notice any crowds.
In four hours we didn't have a lot of time to do anything more than walk around and grab something to eat. We didn't visit any museums nor did we take a canal cruise. We didn't even climb up the Bell Tower. Neither of us are great fans of heights. But we walked in some chocolate shops and we had a delightful lunch where we tried something called tonka. The actual restaurant is called Tonka as well. If I recall correctly, tonka is a bean that's grown in South America. It's banned in the U.S. for some reason.
Here are some pictures of what we saw:
The tonka is in the little glasses next to our giant hot chocolate mugs.
Monday, November 5
We started out the day at Pere Lachaise following the Rick Steves guidebook/map. I have to say, cemeteries offer some really great photo opportunities. And this cemetery in particular, is beautiful and haunting. Of course, there are also some really high-profile/famous people buried there so that makes it interesting, too.
We followed some grungy fellow Americans to Jim Morrison's grave. It wasn't the easiest to find. Chopin was close by.
We walked through Le Marais or the Jewish Quarter and then we continued on our way passing by Le Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum. We didn't go inside.
We continued on our walk to the Notre Dame/Latin Quarter area.
There was a line to get inside the Notre Dame, but it moved quickly. The Notre Dame is an absolute must-see. It's a gorgeous representation of Gothic architecture and you might as well go inside and see the stained glass windows. I regret that we didn't wait in the line to go to the top with the gargoyles. That would have been a great experience. I hope we'll do it the next time we're in the area.
On a side note, we didn't climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe. I had done both before and based on my assessment of the Eiffel Tower climb, we decided it wasn't worth repeating. I remember feeling the top of the Tower sway with the wind. That wasn't cool. The Arc de Triomphe, on the other hand, isn't as precarious so we could have done that but we didn't. It's something like 450 steps to the top. I did it when I was 18 and in better shape and it was tough, but I'd argue it's worth experiencing at least once.
We saw this memorial to the Holocaust victims and thought it was intriguing.
Then we stopped in the Latin Quarter for some dinner. We loved the Latin Quarter. It's very vibrant and lively and there's always something going on. The downside is that it's also kind of touristy. The restaurant barkers are constantly trying to reel you into their establishments and once you're at a table, you're kind of trapped. I'm OK with the European/French standard of having a long meal but sometimes I think they'd purposely ignore our request for the check so that it would appear to the outside world that they were in demand/had customers.
After our cheese fondue dinner we had some amazing dessert at a Tunisian patisserie. Here's a picture of some of their goodies:
Tuesday, November 6
We took another day-trip with Paris Vision to the Champagne region. I should probably mention that Paris Vision was very good to us on the couple of day trips we took with them. They're very organized and from what I can tell, they've been in this business for a long time. I didn't have any complaints about their service.
We started out the day with a visit to the Chateau de Conde.
It's a beautiful home that has been passed down through the centuries and it's still inhabited.
Then we stopped at our first of two champagne factories. We toured Vadin Plateau and sampled some of their champagne. Afterward, we stopped at a local restaurant. It was a group tour so we were all seated together at one table and served duck and other rich food. We were by far, the youngest couple there. We did, however, enjoy talking to the Singaporean couple next to us.
Before we ended the day at our last champagne factory, we stopped in Reims. We toured the Notre Dame there, which is where many of France's kings were coronated.
Vadin Plateau was a quaint champagne factory especially when compared with Mumm. Mumm definitely rolls out the red carpet for its customers. It's pretty fancy schmancy. I also got more out of their demonstration of champagne-making. Their demonstration seemed better rehearsed.
To be perfectly honest, this was probably my least favorite day/activity of the trip. I'm not a big drinker and typically, I'm not a fan of champagne. This day was really for Evan. If I could turn back time I think I would have dropped this for a day-trip to Mont Saint-Michel or the Loire Valley for a tour of the famous chateaux there. Another time.
Wednesday, November 7
We started the day in Montmarte, which sometimes has a reputation for being seedy. I really like it. It's very bohemian and artsy and to me, a must-experience.
Before our honeymoon, I had never been inside the Sacre Coeur. It's definitely worth going inside. It's got some of the most beautiful mosaic work I've seen.
Some artists setting up shop.
Some interesting outdoor sculptures:
While walking through Montmarte we encountered an almost-hidden Dali museum - Espace Dali. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for us. We both really appreciate Dali's art and it was a very small, intimate space that almost didn't feel like a museum. It was like, observing art in someone's basement.
