My second trip to France began much in the same way as the first. I rode the Eurostar from St. Pancras International across to Gare Nord on Friday morning to meet Andy and Emily in Paris. Unfortunately this time did not go as smoothly. Due to a train failure earlier in the morning (in addition to the closure of part of the tunnel because of a fire during the summer), we arrived 70 minutes late. I did not have anyone sitting next to me so it not bother me too much. In addition, we were compensated with a free one-way or half price return ticket.Finally I arrive in Paris and Andy and Emily are there. We took the Metro which was very busy since it was rush hour. We come out of the station and there was the Eiffel Tower all lit up. Um, wow. It all looked Parisian. Like a bigger version of the France Pavilion at Walt Disney World. I sense a trend. We go to the hotel and I dump my stuff and bundle up. This hotel had the world's smallest elevator, big enough for one person. It was crazy, all glass, I felt like water would flow in and my hand's should be shackled as I perform a magic trick in Las Vegas.
We head off to dinner and find an Italian place where Andy and I get the same dish. After dinner we take the Metro to the Arc De Triomphe. We come out of the Metro station and there it is in the middle of a gigantic traffic circle. We took the tunnel under the street and arrived in the middle of the arch. We then climbed the North staircase to the top. It was a lot of steps and reminded me that no matter what country I go to there will be so many steps to climb. There was a great view from the top. Looking down the Champs-Elysees, all lit up, was beautiful. I looked down at the traffic going around the Arc and realized there were no lines. Cars would jump in and out swerving at their own will. The view of surrounding Paris was gorgeous to the south was the Eiffel Tower all lit up (in blue to celebrate the president of France as the President of the EU). After many pictures we went down the South staircase which was a bit easier. We then walked down the Champs-Elysees for a bit. Then we found a Metro station and were off to our next destination: Notre Dame.
The Metro station was massive, the walls were thick and big so as to hold back the river because the cathedral is on an island. This island was a lot bigger than I expected. We walked across the street and around the corner to Notre Dame de Paris. It was just as you would expect it to look. There was also a Christmas tree out front. We then walked around around the side and over the Siene to find a gelato place Emily loved. As we walked away from Notre Dame I was surprised by the differences in architecture along the building. All lit up, it was beautiful. We found the gelato place but it was closed so we found the location of another one across the river. It was good, how I miss gelato. We called it a night and headed back to the hotel.
The next morning, Andy and I went to the Eiffel Tower. We got some bread, pastries, and apples for breakfast as we walked over. We walked around the corner and there it was. Landmarks in Europe have a way of doing that; I was just strolling along, turned the corner, and there it was. Um, wow. We walked over to it and waited for it to open. Soon enough we were able to go up. We took the first elevator to the 2nd level and then took the express straight up. Although it was over cast, the view was amazing. After many pictures and looking around. We went down and back to the hotel. We finished packing and along with Emily went to the train station to catch a train to Lyon.Paris was a short trip. I had arrived less than 24 hours form the time I left but was able to see 3 major sights. Onto the next city.
Until we meet again,
-Maggie the traveler
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