Paris

Most of Europe considers Good Friday and Easter Monday to be bank holidays.  Therefore, I had a four day holiday weekend.  Jonathan only had a three day holiday weekend but as he attends the French Culinary Institute, he figured spending a few extra days in France was definitely acceptable.  We both arrived Friday morning.  Without us both having cell phones, we had to meet the old fashioned way, pick a place and trust that the other person would show up.  I arrived to the hotel first.  I took the ICE from Germany, which traveled nearly 200 mi/hr.  I have traveled on the ICE before but all tracks in Germany aren’t equipped to handle the speed that the train is designed to travel at.  France also has a fast train and they, on the other hand, have equipped most of their tracks to handle the trains.  Therefore, once we crossed the border, we drastically increased our speed.  It took a total of four hours to travel from Heidelberg to Paris, the same amount of time it took me to travel from New York to Maryland.  Visiting another country is much more fun than visiting another state. 

The weather in Paris was perfect; it was warm and sunny with occasional clouds.  We were able to walk everywhere.  We started out by strolling along the river until we reached Notre Dame.  Everything was in bloom and the trees and flowers surrounding it made it even more beautiful from a distance.  We went inside and watched a few minutes of a service.  We had hoped to climb the stairs to the top of the tower but the line continued from the church down the block.  The weather was too nice the entire weekend to be wasted on waiting.  We walked to Quartier Latin and found a place to each lunch.  It was helpful that Jk has learned many of the French cooking terms.  As a vegetarian, I was a little concerned that I would unknowingly order something full of meat.  After lunch we strolled through the small but busy streets of Quartier Latin.  By the time we arrived back to the hotel, it was time to change and head to dinner.  We went to Le Petit Chaise, which is the oldest restaurant in Paris.  The French onion soup was wonderful as was the rest of the meal.  While we both were full and thoroughly exhausted, we decided it was necessary to see the City of Lights.  We walked to the Louvre, across Pont Neuf, past Museem de Orsay.  We walked and walked and walked until all the lights went out, then we walked some more until we were back at our hotel. 

On Saturday, we started our day with crepes from Cluny Square.  We walked through a park on the Left Bank and watched some men play Bocce Ball.  It seems to be popular, popular enough that everyone had their own balls.  Then we went to the Louvre where we were pleasantly surprised to learn that entrance was free for those between the ages of 18 and 25.  We walked through the Italian and French paintings until we saw the Mona Lisa.  The museum was beyond crowded and extremely noisy so we decided to find a place for a drink.  We stumbled upon a very French bar where we enjoyed French beer.  It started to rain in the late afternoon.  We decided to buy ingredients to make a simple meal and cook in our studio hotel room.

On Sunday, we started our day once again with crepes that we found on our way to the Pantheon.  I was worried that most things would be closed on Easter Sunday but it seemed to make no difference at all.  I’m used to Germany where everything is closed on Sunday, holiday or no holiday.  We went inside the Pantheon to view Foucault’s Pendulum, which was rather remarkable.  We also viewed the crypts.  It is amazing how many well-known people were buried there.  As everything was in French, we couldn’t grasp a full understanding of how the crypts work but it was interesting nonetheless.  I really had wanted to see the Catacombs while we were in Paris so we headed there next.  On our way we walked through Jardin du Luxembourg, which was beautiful, filled with flowers and trees and joggers and sunbathers.  It was no Central Park, but it was a really nice park.  I could picture myself living in Paris and running through the gardens each morning.  When we arrived to the Catacombs, we learned that they were closed (which was not listed online).  Unfortunate but understandable.  We then traveled to the Eiffel Tower which was huge.  The entire base was filled with people waiting on line and once again, we decided not to waste our time.  Instead, we walked to Arc de Triomphe where we were able to make it to the top without waiting on any lines.  It height is the same as the first level of the Eiffel Tower and the views were fantastic.  Six streets intersect at the Arc and to look down each one was amazing.  From there, we walked down Champ de Elysee, which leads to the Louvre.  It certainly looks much closer than it is.  We ate dinner in this area and headed straight home for some much needed sleep.

On Monday, we ate crepes once again.  We walked to the Picasso Museum, which was in a desolate neighborhood.  By the time we arrived we were to hungry to go though the museum.  The Picasso Museum in Barcelona was wonderful so it wasn't a major loss.  In the afternoon, we walked through a park to Musée de l'Orangeries to see Monet's water lilies.  The space was specifically remodeled for these paintings.  It was a wonderful exhibit.  In the evening, we went to dinner at Le Cinq at the Four Season Hotel which was by far the best meal I have ever had in my life.

While I am pretty sure Jk and I could have fun anywhere, I couldn’t have been happier to celebrate our three years together in Paris.