…giving something a second change is rewarding?

So, hubby and I went to Paris this last weekend. And O-M-G, how I loved it!!

 

First time round, some 5 years ago, we went on a bus trip which left London on Friday morning and came back Sunday eve. It was cold out there, and we had to keep up with the bus dropping us off and picking us up, so time was strict. We also went to the Paris Motor show and Versailles Palace. Those were great, but meant we rushed through Paris, seeing only the major places, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph and Montparnasse. And, as we didn't get out of the bus that much, we missed out the interaction with the locals.

 

But this time round, it was brilliant! A weather with a temperature of 23-25oC meant it was perfect. The Hotel we stayed in was simple, but clean, with friendly staff and oh so close from the city centre! Twenty minutes walking and we would be at the Opera or the Louvre! The city had such nice air, everyone was cheering for the Rugby and it was just beautiful!

No queues at the Louvre or to see Mona Lisa meant I had surreal moment there. Just going up the stairs on the way to see Da Vinci's most famous work, I had this feeling of having a dream, you know when you can't believe you're somewhere you'd never think you'd be in a million years? But there I was, seeing her. Bigger than I though and trying to see if her eyes followed me across the room (yes, they DID!). La Madeleine was spectacular, a very special visit. You don't expect to see an actual church inside the Parthenon-like building. But it was a beautiful church, and the service was in English so we even started for a bit. We also went to the Opera, yes, that's right, this is the one which inspired the Phantom of the Opera musical. Unfortunately, due to a special event they weren't letting us go inside further than the first set of steps, but it looked spectacular! Concorde Place was where they beheaded people during the revolution and jut taking the left we went through the Jardin des Tuileries – both are beautiful and peaceful spots, you'd never guess they would be places where such atrocities happened. We also walked through the City Centre and went to see the NotreDame, which we didn't have time to go in last time, and this time missed the opening of stairs to go up by a few minutes =( Finished by 7:30PM and we were so tired (remember we walked all day long, after waking up at 4:00AM to get the train) we just didn't have the energy to go out have dinner. All we wanted was to sleep and relax.

 

Sunday, we began at 10:30AM with The Rodin Museum and Garden; we were struck by seeing the sculptures "live" there on our reach and some we could even touch! I remember going to see Rodin in the Tate in Sao Paulo and was such a huge queue we gave up =( But now looking at his works on the place they were conceived topped it all! From there, we went to Eiffel Tour, sitting on the grass gave us the most serene feeling! The Sun shining on us, oh what more can you asks for? We tried to go up the Tower, but as the top level was closed we decided to leave that for a next visit. From there a lengthy walk to the Arc de Triumph, but this time we went the whole way up to the top. The views were breathtaking and priceless – luckily it was for free as it was a national day =)
Coming down, we walked the Champs-Elysées, stopping to see the sunglasses shops, although we only took the names of sunglasses we liked so we can buy it cheaper somewhere else. And then, it was a Metro to the Sacré Coeur, where it was another treat for the eyes. The place where this cathedral sits is amazing, so French-like and where you don't feel the city rush one bit! It was worth all the hills we had to go up. Last stop from the trip was Moulin Rouge, and it was kinda funny all these tourists going to see it, because it is on a red-light district but when you get to the venue all you can think of is the glamorous of the movie (even though you haven't seen it is an unavoidable scene which springs to mind).
 
We really needed this perfect lovely weekend after this year busy time with guests and messed up routine. We were both in a good mood, and enjoyed everything on this trip. Only thing which spoiled it a bit was the fact we didn't feel inspired by any restaurant to go in and eat. Most of them were overpriced, and didn't offer French traditional food =( So we just enjoyed the crepes and croissants, lol. The locals were friendly and helpful, so much different feel than the first time round. Now I can say I'd happily live in Paris for a bit if I ever had to.