Wed April 16 - Paris!

Alright, time for the blogs!

To begin with I had a rough night as I got little sleep. That was because of the short movie I have to make for my one class due Tuesday. With that a week away and me going to Paris for most of that time - I was running out of time and my actors never got back to me! So I had to rewrite a new script involving me as the star and me filming it - and when that was done I started to film some of it but got tired and got a few hours of sleep.

Before I knew it, I packed the last of my things and headed to the train station where I got on the train at 9 am bound for Paris. It was a nice ride, though my seat was right where the break is between windows so it was not always the easiest to see out of. I arrived on time in the Gare du Nord station and called Benjamin, my host to see what was up. As he lives only a block or so away, he got there in about five minutes and after making introductions we were off to his place.

He's really cool and so is his place. He's 26 and an actor in Paris - though he didn't go to university to get a degree. Although he lives on the 6th floor (which is actually the 7th b/c the French call what we consider the first floor the rez-de-chausse and the second floor is the first floor, etc etc.) it's a cozy little place. His shower works! haha. He even had a map booklet of Paris (because even Parisians get lost and need a map!) and a spare key for me as well, which was nice of him. He had to get going to a meeting so we didn't have much time to relax when I arrived, but we planned to maybe grab dinner after his meeting was over. Since he was taking the metro too, we walked over to the nearest one. He even helped me make sure the Carte Orange which I was planning to get was available to me and if it was the cheapest as well. Thankfully I still had the pictures I took for my Carte 12-25 in my wallet so I was able to use that for the ID card for the Carte Orange. (It’s a week long unlimited pass but you need to have a small photo to buy it.) Then he even helped me get to the city centre where I figured I'd start my trip off at, before we split our ways.

So I headed to the Cité metro stop. I got out there, and unlike in London – I consulted the maps! I had planned to go see Sainte-Chapelle which is a 13th century church and one of the two remaining parts of the old palaces on the Île de Cité. So I walked across the bridge over the Seine and headed up the street. But when I got there – it was closed! So I figured that since I was in the area, I’d hit up Notre Dame… so I walked the next block over and came upon the beauty of the 12th century Gothic cathedral. I joined the many other tourists and went inside its massive doors. It was rather dark inside which was interesting. The stained glass rose windows were amazing to see. There was a mass going on which was different. The other cathedrals and churches I have visited all closed to tourists when there was a mass but at Notre Dame they just zoned off the seats for those attending mass and let the tourists walk around the side naves. The stonework is just gorgeous! It was definitely a sight to see!

Since I was at Notre Dame then, I had wanted to go up into the towers – but I wanted to get my 4 Day Museum pass first. Since the long was line for the towers, I opted to come back later after I got the Museum Pass. So I kept walking along the side of the Île de Cité and got more amazingly gorgeous views of Notre Dame with the cherry trees blossoming and everything green. At the end of this island there is a new memorial to those who were deported during the World Wars as well as to those victims of the Holocaust. However, that was closed for lunch! That’s a very common thing in France because lunch is the major meal of the day. So I figured I’d try to find somewhere to eat and then come back afterwards. So I then walked across another bridge to the Île Saint-Louis which is not really touristy as there’s nothing to see on it. But in reviews I’ve read, it is an amazing place to see if you want to eat and feel like a real Parisian. However, none of them were in the price range I was looking for – so I kept on walking till I got to the end of the island and crossed back over the Seine.

I was then headed up towards the Place de la Bastille and I figured I could very easily find something around there. I ended up eating at a Brasserie along the sides of the plaza which was interesting because I was alone – but I made it work! After looking at the menu for a bit, I finally ordered Potage de Legumes which was a vegetable soup and water as well. It was actually very good and not that bad in price either! While I was eating, I noticed a FNAC across the way so after I was finished, I headed over there to get a Museum Pass because on the website, I read that you can buy the passes at FNACs. This took me right past the new Opera Bastille which was an interesting and modern building. However, I got to FNAC and was informed that unlike the website stated, I had to go to a museum which takes the pass to buy one. Bummer!

After that disappointment I figured I’d head back to Notre Dame and just wait and buy the pass there – but I didn’t feel like the long walk over there. In Paris there is a program set up called Velib. What it is is a bike system of transport. There are bike stations all over Paris, and you just go to one and buy either a 1 or 5 day pass (they do have month and year passes for Parisians). Then you use your pass and take out a bike. It only costs 1€ for a day pass and then as long as you get the bike to a bike station within a half hour, it doesn’t cost anything more! Even if you’re not done traveling all you have to do is check the bike back in and take another one out. Since it was a beautiful day out, and I was up for some fun – I did it! The machine didn’t give me a card with my number though which I didn’t realize was a problem till later on… but I got on the bike, checked which road I wanted and headed off.

