Before Joe returned from Nepal, Lindsay left with some teachers from her school for Paris. Eric and Thelma were a couple of the people that she traveled with on her Mediterranean cruise a year ago for Spring Break. This year, they decided to spend just 4 days in Paris and then return to Kuwait for some rest and relaxation before attempting to survive the 9 long weeks of school that would follow.
After a long delay in Kuwait, for who knows what reason, and a long layover in Dubai during the middle of the night, they arrived in Paris mid-morning. They had purchased Paris Passes that would save them a lot of money on the city metro, entrance to museums and other landmarks, and the hop-on hop-off bus. Because of a late arrival, and the following day being a Sunday when much of Paris is closed, the Paris Pass office had closed minutes before they arrived to pick them up. The lovely ladies in the shop were unwilling to let them in just 5 minutes late, but Thelma refused to let some girls ruin our vacation. One thing that continued to "haunt" the trip was the fact that they had arrived in Paris on Easter weekend. Unbeknownst to them, most Parisians celebrate not only Easter Sunday but Easter Monday as well! All of this added up to the fact that they would not be able to collect their Paris passes until Tuesday, the day of their departure. Um, no. Thelma's feisty Latina side came out and she went to pounding on the door. Well, that poor girl should have never opened that door. After hearing that their plane had landed over an hour later than planned, she let them in...money and vacation saved!! Thank you, Lord Jesus, on this Resurrection weekend! Paris Passes in hand, it was still a rather frustrating few days as the 3 of them tried to navigate attractions and museums being closed because of the holiday. Had they known in advance, there could have been some more planning put into the scheduling of the daily itineraries. Overall, though, it was a fantastic trip and they were able to participate in all of their "must sees".
The first couple of days in Paris were colder than predicted and anticipated. Lindsay had unfortunately decided to leave her winter coat in Indiana, not expecting to use it before returning to the States. This did not pose much of a problem due to the tremendous amount of walking and intermittent periods of time warming up on the metro trains. It was, however, difficult to make the adjustment at first, especially with overcast skies that did not allow for any warming from the sun.
Each of the 4 days was jam-packed with as many sights and delicious treats as could be managed. After talking their way into gathering the Paris Passes, they hopped onto the first metro and headed for the Eiffel Tower. Even with cloudy skies, the first view was breathtaking. This, of course, was the first real feeling of being in Paris.
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Just looking at this picture makes Lindsay cold!
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The trio had decided to spend the first afternoon getting the lay of the land from the Eiffel Tower. The plan was to make the trip to the top on the following morning, so they took their pictures, continued walking through the Champs de Mars, and made their way to the Hotel des Invalides and Musee de L'Armee where they would find Napoleon's tomb.
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The size and grandeur of Napoleon's tomb did not disappoint, in fact,
it completely fit all of the stereotypes that you've always
heard about this small emperor.
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| The paintings done on ceilings throughout Paris are remarkable! |
Directly across the street, they headed to the Musee Rodin to see the famed Thinker. It was a lovely, quiet garden park filled with the sculptures of the artist Rodin, but the cold and late hour in the day forced the three travelers to move on without spending much time perusing.
The sun did begin to poke through the clouds as they walked toward their first glimpse of Champs Elysées, but the wind had picked up and without gloves it was beginning to get too cold for anything but a warm meal.
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| Pont Alexandre-III Bridge |
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Champs Elysées is definitely too busy treacherous for taking pictures! |
The next morning was early as everything suggested that arriving at the Eiffel Tower at least an hour or more before it opened was absolutely necessary because of the absurdly long lines. Fortunately, the sun was out and "warming" things up for the long wait, but it seemed to be colder than the day before and Lindsay cannot remember the last time that her toes were so painfully cold. Even with line skippers and ignorant people that cannot determine how a line works, the line moved quickly once the gates were opened.
The first elevator ride takes you to the first or second level viewing platforms. From the second, you must then wait in another line to board the final elevator that travels to the summit. Until this point, Lindsay's toes had throbbed with pain from the cold, but standing within the tower, no sun for warmth, and the wind whipping at the higher elevation, the degree of chill reached new heights. They had to keep telling themselves that it would all be worth it once they reached the top. While it was definitely worth it, you cannot imagine the frigid wind tunnel that was the summit. They spent all of 5 minutes taking their pictures and getting the heck out of there!!
