Valentines trip to Paris

  Paris, Île-de-France, France
Thursday, February 12, 2009

We decided to book a mini-break in Paris for the week before Valentine's Day. The prices for hotels and flights are very reasonable in winter and we heard the queues would be short for all the best attractions.

We arrived on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. and took the metro from the airport into the city and up to Montmarte. This is an amazing neighbourhood - so perfectly Paris. It is everything I imagined Paris would be - all the cafes and baguette shops and people walking their little dogs. Ahhhh. We found our hotel which was perfectly situated - good access to the metro, Sacre Coeur and lots of cafes, restaurants and nightlife. We didn't waste any time getting out to explore the city. First stop Eiffel Tower!

We only stood in line for about 10 minutes at the tower, then we were up the elevator and on our way. It was just as exciting as I imagined it would be. Great views! We had sun for the first part of the afternoon but the sky got grey by about 2:30 p.m. We made it up to the very top of the tower - a bit chilly in February but totally worth it. We were lucky that we didn't wait until Saturday as the top level was closed due to bad visibility.

Next we walked towards the magnificent gold dome that we saw from the Eiffel Tower. We found the Hotel des Invalides and the gold dome church. Apparently this is where Napoleon is buried, although we didn't go into the crypt. We arrived just in time to see a photo shoot for a group from the French army. It was fun to watch them standing so still and making different formations. By this time, the sun was going down quickly and Paris was getting a bit chilly. We headed back to Montmartre to find a cozy restaurant. Then we went to a pub and had a few drinks.

On Saturday, the weather was miserable, but we pulled on our warmest gear and headed out. We decided to make it a museum day in order to stay warm. We headed to the Louvre and although it was crowded, we were able to get a close look at the Mona Lisa and other famous works of art housed there. The building itself is amazing - so huge. After 4 hours we had still only covered about 1/3 of it. After our day of art and history we decided to walk along the Champs Elysees to explore a more modern side of French culture. We wanted to find a restaurant and see the Arc de Triomphe up close. We happened across a Citroen showroom with cool gadgets and cars so we had to stop in for a look. Then we found a place to eat and warm up. We waited until dark to walk to the Arc de Triomphe. It is spectacular at night. Very beautiful. We made our way back to Montmartre after this with a stop at the Moulin Rouge on the way. I wanted to go to a show just for the fun of it, but it was sold out - darn. Another time...

On Sunday the weather was still chilly but a bit sunnier. We made our way to the Musee d'Orsay to check out the art from the 1848 - 1914 period. It was really lovely and bright inside the old train station. I'm a fan of Degas painting and sculpture so I was happy to see this area. After the museum we walked along the river and crossed over to the island to visit Notre Dame. It seems small from the outside but it is a very grand and beautiful cathedral. A very popular attraction. Next we walked to the Pantheon and the Jardin du Luxembourg. We headed back to Montmartre for dinner and then ventured up the hill to see Sacre Coeur at night. The view from the cathedral is amazing and the church itself is both beautiful and eerie in the moonlight.

Monday, our last day in Paris, was truly freakin cold. But it was still Paris and I still loved it. It rained all day but we found some cool places to explore. We found the Centre Pompidou, the ultra modern art museum. Wow, some of the art here is too much for my taste but some of it is cool. We warmed up in Starbucks (I know, I know) and then walked to the National Music Hall and finally sulked back to the hotel to get our bags and head to the airport. We arrived to the airport at about 6:00 p.m. and everything seemed fine. But an hour later we discovered that Charles de Gaule and all other airports in the City were closing due to high winds. So our flight was canceled and we were rebooked on a flight the next day at 4:00 p.m. Well, at least we got a hotel for the night from the airline. The rest isn't exciting.. mostly sitting and waiting. But we made it home safely, only 24 hours later than planned. Paris was amazing. I can't wait to go back some time in the summer to see everything again but green.