Two things I did clearly remember from my whirlwind trip to Paris and Nice during May 2002: I learned the true meaning of "walking it off" and somehow, I missed going to the top of the Eiffel Tower!
I know what you're thinking..."How the hell does one go to
Paris and NOT visit the Eiffel Tower?" Oh I visited the tower...let me explain.
Although I was holed up for 9 hours during the flight from Dallas to Paris, I was just too excited to sleep. Once I landed, it was too early to go crash out at my hotel (not that I would have wasted my first moments in Paris sleeping in my tiny hotel room!), so I pulled out my hand written "Place to Visit" list and my pocket map and put foot to pavement. First stop, THE EIFFEL TOWER, of course!!!
Here's what I wrote on le 16 mai 2002 at 15:30 about that:
Well, of course, my first photos had to be of la Tour
Eiffel! It is HUGE! Of course, I knew it would be, but I
think the amazing part id the beautiful details, like the
curly cues and the beautifully carved pedestals upon which
it sits. And the weather could not be better. I'm going
to wait to go to the top. The line is long and I'd love to
see it at night.
Yeah, well...we know THAT didn't happen. After a LOT of trips on the metro, validating my rail pass and finding the hotel, I spent the rest of the day walking the beautiful neighborhoods around the Eiffel Tour/ Champs de Mars area, heading into the center of the city, reveling in the sights of the Ile de France area, Notre Dame, Ste. Chappelle, the small islands in the Seine. I crossed the Pont des Arts and walked through the streets of the Latin Quarter, with its tangled streets and back alleys, back to my hotel, which was located in the predominately residential Contrescarpe neighborhood.
AND THAT WAS DAY ONE!!!
For some reason I have no notes for day two...I might have been in a coma for most of the day as the lack of sleep caught up with me, followed with more neighborhood walking. I enjoyed Luxembourg Garden and all of the fountains. Paris even has Roman Ruins! Who knew??? I was amazed...and kept on walking!
Day three was the Louvre. If you've never been...well, you probably won't understand why that's basically all I did on day two. There was more wandering about the streets of Paris, which is the real museum. It's like NYC without the tall buildings. So multi-ethnic! Oh and the people dress MUCH better than we Americans do.
Day four I left Paris. I had planned a side trip to Nice and the French Riviera. I had no idea when I initially planned this trip, that this side trip was an EXCELLENT idea!!! I call it the vacation from my vacation. It was a much needed change of pace from the non stop bustle of Paris. I didn't realize how much running around I had done until I hit the laid back Riviera. Needless to say...I did a lot of hanging out at the beach!!! But this blog entry is about PARIS!
After 4 awesomely relaxing days on the Mediterranean, I reluctantly left the leisurely pace of the cote d'azur behind me, and returned for one more day in Paris before flying back to Dallas. After consulting my places to visit list, I realized that I had hit only half of the places I had planned to visit. Needless to say, I felt obliged to try to hit as many of those sights as I could in the time I had left.
That last day, I visited the following Paris destinations: the Musee D'Orsay, Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, and the Pere LaChaise Cemetery (you know...the one with Jim Morrison). The cemetery was a bit of a hike, but worth it. So many famous people are buried there...it was amazing. Writers, composers, authors. Even Maria Callas is buried there. I heard that Cher even has purchased a plot in the cemetery.
That last night, I decided to hit one more sight before heading back to the hotel to pack for my early flight back. Although I had not yet gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I decided to forgo the climb, and, instead, visit the Arc de Triomphe. The rain from the afternoon continued into the evening, but I took the metro to the Champs Elysees and walked toward the huge French symbol located in the center of a 3-lane rotary. At first, it's not clear how exactly you're supposed to get to the structure without being flattened by the rushing traffic flying in circles around it. Thank goodness, someone had mercy on visiting pedestrians and installed a tunnel beneath the rushing traffic.
The Arc de Triomphe was an very pleasant surprise; not only is it a monument to French battles of the past, but you can also go into it. There's a narrow spiraling stone staircase that takes you to a large hall at the top, with some very cool displays on the history of the monument. At the end of the hall, there's another small spiral stair case that takes you all the way to the top of the monument itself. The night views of the city from the top were SPECTACULAR!!! The lighted avenues radiate out from this central spot towards all corners of the city...and through the mist, I saw it: the Eiffel Tower, all lit up with a rotating spotlight at the top. It was breathtaking and well worth the climb! I was still sad that I had not made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but this view was an excellent consolation prize.
One great piece of travel advice I've received in my life is to never regret the things you didn't do during a trip. Instead, enjoy the sight you do see, then GO BACK to see the rest. That piece of advice drove me to begin planning my return visit to Paris. That next year, in May 2003, I did just that. And the very first thing I did? I climbed that tower! Oh yeah, I did. And I'm sure I appreciated it that much more for the wait!!!
I'd like to thank Rayleen Putman for giving me the mini notebook with the American flag on the cover, that I used to take notes during my very first transatlantic trip to the land of croissants and berets. I still have it, and thanks to that notebook, I was able to relive that first trip, that, until now, seemed a zillion years ago! She's my sister from another mother and I wish she wasn't soooooooooo very far away!!! :)
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