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Elevator ride to the second level
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| Views from the summit (notice that the picture above is the same view from the 2nd level!) |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| Champs de Mars |
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| Elevator ride back down - so thankful for the warmth! |
Another co-worker of Lindsay's was spending her Spring Break in Brussels and decided to make a day trip to Paris. Because Laurie did not have a Paris Pass and was unable to skip many of the long lines, they decided to hit the highlights of the city on the Hop-on Hop-off bus for much of the afternoon. The first major stop was Notre Dame Cathedral, but jaded by long, cold lines, they decided to return on another day to take a look inside.
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| Notre Dame |
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The biggest meringues they found -
compare the size to the cakes and pies on the bottom shelf! |
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| Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe |
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An Egyptian Obelisk from Luxor.
It was fascinating to see this just months after
Joe and Lindsay saw one that is still in Luxor! |
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A gift from the U.S. that has become the unofficial Princess Diana memorial.
It is located just above the tunnel where she was killed in a car accident. |
On the third day, it was decided to spend the entire morning at the Musee de Louvre. You could spend days looking through all of the amazing things that are on display at this museum, but they prioritized their highlights beginning, of course, with the Mona Lisa.
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The Louvre!
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| We used the underground entrance which was significantly faster |
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We were among the many visitors that raced to the famous painting first thing,
passing many incredible things along the way |
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| There she is! |
After getting their fill of the Mona Lisa, they headed to another famous piece, a sculpture: The Winged Victory of Samothrace. They had actually run-walked past it as they headed for the more famous piece, but came back for a second look.
Other galleries they visited were "Arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas", "Pharaonic Egypt", "The Neoclassical Period", and "The Renaissance" on their way to the "Napoleon III Apartments". Again, there is SO much to see! One thing that surprised them was the beauty in the building itself. Every new room had fantastic windows, ceilings, and flooring. The Louvre itself is stunning work of art.
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Again with the incredible ceilings!
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| Lindsay recognized this particular pharaoh from her time in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo |
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Marie Antoinette's apartments
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Napoleon's lounge....seriously?!?
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Under the famous pyramid - amazing statues abound
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After a morning of art, Lindsay, Thelma, and Eric decided to head back to Notre Dame Cathedral for a look inside. While it is a stunning place of worship, the stories about the gargoyles and the Hunchback are what have made this structure famous.
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We could not keep count of the number of bride and groom couples came for a photo in front of the incredible doors.
Oddly enough, every single one was Asian.
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The view from the back
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Seriously creepy
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The remainder of the daylight hours were spent searching for some of the city's most famously delicious macaroons. When in Paris, right? Lindsay had spent many hours on Trip Advisor and Pinterest in the weeks leading up to this trip in search of helpful tips and recommendations. One macaroon shop continually reappeared with outstanding reviews. Because many stores had been closed on the previous 2 days for the holiday, this was the day to locate the infamous Pierre Herme. They actually found a smaller shop closer to the Louvre, but found that it had limited flavor options that were somewhat "odd". While we're sure that these unique flavor combinations were quite delicious (think: olive oil and basil, etc.), these Americans also wanted to sample the staples: chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. After some metro-hopping and lots of walking with a GPS navigator to guide them, they found themselves devastated that their elusive macaroon shop was not where it promised to be. Fortunately, someone on Trip Advisor had posted pictures of the store fronts on the street where they stood and they discovered that it was only marked on the window instead of on an overhead sign. Thank you, Jesus because oh.my.gosh. Delicious does not amply describe the yumminess that was packed into the small desserts.
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| If you ever have the opportunity...DO IT!! |
That evening, after a delicious meal on the Champs Elysees, the three spent a little time taking pictures of the Arc de Triomphe from the middle of the street. This is not as dangerous as it might sound, even though, as mentioned earlier, it is quite a busy thoroughfare. Unfortunately, on this short trip there wasn't time to venture to the Arc to where you can find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier below or take in the views from the viewing decks at the top. Maybe on the next trip.
