Obviously, you can't go to Paris and not at least stand in front of the Eiffel Tower! There's two ways to go up. You can either take an elevator to the first two levels and then the last elevator to the top or you can take the stairs to the first two levels and then get on the elevator to the top. I personally really liked taking the stairs. You can more time to enjoy the trip up. You can see the entire city.
We went to see the Arc de Triomphe at about sunset time. The whole trip up to the top was very interesting. You get to see models of the structure & how the surroundings around it have changed. Once at the the top you can see the Eiffel Tower from one side, the Champ-Elysees from another and just all the lights of the city. We were about to leave, when we realized it would be about 45 minutes before the lit up the Eiffel Tower for the first time of the night. So we waited and it was so worth the wait. Seeing it was truly amazing. Joseph played City of Blinding Lights on his iPod while we saw the (10) minute light show. Unforgettable.
From the top of the Arc de Triomphe, you can see the Champs-Elysees all lit up at night. So Beautiful. I could have stood there all night. After leaving the Arc, we walked down the Champs-Elysees. We stopped into many stores (because I wanted to, completely against Joseph's will) and even walked through the many levels of the Louis Vuitton flagship store. Talk about being in heaven. I wish I could have moved into it. Even if you aren't buying anything, it's worth going into and seeing everything.
As we made it to end of the Champ-Elysees at Place de la Concorde, we took a picture in front of this fountain. The lights of the city truly are blinding, maybe because you feel like you are walking on cloud nine.
We walked around/through the Louvre's grounds the first night we arrived in Paris. I had to see it. I feel silly saying it, but I didn't know its beauty existed until I saw The DaVinci Code. Ever since that movie, I knew I had to make my way to the Louvre. It was even more beautiful in person. Everything about the Louvre's grounds was immaculate and gorgeous. We went into the museum but didn't actually pay to walk through and see all of the history and art, such as the original Mona Lisa painting.
One of the "Things to do in Paris" was be a hunchback at Notre-Dame. The inside of the cathedral was beyond words. We sat for a while in the service, roamed the cathedral and eventually paid to go to the top. However, it wasn't until after we paid that they told us we wouldn't be able to go up to the roof that day because of some random reason. Oh well, it was still worth it.
P.S. For us it was kind of hard to find, but we realized throughout our entire trip, 90% of the time that we were "lost", within a few minutes the thing we were looking for would be right in front of us :)
Before arriving in Paris, we were in Amsterdam and while in Amsterdam, we visited the Van Gogh (one of my favorite artists, aside from Monet) museum. As we learned more and more about Van Gogh, the more and more I wanted to feel connected to him. Silly, I know. However, we learned he had spent a lot of time in Montmartre getting inspiration for his painting. So being in Montmartre had a whole new meaning for me.
The first stop was seeing the Moulin Rouge. Joseph had already prepared me by telling me it was a let down. But it was still worth seeing for me and on the way up to Montmartre.
Since Joseph kind of knew his way around Montmartre (even though he didn't remember how to get there but we somehow stumbled upon it) he wanted to visit this little bar that he had visited it his first time in Paris. I'm sure for him it was a crazy experience to be back there after a few years. As you can see people leave keepsakes, notes, or any memory of themselves on walls in hopes of coming back and finding them. Joseph couldn't remember where he had placed his note previously, so we made a new one and placed it close to the ceiling above one of the corners of our bar booths. It's written on an eclipse bubble gum container (it was all we had at the time) in case you see it :)
One of the other sites to see while up on the hill of Montmartre is Le Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. It's a beautiful cathedral, but most importantly is the view from in front of it of Paris. Truly gorgeous.
On our way back to our hotel from Montmartre, Joseph bought a Barrett and dared me to wear it throughout the city. I don't think he thought I would actually do it but I did it and got the funniest looks.
I had this weird obsession with the Opera House. I think the stop off of the Metro is even called the Opera Stop. I thought it was just amazingly beautiful and what made it even better was a big band playing outside of it. While standing in front of it, we found Cafe de la Paix.
Joseph's parents had been to Paris weeks before and told us to have a nice dinner here on them. So, while stopping to see the Opera house, I made a reservation, we came back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. It was the best meal I think I have even had in my life (mostly because I was in Paris and at a beautiful restaurant). We kind of went all out and even ordered Foie Gras. It was interesting... worth trying!
8.) The Legendary Parisian: Chanel
How could you love Fashion and not visit the Chanel Flagship on Rue Cambon. It sits on a quiet, almost hidden street, behind Place Vendome and next to Hotel Castille. Above the Chanel boutique is Coco Chanel's apartment, you can't go up of course unless you're Rachel Zoe or Carl Lagerfeld, but it's worth dreaming about!
If we had more time, here are some things I thought would have been worth seeing:
*Mariage Freres - Has the finest teas in the world, this is at the top of my list for next time, some day
*Museum of Fashion & Textiles - It was closed the time I was there but also a must see for me!
*Musee d'Orsay - Was left off my list, accidentally...
*Les Catacombes - We tried desperately to find the catacombs, but had no luck.
1.) All of Paris' big museums are FREE the first Sunday of the month which includes the Louvre & Musee d'Orsay!
2.) In January (which is when I think you are going) there is a Parade de Montmartre
3.) Buy a Carte Orange for the Metro - You'll need it to get around
4.) Walk down Rue St. Martin - Cheap & Chic chopping :) Got a great pea coat for $30
5.) Starting at 10 p.m. the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 10 minutes every hour until 1 a.m.
6.) Walk through a least one park - Jardin du Carrousel
7.) Make a list of "Things To Do" while in Paris, because when you're there you'll probably forget some!
Here were some of the things on my list aside from the ones I posted above:
Smoke a Cigarette at Montmartre
Wear A French Barret
Eat a Croissant
Try Escargot
Drink French Champagne
Try Foie Gras
Eat Quiche, Crepes, & Pain Au Chocolat
Drink a Cafe Au Lait
Have a Baguette for Lunch
See the City at night
Place an order speaking only French
and finally Kiss on top of the Eiffel Tower :)
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