Paris - Ooh La La!

For some reason, taking the Chunnel from London to Paris has been something that I have really looked forward to. Taking a fast train from one foreign land to another and under a huge body of water with my husband. I thought this trek would be exciting and a little bit romantic. As we stepped on the train and sat down into our seats to relax, about 2 dozen 14 year-olds followed us into our car. Anthony and I both looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Instead of a relaxing train ride through the French countryside, both Anthony and I couldn’t help but be annoyed by the screaming and throwing of trash around the car. It was utterly annoying...I guess we're getting old.

We were both relieved to get off the train and meet up with Neil and his two adorable children, Isabelle and Charlie, at the train station. Neil and the kids led us through the mass of rushing people from train to train, finally arriving at Chatou/Croissy – their stop. Their home was just a block or so away and was spectacular - modern and with enough space for Anthony and I to have our own room upstairs in the “tree house.”

That night, after Gina made it home from work, Anthony and I decided to venture out into the city to try and get some good nighttime shots and enjoy our first Parisian dinner. Before we could get out of the subway station we had to swipe our metro tickets but Sara's wasn't working for some reason.  A woman tried to hold the turn-style but a kid said, "In Paris we jump!" So, Sara jumped over the turn-style to the applause of the people around us.  She was a true Parisian!  As we walked up the stairs from the subway and got our first glimpse of Paris near the Arch de Triomphe - I don’t know how else to describe it - but I was taken aback by its bustle and charm. From all the movies you see growing up, it is everything stereotypical French: gorgeous detailed homes, tree-lined streets with cafes, men in suits buzzing by on vespas, and gorgeous women walking in killer heels. We were in PARIS!!

Since it was 9pm (the sun doesn’t set until 10pm) we decided to grab dinner at a restaurant with a direct view of the Arch de Triomphe. Our dinner was delicious (Anthony had lasagna and I had the salmon) and so was the bottle of wine. Funny story: they set my side of the table with what I thought was a butter knife. I thought “oh, he didn’t realize he gave me a butter knife instead of a real one.” I ask our waiter for something other than a butter knife, and he tells me that is a fish knife for my salmon. Woops – yes, I am not that cultured.

After dinner we decided to go up in the Arch de Triomphe - climbing the 150 or so stairs to the top - and it was so worth it. The view from the top shows you Paris in every direction. There are 12 avenues that jut out from the Arch’s circle, one being the Champs-Elysees. The sky was turning dark and was perfect for pictures. The Eiffel Tower was lit up and had the rotating spotlight that made for some really cool shots. Romance was in the air as you can tell from all of our pictures of us making out. We cap off the night by grabbing dessert at a café along the Champs-Elysees.

The next morning we woke up around 8am, grabbed some coffee and chocolate croissants with Neil and hopped on the train to check out some sites before the French Open. First stop: Tower de Eiffel. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Eiffel Tower, but for some reason, I didn’t expect to be awed by it. We live in Chicago. We see big buildings every day. What does this stack of metal have on the Willis Tower or Hancock Building? But as we came around the bend and crossed the Seine River, there it was in all of its glory. Gorgeous. Impressive. We walked around the Champ de Mars and made our way over to Les Invalides, Napoleon’s burial site and now the home of the French military museum.

Next stop: Roland Garros, the park of the French Open. It was a very busy park – lots of people wearing La Coste cable knit sweaters and white pants. Very preppy – what else would I expect? We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed into the main court to check out the action. We first saw the women play – Sherapova vs. Lucic – with Sherapova winning. Then came the match between Nadal and Isner (an American). For me, I knew who both were, but of course not nearly as much as Neil or Anthony. It was really interesting to see something that you see on TV all the time in person. It IS as quiet as it is on TV, but the stadium is much smaller than it seems on TV. We all had fun watching the ball boys pass the balls around the court by running until they are about 4 feet apart, and then whipping the balls as hard as they can to the next person. It was pretty entertaining. Isner lost the first set, then won the next two sets, before Nadal won the final two sets and the match. It would be the only time in the 2011 French Open that Nadal, who would go on to win the tournament, was taken to five sets.