After some quick pictures, they had a late night cruise on the River Seine. While this boat ride was extremely windy and cold, it turned out to be one of their favorite things throughout the vacation. It all started underneath the Eiffel Tower as it began to twinkle. Between sunset and sunrise, the tower is lit for all of Paris to see. In addition to this, every hour on the hour it twinkles brightly. It is absolutely beautiful!
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| Magnifique! |
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| Twinkling! |
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| Pont Alexandre-III Bridge |
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| Pont Neuf Bridge - the first to connect the 2 sides of the river |
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| Notre Dame |
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| The cruise began and ended under the twinkling Eiffel Tower |
On the final day, they began with a trip to the tattoo parlor for Eric. While he waited for the preparations, Lindsay and Thelma scouted out a local patisserie. As mentioned before, most of these had been closed throughout the weekend due to the extended Easter holiday. Man, was it worth the wait! They filled their bags and stomachs with several delicious treats. The pastries were so delicious that they returned with Eric for more after his appointment ended!
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| Best eclair ever - Lindsay had 2! |
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| Anything with chocolate = delightful |
The final afternoon included a very quick trip outside of the city to visit the Chateau of Versailles. This was Lindsay's most anticipated location and one that they had intended to spend a full day exploring. Unfortunately for them, holiday closings greatly interfered once again. The lines were incredibly long when they approached and Lindsay was heartbroken, knowing that she would not get to take her time and explore as she had hoped. Never fear. Her gallant husband has promised to take her back in the future!
The Chateau and its gardens did not disappoint. They learned that the opulence contained and surrounding this "home" were one of the main factors that influenced the start of the French Revolution. As King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived in extreme wealth, their country and its citizens suffered.
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| Quite an entrance! |
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| In front of the Chateau |
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| The chapel inside of the Chateau |
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| Every room in the entire home seemed to be more grand than the last |
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| The Hercules Salon - this fireplace was probably 7 or 8 feet wide! |
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| The Hercules Salon - used as a ballroom |
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The infamous Hall of Mirrors -
the central gallery which connects the King's Apartments to the Queen's |
Because it was later in the day, the halls and rooms of this beautiful place were absolutely full of people. It was terrible! This caused more stress than anything else as they felt like a herd of cattle unable to take the time to look around and enjoy. Lindsay saw enough to pique her interest even more, and she longs to return for time to take in everything at her leisure.
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| The attention to detail and the amount it must have cost is unimaginable! |
After a quick walk through the apartments in the Chateau, Lindsay ventured out into the gardens on her own. After all of the walking throughout the trip, Eric and Thelma were too exhausted to continue. While Lindsay also had a strong urge to head back to the city to rest, she sure loves to explore the homes of royalty! She had about an hour and a half to take in the massive expanse of gardens on the property. With a map, she thought out her plan and took her longest strides to cover as much ground as possible. While she sped through less than half of what she would have liked to see, she was quite impressed with the assortment of fountains and groves that included many quiet places which took her breath away. This was one of the highlights of her trip!
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| Just behind the South wing of the Chateau |
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| Also behind the South wing of the Chateau |
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| Ballroom Grove - an absolutely stunning ampitheater |
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| Most fountains were not functioning because of the time of year |
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Mirror Fountain - known for its musical water displays.
It was difficult not to sit and watch for awhile. |
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| King's Garden |
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| King's Garden - definitely Lindsay's favorite and so peaceful |
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| King's Garden |
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| Colonnade Grove |
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| Fountain of Apollo's Chariot overlooking the Grand Canal (which had many row boats!) |
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| A the Fountain of Apollo's Chariot looking up the Royal Walk at the Chateau |
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| The Royal Walk overlooking the Grand Canal |
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| Back at the Chateau with the "backyard" behind! |
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The back of the Chateau de Versailles - someone lived here!!
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Overall, it was a fantastic trip to Paris. Honestly, Paris had never been on Lindsay's must-see list, but living in the Middle East with so many amazing destinations surrounding us has been ideal. We have been able to check out our must-sees and venture to some of our "Sure, Why not?" places! We could definitely include Paris on our "Go Back Someday" list.
