Paris, Pt. Deux

We managed to cross off a good chunk of sights and activities from our Paris To-Do List that first day. The second day promised to be just as busy. Luckily for us, we woke up bright and early and were delighted to be greeted by actual blue sky and sun! It was a good thing, too. My only pair of flat shoes had dried from the rain the day before and I would have been pissed if it rained again. And here I was thinking of packing 4 pairs... I should have at least packed one more pair.

After an amazing continental breakfast that would give us ample energy for the morning, we hopped on the metro and headed straight for the Cathédral de Notre Dame. We wanted to go early and first thing to avoid the long line ups to climb the towers. Walking along the Seine on our way to the Cathédral, my heart was racing as I caught the first glimpses. It rose majestically into view and I stood in awe before that amazing structure, eyes pouring over all the little details of the architecture and design. The kid in me hummed songs from Disney's Hunchback as we walked toward the entrance and we were all filled with such serenity as we wandered on our own inside. The stained glass, the candlelight, the tall pillars and arches. It was all so magical.

After we finally found our way outside, we headed straight for the line up to climb the towers. Oh how I love spiral staircases....not. It reminded me of the insanely narrow climb up the inside of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland though not as narrow. Going up was fine...it was walking back down. I don't do well with heights and long spirals downward. Eh. I survived and it was well worth it. The view was spectacular, of course, and we managed to snap a few typical "Gargoyle overlooking Paris" shots. We had a look at one of the massive bells and after admiring the view a little longer, descended the winding staircase back to street level.

Our next stop was across the street, settling in to a cozy little café in the shadow of Notre Dame for crepes and 'café crème'. Apparently, they just don't say 'café au lait' in Paris. :P We bought berets for fun and donned them as we sat drinking coffee and eating crepes in a Parisian café. How Paris of us! The crepes were fantastic...chocolate and banana...sinful combo for me. :D Once re-energized, we were off again, wandering along the Seine snapping more pictures as we made our way to the Musée d'Orsay. We browsed the stalls of the 'bouqinistes' along the way. I picked up a few Art Nouveau-styled posters for my bedroom because I'm girly like that. Some of the stalls sold such lovely prints. I'll have to go back one day for more.

The Musée d'Orsay was another fabulous museum. I love sculpture so the whole first floor was of great interest to me. And of course, I can always appreciate the Monet, Van Gogh, and Seurat paintings. It was a good thing we bought the 2 day Museum passes. They really came in handy and allowed us to visit any Museums we wanted. Speaking of sculptures, we were off to the Musée Rodin afterward so I could see the Thinker, the Burghers of Calais and the Gates of Hell for myself. I get a thrill seeing artwork I studied in school with my own eyes.

We visited Napoleon's Tomb after, went back around Blvd Montmartre for another fabulous dinner, and then went to visit and climb the Eiffel Tower at night. My sore feet and injured leg would have preferred to take the lift up the Eiffel Tower but the long lines forced us to make the trek up. Haha wow. For someone who easily suffers from vertigo...that was a fun experience. My sister was all bubbly and 'go team' all the way up. My feet protested but by the time we reached the first level, I had quit complaining. The view was well worth it. We even made it to the second level for more amazing pictures and then back down. It was late in the evening and the line for the lift to the top was too long. Ah well. Next time.

We slept like babies that night, our dreams filled with the sights and thrills of Paris. Our trip was 2/3 done.