A Weekend in Paris! (Part 1)

The Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral in the background

Spending a weekend in Paris. How often do normal people like us get to say that? So I will say it again, A WEEKEND IN PARIS! Lady Hiva and I decided to see if the romantic city of France was still romantic in January with a Lucky little Dragon in tow. We were NOT disappointed. It was amazing. It was perfect for my love of history and architecture and Lady Hiva’s food tourism. We literally could have spent days and days there soaking it all in. 

We made our trip there with a stop in Zurich, Switzerland. We arrived late in the evening and were happy to see that the car we rented had a GPS. That proved invaluable as we wound through Paris neighborhoods at midnight because the main highway was closed! Even that late in the evening as we neared the Seine (the river that runs through the city), the historical building were lit up against the black sky truly making it a magical look. We were so excited to wake up and start our exploring.

Notre Dame at night

 

Our first stop was, of course, the Eiffel Tower. We ate at one of the Parisian cafés on our way. Crepes, fresh bread, Quiche Lorraine and omelets capped off with a creamy hot chocolate (for Lady Hiva). The Eiffel Tower was great. We had purchased tickets to ride the elevator up—thankfully because there are hundreds of stairs and I am not sure either of us wanted to carry the stroller that far. We are crazy, but not that crazy. We went in the morning so there were less people and we could have a view of the city without getting bombarded by other tourists trying to get the perfect shot. It was beautiful, but a little cold up in the wind.

Eiffel Tower

View of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower

We then made use of our Paris Pass and started exploring the city. It is so easy to get around in Paris with the metro system. We could go anywhere. The Louvre was next on the list. We  went to the beautiful palace-turned-museum. It was massive. We could have spent an entire week just walking the halls and seeing the historical works of art. It was interesting to see the art that we learn about in humanities from the time we were little in real life. Tau’aho loved the Louvre too because the long marbled halls were like a free running ground. We made our obligatory stop at Mona Lisa—the most famous and expensive piece of art in the world. And were shocked how small she seemed compared to the gigantic and dramatic paintings hanging in the same room. We also toured the halls and halls of statues and other art that rivals the Vatican  and other museums we saw in Rome. We saw “Venus” and the “Winged Victory.” After a few hours in the Louvre we realized we could be there for much, much longer and needed to go see other things or we would never leave.

Hmm...pastries

Inside the Louvre Museum

Winged Victory

Teaching the little guy about art and David and Goliath

Mona is overrated, I would rather look at the ceiling

He really liked the decorated ceilings

Who knew that she was really trying to get cell reception???

John the Baptist

Just keep running, just keep running

Venus

This one's black makeup was a bit creepy for me...

Under the Louvre. This is the original Midievil foundation

Palace and Museum of the Louvre

Notre Dame was our next adventure. That did not happen without more food from another amazing restaurant. Outside I let Tau’aho run around and we met a bubble guy, like the one we had seen in Florence, Italy. This one even let Lucky boy try the bubbles. We stood there for nearly an hour while he chased bubbles exclaiming “WOW!” I told Lady Hiva that those bubble sticks are on my next wish list! 

We chose to enjoy more of the city and walk from the Louvre to Notre Dame. It was fun to see all of the shops and places to eat. Lady Hiva wanted to stop at every pastry shop along the way! Soon I had several small bags with all kinds of breads hanging from the stroller…

Inside the Cathedral it was peaceful. Lady Hiva said that she liked it with the dim lights, candles and stained glass art better than other cathedrals we had been into. I think I am still partial to Westminister…

Jacob's tower

Notre Dame

Gargoyles of Notre Dame

Our last stop of the night (before more shops) was to explore more of the Saint Michel area where small narrow streets housed all kinds of food and stores. We ate to our hearts content—and our stomach of course. There were waffles, macaroons, breads, and of course good old French cooking. 

Istanbul follows us whereever we go