We continued our walk through and past the Moulin Rouge area until we stopped at the Rodin Museum. I really enjoyed this museum. I find that looking at too many sculptures can be mind-numbing and it was, but there were also outdoor sculptures and the grounds were lovely. It was worth going for the gardens alone.
We were busy little bees this day! We hopped on the metro to La Grande Arche, which is located in the business district of Paris. I have to say, I found this side of Paris ugly. In other words, it was very typical of a business center - lots of concrete, tall buildings, fast food, etc. But we went specifically to see the Grande Arche.
This is going to sound silly, but despite not wanting to go up the Eiffel Tower, we were willing to take a glass elevator up the Grande Arche. I was petrified on the way up and to be honest, I'm not sure the view was really worth it! The weather was pretty gloomy so the view was somewhat obscured. Through some gesticulations we were able to convey to the non-English-speaking security guard that we would prefer to go down an interior elevator because we were too scared to take the glass elevator again. He very kindly made special arrangements for us.
There is an interesting video that explains how the Grande Arche was built. That was cool. And actually, the whole experience was pretty fun. I wouldn't necessarily go again but we enjoyed ourselves. Sometimes you need a good scare!
View from the top:
When we returned to our part of town we went to the Galeries Lafayette, which was quite the experience. It might be the biggest shopping center I've ever been inside. There were multiple buildings and multiple floors. Evan bought a hat, which he still has.
Some Christmas decorations:
We walked along the beautiful Seine for a time and then had dinner in the Latin Quarter. We also paid another visit to our favorite Tunisian patisserie - Patisserie du Sud Tunisien - check it out if you're there!
Paris at night:
Thursday, November 8
We started out the day by the Eiffel Tower and then proceeded to the Louvre. Even if you don't see the entire museum, which you won't, you have to go to the Louvre - at least, that's what everyone else says. We hit the main highlights - Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc. There was also a special exhibition of Persian art at the time, which we both really enjoyed. The Louvre is always crowded and I got a headache so we didn't stay too long.
If you're not a fan of art, you might be a fan of gardens. The Tuileries Gardens, which are connected to the Louvre, are absolutely gorgeous. There are little kiosks to buy food, children playing, people picnicking. It's very charming. The Louvre used to be a royal palace so everything about the structure and the gardens is regal.
Friday, November 9
This was our last full day in Paris. *sad face* We started the day (it was one of a few sunny days on our trip) by taking the Bato Bus, which is a hop-on/hop-off boat. You have to take some kind of boat ride on the Seine so why not take one that actually gets you somewhere? We took it to the Musee d'Orsay, which used to be a train station. This is a beautiful museum with a lot of interesting art. I preferred all of the smaller museums we saw - Dali, Rodin, d'Orsay, etc. - to the Louvre, hands-down.
We continued our walk and spent some time in the Jardin du Luxembourg, which had a colorful display of flowers despite the dreary season. We bought some sandwiches and broke off some bread for the pigeons. I could have spent the rest of the day there.
We ended the day at the Pantheon. It had some interesting artwork and there are underground tombs of significant people in France's history like Marie Curie and Victor Hugo. I'm glad we went but I wouldn't call it a must-see.
We spent much of the evening walking around. We eventually found ourselves near the flame that's now famous because Princess Diana's car was chased and hit by the paparazzi in the tunnel nearby.
There are things we missed like Sainte Chapelle and Giverny. The couple of times we found ourselves at Sainte Chapelle it was either closed due to its regular hours or it was closed for some kind of religious service/performance. I've heard a lot of good things about the stained glass windows but that'll have to wait until another visit. Unfortunately, Giverny closed for the season the day we were flying over the Atlantic to Paris. It obviously wasn't meant to be, but I'm determined to get there. It's on my bucket list.
I'd love to spend more time in Paris if for no other reason than to just unwind and people-watch. We accomplished a lot on our honeymoon but we probably didn't allow ourselves enough relaxation time. If we went again we'd already have covered the main sights so we could just sit in cafes all day. I'd also hone in on some spectacular French cuisine and take at least one cooking class. Additionally, I'd take the two-day trips I mentioned earlier in my entry. And, I HAVE to get to the South of France. Provence is a must!
I don't know when we'll get there again but I love it so much! I can see myself living there in an alternate reality.
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