We’ve had a very enjoyable and busy weekend. The weather here in Paris has been beautiful.

We started our day out yesterday by doing something that some people may call “getting a little lost”; I call it exploring our neighbourhood. While “exploring” we found a tunnel that was lit with blue lights – it was very cool looking.

Our first stop of the day was the Eiffel Tower. We arrived early and our wait from when we first queued up until getting on the first lift was 30 minutes at the most. A few short moments later we were up at the tippy top! The morning was a little misty and the view was spectacular.

We were then on to Notre Dame. Despite the fact that I am not Catholic, I was still moved when I entered the cathedral. The facade is so intricate and imposing and the square in front of it is jam packed with people, but as soon as you enter, however, it is calm, cool and everyone is speaking in hushed tones. The stained glass windows are breathtaking. (I actually overheated my camera after the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. I had to let it cool down for about an hour and a half. Then again, I have already taken over 950 pictures, so maybe it’s time for some editing.)

From there we did a little shopping on the Champs Elysees. We went to the Louis Vuitton flagship store where Selena bought a lovely gift for her sister. Wow, Selena is ever a good sister! The Arc de Triomphe is at the end of the Champs Elysees and that was our next stop. While on the hop on/off bus we also saw many of the other Paris landmarks like Place de Concorde, the Orsay Museum and the Paris Opera House.

We capped off Saturday with a Paris at Night tour, which was an opportunity to see the monuments illuminated. The Eiffel Tower was especially beautiful, as they have it lit completely with twinkling lights. Our last stop of the day was the 11pm show at the Moulin Rouge. Aside from the singing and dancing, including the French can-can, there are a variety of other acts – a man and woman who do balancing/strength feats, a ventriloquist and a guy who juggles ping-pong balls with his mouth.

Despite our late night (we got back to our hotel about 2am) we were up early for our trip out of Paris to Giverney and Versailles. It was great to get some views of the countryside surrounding Paris. Giverny is extremely beautiful and peaceful. It is easy to see how Monet would be inspired by living in those surroundings.

After a 3 course French lunch (which included all you can drink white or red wine – we shared a bottle of each with a lovely couple from Montreal) it was time for our Versailles tour. I had no idea just how large the palace itself and gardens really are. We toured the private apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. It gave me chills when our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Sabrine, showed us the small door that leads to a staircase out of the palace where the Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette unsuccessfully attempted to flee with the rest of the royal family from the revolutionaries.

We have had a very busy two days, but we are loving every minute of our trip!

stace

p.s. Yesterday I saw a couple getting married on a boat that was floating down the Seine. I don’t think it gets any more romantic than that!

p.p.s. On a more morbid note, today we drove through the Pont d’Alma tunnel, which is where Princess Di lost her life.