Paris is much like New York, in that it never sleeps. Or at least that is what we can tell from the street below our hotel room that was noisy all night long. Ah, life in the big city. It actually makes you appreciate Winnipeg's slightly slower step in life.
Le Louvre
Abso-fricken-lutely huge. We spent half a day, trying to cover as much as we could, and were absolutely exhausted by the end. We started early in the day and thankfully had no line-ups to face. Upon entering the museum though, there were throngs of people throughout the exhibits to battle.
We saw the biggies and not-so-biggies, including, of course, the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo. The building itself is also gorgeous, so definitely worth the trip.
Travelers Cheques
One of the tasks of the day was to acquire more Euros since we were running out. The plan was to cash my travelers cheques, which had proved to be useful on trips past. Well useful they are no longer, as every bank we went to refused to exchange them. Instead, the only option was the crappy exchange bureaus, which we had to settle for. Note for future travels - cash is the way to go.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The next stop on our walk was at the Cathedral, which again was packed with camera flash-happy tourists. (Even though the signs clearly state not to use flash...nevermind that flash in such a huge building is useless anyways.) Certainly not as impressive as other churches I've seen, but it certainly holds its own and is worth the trip.
Patios
When the weather is so lovely as it has been in Paris (20C+ temps), the tendency for Winnipegers is to find a patio, get a beverage, and enjoy life. And that is what we did - rest our feet, drink some beer, and have an afternoon crêpe.
However, there are two challenges when trying to sit on a patio in Paris.
1. Smoking - this has been banned inside restaurants and cafes, but patios are fair game. Much like Spain, this is not a great experience after being smoke-free for so long back home.
2. Being approached for money - it can be someone begging, looking for a light, selling flowers, or busking. The closer you are to street level, the greater the risk for being approached by some stranger looking to take your money.
Overwhelmingly huge
Paris is beautiful, full of culture, busy and full of life. The pace it keeps though, is a bit too much for us. In the smaller towns it was so easy to find a boulangerie, a boucher, or even a grocery store to buy some fruit, yogurt or even wine. I wonder how locals around this part of town survive.
By the end of the afternoon, we were finished with the hectic pace and overloaded from seeing so much. So we walked down to Luxembourg gardens to slow down and relax, and take in some greenery. There were benches and chairs littering the place, and many Parisians were also slowing down and enjoying the beautiful day.
From there we kept exploring the left bank, coming across some higher-end clothing stores, some antique shops, and finally making our way back along the Seine for a bite to eat.
Drinking now means less wine to pack
The theory is that the more wine we drink now means the less wine we have to transport back to Canada. So deciding on an Alsace gewürztraminer that could be drank alone easily, we were faced with the common wine white challenge in Europe: how to chill it.
Since we're in a lower-class hotel, we were without access to a beer fridge. Asking for ice is like asking for the hotel staff's first born, so the paltry ice we do receive only helps to make the wine less warm. Determined, we drank the wine anyways, and as less wine was left in the bottle, the wine got cooler and better to drink. It just makes my love for red wine that much stronger, as white wine is just too high maintenance.
(I should note that I don't mind white wine, but since it is the only wine mon mari will drink, it is our compromise.)
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