Let me just say this: walking in Paris – not bad, the metro – simple and efficient with only slight confusion, biking on the roads with the buses and traffic – a nightmare! HAHA! I haven’t biked on a major street since I was back in Colorado and even then it was nothing like a busy Paris street (which by the way normally does not have lane lines!) On top of getting a bit lost, I was getting frustrated and ended up getting off a few bike stations later having only gone about 10 minutes. I actually ended up where the metro was at Cité so I knew where I was. So I then walked back over the bridge to Notre Dame. I made sure when I got there that they still had Museum Passes left, and after being told they did I joined the decent line to get in.

After about a half hour of waiting, I finally got to go in. (They do a bag check before you can go in and then you have to wait to get the ticket.) I was actually the first one as they cut the line right before me when the last 30 or so were let in, so I was the first to get the ticket desk. I then bought the 4 Day Museum Pass and headed on up the first of a couple sets of stairs. Europeans loved to build steep circular stairs that go on forever! After a decent climb, I was at the first level which had a gift shop as well as an interesting arched room in the one tower. From there, we kept climbing up to the next level with more small circular stairs. Finally, I was on the outside of the towers at the level where the two towers separate and continue upwards. The view was amazing, even just looking back at the cathedral itself. The only thing was that the walkway around part of it was so tiny that I had to sort of go through sideways to get past!

After walking across to the other tower, I stopped in the room inside the tower and climbed some steep wooden stairs to see Emmanuel – the largest bell in the tower which is only rung on Church and National holidays. I was able to hear the other bells as they rang on the hour while I was up on this level and it was cool! Next, I kept going on and went up to the top of the South Tower. However, there was a guided tour group in front of my group and they were holding everyone up as the guide talked on and on about things. And we couldn’t even get past because like below, the walkway was rather narrow so we just had to wait. But the view was amazingly gorgeous! Paris is a beautiful city from above! After the group finally moved through, I headed back down all of the stairs to the ground level and headed out.

As I was back in the plaza in front of Notre Dame, I figured that since I had just gone up the towers, I could now go underground and see the Crypt Archéologique de Parvis which was also in the plaza. This was really cool because there were ruins of the old Roman city, which was the first main city on the island and what started the city of Paris too! There was also a lot of history about how the city grew from then on which was helpful as my one class is on the history of France and we had talked about how Paris grew as a city during the ages. It was a quick walk through though and something most tourists don’t even bother with.

Next, I crossed the bridge and headed into the Latin Quarter which was really cool. There was a whole bunch of small shops and restaurants in small streets – the whole scene was a lively one! But I had decided to make my way over to the Pantheon, and since I had a Velib pass, I thought I might try it out again before I rule it out. So I go to the nearest bike station ready to get a bike… and run into issues. Apparently there was a number printed on the card that was supposed to have printed when I bought the day pass – that card was never printed for me. So, I couldn’t get out the bike. But since the whole system is run via your credit card, I didn’t want any extra charges put on my account because it might have printed the card after I left. So I called the customer service number and waited about 10 minutes just before I talked to someone. I explained what happened and after telling me I should have called when I bought the pass even though I had no idea I needed the card, they guy asked me which station I had bought the pass at – I had no idea so I consulted my map to look at the roads nearby. I said it was in the Place de la Bastille. So he tells me which one? That there are two stations in that area. I told him that I did not know the street name the station was on but I knew which station it was not (Because when I passed the first one I just looked and figured it wasn’t worth it, but get my bike at the second one.) So it should be simple then to look up my number… wrong!

After I tell him which station it is not, he runs something through the system to look for my number and tells me he cannot find it at all. Meanwhile I’m getting frustrated because not only am I wasting time, but he’s not being helpful at all… and I’m wasting money I put on my phone! (I had bought 25€ that was good for 2 months – plenty of money for simple needs for the rest of my time here… that was all being wasted waiting and talking with this guy.) So after he keeps telling me to go to the station – on the other side of Paris mind you! – and tell him the number of the station. So, I just hung up. But out of curiosity, I figured maybe I should try it at this station to see what happens. So I put in my card, buy another day pass… and get a bike out. Never was a card printed with a number on it… I put the bike right back and called them again – got the same guy. I explained I just bought another one and again didn’t get a receipt… so he is able to look that one up and gives me the number which I write down. I then ask to make sure my account won’t be charged for miscellaneous charges and he doesn’t understand so I ended up hanging up. In the end, I wasted almost 45 min and only had 5€ or so left on my phone.

