Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart

We are in Paris! It is a beautiful city, straddling the river Seine. Everywhere we went we saw cafés, bridges, and lots of people! I'll take our whirlwind tour day by day.

Day 1
We arrived in Paris jet lagged after a 7 hour overnight flight. After getting to our boat, we were informed that we would not be able to access our cabins until 3pm, it was only 9:30am then. So we after lunch we set off down the river to see the Eiffel Tower! It was a 15 minute walk to the base of the tower, which can a be seen from anywhere in the city. The tower is massive. It is impossible to get the whole tower in one picture if you are standing anywhere near it, Underneath the tower it was crawling with people. Some were waiting to climb the stairs, some for the elevator, and many, like us, were just there to take it all in. There were sidewalk vendors everywhere as well, but not as pushy as some I have met. They say the Eiffel tower is repainted every 5 years. I'm guessing it takes 5 years to paint a it once.

When we got back we checked out our cabins, cozy but comfortable. very much like my SAS cabin. Dinner was a sit-down affair with the whole ship, and 7 courses later they rolled us back downstairs.


Day 2
We began our second day in Paris bright and early with a bus tour of Paris. It's a rather spread out city, due to the massiveness of the palaces and mansions that stretch out for blocks. We crossed back and forth over the Seine at least 10 times on different bridges as we wound our way to thee famous monuments.

Our first stop was the Hotel les Invalides. It's the military hospital with a enormous ornate dome. Our tour guide explained that the dome was constructed to decorate the entrance King Louis (can't remember which one) used to visit his soldiers through. We drove past the Louvre, with it's contrasting 18th century architecture and modern entrance. The Arc dr Triumph was next on our list, as was the square Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI lots their heads. The middle of the square boasts a massive obelisk, a gift from Egypt thanking the French for decoding the Rosetta Stone.

Our last stop on ten bus tour was the beautiful Luxembourg gardens. Walking through the perfectly manicured lawns and trees, you could imagine fashionable men and women of another age strolling the same paths with ease. It is also where the 3rd Statue of Liberty stands. It turns out there are four statues of liberty, the one in New York, and three in France. The smallest is the artists model, which sits at the Louvre.

We left the tour when it headed back to the boat and opted to remain in the city center. Our goal was to make it to the Notre Dame cathedral, but hunger got to us first. So we had our first French cafe experience. It was so-so, as we speak little French and the waiter spoke little English. But with our hunger abated we moved on, pausing on the key bridge. To take in the view. The bridges of Paris are all unique, but hid bridge has iron mesh rails. It has become tradition for couples to write their names on a small lock, attaching it to the bridge, and throwing the key into the Seine, signifying t heir everlasting love. The bridge is covered in these locks and has a very romantic feel.

We finally made it to the Notre Dame cathedral. It was unforgettable. Set in the middle of an island in the middle of the Seine, it is the centerpiece of Paris. The architecture is starting to wear after centuries of weather and wear, but it does not diminish its majesty. The windows are beautiful, I tagged along on a tour group for a few stops to learn about the rose windows.

After walking all through Notre Dame, we parted ways with Grandma, Papa, Aunt Patti and Kurt and headed off to the Louvre. We walked through the gardens and made our way to the the pyramids. It's amazing when you see something in the movies or in a picture and go to see it and it's just as you imagine! The pyramids, both outside and inside are spectacular, clear and reflecting the architecture surrounding it. We went into the annex of the Louvre which flows into an underground shopping mall! I of course had to stop at the Apple store!

We walked back outside and through the Tuillerie garden, the statue gardens outside of the Louvre. The statues ranged from classical to modern and were framed by landscaping. My personal favorite was a statue of a man with his head in his hands. When we walked by a pigeon was sitting on his head and it looked like it was really upsetting him. The French man walking behind me thought so too!

After searching for a cab for a while we finally made it back to the ship for dinner, but not without a stop to see France's Statue of Liberty. This one is about a quarter of the NYC one and was given to French by the people of New York as a thank you. It bears the same inscription on her tablet with a French translation underneath.

On to Giverney!