Paris - Let's Try this Again!
- Only A Plane Away
- Apr 10, 2019
- 7 min read
Many people know that our last trip to Paris didn't go too well, so we thought we would give it another go and scheduled a few days in Paris to follow our time in Portugal. This was our first time flying into Orly airport and caught an Uber to our hotel. We stayed at the Val Girard hotel which is in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, near the Eiffel Tower. The hotel is a small boutique hotel and we actually got real room keys instead of key cards. The best part was that we had a view of the Eiffel Tower from our window (you had to peak around the corner a bit, but it was there).
Once we were all checked in to the hotel, we decided to go out for a bit to eat and found a brasserie a few blocks from out hotel. A brasserie is an informal restaurant and bar, which was exactly what we were looking for. We settled on mushroom gnocchi with sautéed veggies and roast duck with Pommes Parisienne (delicious fried potatoes) and bacon wrapped asparagus.
After dinner we headed back to our hotel, and caught part of the Eiffel Tower light show from our hotel window. Then we headed to bed because we wanted to get up early to catch the sunrise.
The next morning we headed to Place du Trocadéro to see the sunrise over the Eiffel Tower. We took lots of pictures and videos as the sun started to come up. This plaza is a great spot to get photos of the Eiffel Tower, and it's even better at sunrise.
After an hour or so, we headed over to get in line to go up in the tower itself. It was a little chilly this early in the morning, so the hour waiting in line wasn't much fun. Once they opened the gate to the tower, we were then able to get in a second line to get the actual tickets that we needed. We decided to only get tickets to the first and second levels because we had heard that the third level was generally very crowded and didn't offer much better views. We really enjoyed the views from the tower, but other people say that you should experience the skyline of Paris from the Arc de Triomphe or the Mont Parnese tower so that you can enjoy Paris with the Eiffel Tower in your views.
After we spent an hour or so exploring the bottom two levels of the Eiffel Tower, we decided to walk around the Champ de Mars and head back to a cafe that we had visited on our last trip to Paris.
We got a couple of Croque Madames followed by some much needed espresso. The cafe is right along the Champ de Mars and has a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes you just need to stop and enjoy the view for a while.
We then set out walking again and headed to Les Invalides. The original purpose of Les Invalides was a hospital and retirement home for war veterans, now the buildings house several museums as well as the Dôme des Invalides, a large church, the tallest in Paris at a height of 107 meters, with the tombs of some of France's war heroes, most notably Napoleon.
We didn't go in any of the museums at Les Invalides but instead headed North to walk along the Seine River. We walked along the Seine for about a half mile before crossing it at Pont des Arts or the "Love Lock Bridge".
Our next stop was the Louvre Museum. Because of the recent protests in Paris, much of the area was closed to traffic and there was a very strong police presence. Since we were limited on time, and the Louvre is so expansive, we did not go in. If you do plan to enter, it's recommended to go early, and do not enter through the main "Pyramid Entrance" as it will have the longest lines. The area surrounding the Louvre is very crowded and has many peddlers and perhaps pick-pockets, so you definitely want to stay aware of your surroundings.
It was then time for us to head to the Catacombs because we had a guided tour booked. We decided to book a guided tour because we had heard that the lines to enter could be hours long. The guided tour is much more expensive than the general entry, but we felt it was totally worth it. When trying to see so much of the city on a tight schedule, time is very valuable. When we entered the Catacombs some people in the general line told us they had been waiting for over two hours, so we felt almost guilty getting to enter with no wait. The other benefit of the guided tour, was the English speaking tour guide, and we got to go to a few extra areas that are not included in the regular tour. These were some of our favorite spots. You can check out the tour we booked here.
After touring the Catacombs, we headed back to the hotel for some downtime before dinner. We were meeting a friend at a restaurant near Notre Dame, so we decided to stop by the cathedral on our way. It is a very different experience at night and when we went inside, and we got to hear the eerie organ playing.
We had dinner at Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole which is just a few steps away from Notre Dame Cathedral. We were told that the building was actually built with leftover stones from when they built the cathedral. In any other city in the world, the interior of this place would be considered gaudy. Some walls were stone, but most were lined with dark red wallpaper where old portraits in gold frames hung. The ceiling was draped in matching red fabric and the decor of the restaurant included bronze horse statues, large mirrors, and a piano in the entryway. It was pretty fantastic, and it felt like Paris though. Our friend Sebastian recommended this restaurant, and we were able to meet him here for dinner. We enjoyed some great food and conversation while catching up. Josh ordered a beef dish similar to Beef Bourguignon and Lisa ordered Coq Au Vin. Both dishes were relatively similar, cooked in a red wine sauce, and both were delicious. We also enjoyed some of their house wine. After a couple of hours, we parted ways and called it a night.
Day 2:
The next day we wanted to get out of the city and go see the Palace at Versailles. After a bit of research we determined the train was the best way to get there, however there were some metro station closures again due to the protests, so we had a bit of trouble getting to the right train station. Once we finally arrived at the train station, we bought our tickets and were on our way. It was only about a 30 minute train ride to reach the town of Versailles and then the palace is a quick 5 minute walk from there.
We had purchased our tickets online in advance, so we thought we would get to skip the massive line of people we saw on arrival. We decided to go check out the gardens first. Once we came back around to the front side of the palace to get in line for entry, we realized the huge line was for entry and not to buy tickets. Luckily the line moved pretty quickly, and we only ended up waiting about an hour to get in. With that in mind, we recommend getting there earlier to have less waiting time.
The palace was built by Louis XiV, and was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. The palace is of course amazing, and so large, it's almost hard to comprehend. The hall of mirrors was especially impressive, as were the many paintings of notable people throughout history.
After we finished at Versailles we decided to catch an Uber back to the city. It was more expensive than the train, but less chaotic, and Lisa actually took a little cat nap during the ride. After arriving back in the city, we headed to the neighborhood of Montmarte and to the top of the hill to see Sacré Coeur. It is quite a popular spot and is actually the second most visited monument in Paris. It stands at the highest point in the city, offering some pretty amazing views.
After a quick walk through the basillica, we headed to a wine tasting class we had booked in Montmarte through Airbnb Experiences. The tasting was at a wine bar called the Milord and was hosted by a Burgundian named Emmanuelle. We tried seven or eight different wines from various regions of France. She walked us through how to smell and taste wine as well as what to look for from the various regions. A great plate of local meats and cheeses was also included. It was a small group experience that we shared with a couple from New York City. This was our first experience that we had booked through Airbnb experiences and I'm looking forward to the next one. These experiences tend to be more intimate and hosted by locals as compared to some of the larger tour group experiences that you'd find on viator or TripAdvisor. After our testing, we walked down the street to another wine bar where we enjoyed a bottle of wine and another wine and cheese plate. We called it a night after this stop and headed back to our hotel.
For our last day in Paris, we really only had the morning to hit a few spots. We decided to grab a quick bite to eat from a boulangerie (bakery) near our hotel. We got a ham and cheese croissant that was one of the best things we at the whole trip. It was filled with a bechamel sauce that was absolutely amazing.
After breakfast, we headed back to Ile de la Cité which is the island that houses Notre Dame as well as Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. We got to Notre Dame just as it was opening to avoid the crowds. Even though we had been there at night earlier in the trip, we decided it was worth a look during the day as well. However, our main destination on this venture was Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral which is just around the corner from Notre Dame. It is much smaller, but renown for its stained glass.
There was just one last thing to do in Paris before we had to make our way to the airpot.
Au revoir Paris!
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