But I got a bike out, checked the map, and headed off towards the Pantheon. After riding up a hill which was a lot of work! I checked out where I was and realized that I had gone further south than the Pantheon – Oops! So I then had to figure a way to double back with the many one way streets. By the time I finally get to the Pantheon, it’s closed already! So I parked the bike and decided to hit up the Luxemburg Gardens which were amazingly beautiful! The park was packed with people just relaxing after work in the early evening. After walking through there, and admiring the Luxemburg Palace as well, I headed out of the northern end of the gardens which was right near the Saint Sulpice Church – noted as a place in Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. But there was some fair thing being put up in the courtyard and of course the church would’ve been closed by then so I kept on going.

I then figured that I could bike over to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars which would be fun on a bike. So I got another bike out, and took off! I ended up passing the Hôtel des Invalides as well – closed naturally – but I got some pictures of its glory. Then I kept biking along till I got to the Champs de Mars which was a sight. The huge open area with the Eiffel Tower as the prominent feature – just gorgeous! And the Eiffel Tower is huge! So after taking some pictures, trying to get me and the Eiffel Tower in the same picture (wasn’t very successful!) I found a spot to park the bike and luckily got the last of the spots. I then walked over the one street to go underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Since I was there, I figured I might as well go up it – and the sun was just setting so I figured it would be beautiful too. So I joined the line to get tickets (the museum pass doesn’t cover the Eiffel Tower) which took about 15 minutes. Then I got in one of the elevators and we were off! It first stopped at the first floor but few got out. I was going all the way up to the top and would check out the other levels on my way down. We all had to get out on the second level because that was as high as that elevator goes. Then I had to join another line for the elevators to the top – which took a good 20 minutes but had an amazing view while waiting! Then, I was suddenly packed into the small elevators that go all the way up to the top and it took off! The climb was rather slow and every so often there was the click of the locking mechanism. The elevator is mostly windows to give great views and it was really interesting to watch the ground get smaller and smaller… before I realized that we really were high up! Finally, it came to a stop and we got off.

The Eiffel Tower is about 1060 feet tall… and the top level is over 1000 feet above the ground. So looking down was rather frightening at times! But I quickly got used to being so high up and admired the sights. The sun had just gone below the horizon while we were climbing but overall – I saw the sun set on from the top of the Eiffel Tower which was amazing! There are two levels at the top, one inside and one outside. I mainly was on the outside one because it was less crowded, though windier and it was starting to get cold out.

Pretty soon, the lights of Paris started to come on, so I thought that since I was already up here and wouldn’t want to pay again to see Paris at night… I’d just wait till everything is on for the night! It was incredible! The city just lights up at different times, and finally it was dark enough out to see everything. Also, at dusk the lights on the Eiffel Tower turn on and for the first 10 mintutes of every hour till after midnight – the tower sparkles as tons of lights flicker on and off. After a while up top getting some great pictures, I headed back down to check out the second and first floor. I stopped at the gift shop and picked a few things up as well. From the time I got in line to the time I was back on the ground, I had spent a good 2 hours on the Eiffel Tower! But it was worth it!

Since it was getting late, and Ben had texted me making sure I was still good as he had gotten home… I started on my way back. Only there is no metro stop really close to the Eiffel Tower – the only thing near was the RER line which I knew I could use the Carte Orange on but when I got there I couldn’t see how. So I walked across the Pont Alma to the metro station on the other side. Without realizing it until I saw the memorial – I happened to discover the flame memorial which has become known as the Memorial for Princess Diana as the fatal crash that killed her happened below in the tunnel. It was amazing to look at that golden flame and then look at the stone rails of the bridge which were covered with writings that people left there about Princess Diana. As it was cold though, I made it to the metro and started on my way back.

Finally, about 20 minutes later I was back at Benjamin’s place. He had made some noodles and bacon for dinner which was actually pretty good. We just relaxed and chatted about things for a bit before he decided to call it a night and crash. Though he first helped me get my bed rolled out and set up. I was really tired and tried to write this blog that night… but got basic notes jotted down and I actually fell asleep before I knew it!