Paris, Day 1

Sorry about the long delay, but I was enjoying spring break too much to blog about it. 

On Monday morning, we got up really really early to take the Eurostar to Paris. I fell asleep on the train, of course, so it didn't really seem like a long ride. When we got to Paris, we checked into our hotel and then started our tour at the most important church in Paris, the Notre Dame de Paris. 

After Notre Dame, we took a stroll to Sainte Chapelle, since it is on the same island and has beautiful stained glass. Personally, I don't believe Sainte Chapelle is quite worth the admission fee, as it is a very small church, but instead of paying admission, we purchased a four day Paris Museum Pass. This can be a good idea or a waste of money, depending upon how serious you are about seeing a lot of museums and monuments. We certainly got our money's worth out of our passes, as you shall see from the next few posts. 

The weather was beautiful, so we had a picnic lunch in the Jardins de Luxembourg. I was insistent that we sit next to the fountain in the center, as I think it's the prettiest view in the park, but when we got there, the fountain was empty! It must be spring cleaning time for the fountain. 

Where did the water go?

We walked from the Jardins de Luxembourg to the Pantheon, which was freezing, like usual. I think it makes the crypt extra creepy when it's ten to fifteen degrees colder than outside. 

In the evening we climbed the steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and watched the Eiffel Tower light up. I know it lights up every night whether I'm watching it or not, but every time I feel like it's something special just because I'm in Paris.

I was trying so hard to hold the camera still that I didn't realize it was crooked.