After the French Open, Anthony and I decided to head to Montmartre, which is a hill on the north side of Paris with a beautiful white basilica on top called Sacré Cœur. It had amazing views of the city and of course the Basilica was nothing to sneeze at. We shared a baguette (butter, cheese, and prosciutto - one of our favorites) on the hill and just watched the city as the sun went down. Later on, we decided to head to the artist district on the hill and get a nutella crepe and a few beers. However, since we wanted to get some night shots of the Basilica and forgot the sun didn’t go down for another few hours we decided to get some more food (why not?) and grabbed some cheese, bread and wine and then some more wine to kill some time. After getting a little toasty, we ended up getting some great shots of it at night.

We weren’t as tired as we thought we would be, so we decided to hit up the Louvre that night. Of course, after a bottle of wine, I realize a little too late that I have to use the restroom. Right as we got to the Louvre, I shot to the nearest restaurant to try and find a bathroom as Anthony headed to the plaza to get some shots of the glass pyramids. After three restaurants I finally found one that would allow me to use the restroom. I met back up with Anthony near the pyramids and we just relaxed by the fountains and snuggled.

The next morning we got up around 10am and headed to Notre Dame which is situated in the center of Paris right along the Seine. When we first got to the front entrance, we weren’t that impressed. But as you got closer, you found the beauty in the details. Everything had intricate cuts and multiple materials on each surface. Walking around inside, seeing the height of the columns, the stained glass and so many elaborate details you become more and more impressed. Really amazing architecture. We then went across the river and relaxed along the Seine for a while.

We decided to head back to Neil and Gina’s for a quick nap and then headed back to the Eiffel Tower area to share a romantic dinner just a few blocks away with a view of the tower from our seats. After a delicious dinner of duck, lamb, wine, and of course, french onion soup, we went to see the Eiffel Tower in all of its glory. But this time it was all lit up and looked even better than our first time. We took the tram/elevator to the top of the tower and looked out all around the city in amazement. It really was a stunning view from every point.

We were at the top for quite a while and weren’t watching the time. The last train back to Neil and Gina’s ended around 12:15am and we had about 20 minutes to get there. No problem, except everyone else was leaving at the same time. We had to wait in line for what seemed like forever, finally got on the tram down, raced to the train station, up, down, up, down stairs (with me taking a wrong turn down an escalator and having to run back up it – not easy) and we finally made it to the train on time….however, the train wasn’t going all the way to our stop - one stop short of where we needed to go. UGH!

So we decided to take the train as far as we could and have Neil pick us up –THANKS SOOO MUCH NEIL!!

The next morning, we were a little slow getting up, but luckily Neil offered to drive us to Versailles – much easier and faster than taking the train. Again, THANKS NEIL! From what we have heard from others, Versailles was a must see and we would be amazed by its massive beauty. As we stood in front of the palace (I hate to say this) it wasn’t all that impressive. Yes, it had the gold gates, but other than that…it is what I would expect out of a palace. We waited in line for a good 40 minutes, and as we entered the first hall of the palace… our opinions quickly changed. I don’t know how else to describe it, but pure opulence. Every surface was covered in gold or marble or some detailed tapestry. It was a little frustrating touring the interior because most of the areas were small and it seemed every tourist in the world was at Versailles that day. So we grabbed a quick lunch and decided to check out the gardens where there would be more space.

You step out into the "gardens" and it just goes on fooooreeeeeevvvvvvveeeerr. Fountains, gardens, walkways, flowers, more fountains and a lake and then more gardens… it was a sight. Everything was perfectly manicured and it was easy to imagine the royalty back in the day deciding they wanted to take a walk in their garden for the afternoon. It was easy to get lost in the gardens with the high trees and bushes and had a hard time figuring out where we were on the map.

We found our way down to Marie Antoinette’s palace (much, much smaller than the main palace, but still impressive). It seems her gardens were less manicured and more natural. We took a stroll back behind her palace and found the cutest little lagoon with just a few other people there. We sat down in the grass and it was sooo comfortable just lying in the grass that I fell asleep. It was so lovely.

Oooh, I forgot to mention the best, and most romantic part. In between our stroll through the gardens and taking a nap in the meadow, Anthony took me rowing out in the lake. This was definitely a time when I enjoyed being a woman. It was so nice getting rowed around the lake, complete with swans and ducklings.

We were pretty tired from the all-day tour at Versailles, but we kept pushing. We quickly ran back to Neil and Gina’s to get a few items and do our initial packing (we were leaving for Switzerland the next day) and then again, took the train down to the Eiffel Tower to take a night time cruise along the Seine. Again, what a romantic night.

Thanks again Neil, Gina, Charlie and Isabelle for being such wonderful hosts! 

Next stop… Switzerland!