Paris was really my first taste of European culture. No matter how great it was in England, it didn’t quite count in that sense. Stepping foot in Paris was really an eye opener for me.

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Getting back to where I left off –

We got off the Eurostar at the Gare du Nord Station. I was actually a little surprise at how easy it was to travel on the Eurostar. I was expecting another line up at immigration, but there wasn’t any at all. We were free to go the moment we stepped off, so it was a quick process.

The Paris subway was a little more of a hassle. First we had problems figuring out which tickets we needed. I thought there would something similar to an Oyster card which would deduct the fares automatically, but we had to buy individual tickets based on which zones we were traveling in. We ended up buying a ticket directly to the hotel to get started.

Paris subways are also really annoying because they have the worst gates ever. Before you get to the platforms, you would have to insert your ticket and pull it out for the gates to open. Then you had a split second to dash through the gate before it slams on you. I learned to be very quick walking through the gates with my luggage. The subway cars were also super ghetto. It was bit of an adjustment from the nicer ones in London that I had gotten accustomed to.

Again I had the problem of lifting my luggage on the stairs up to street level. The stairs in Paris had even more steps than the ones in London. However, the subway exit was really close to the hotel, so it was only a minor struggle getting my luggage down the street.

Our hotel in Paris was a lot bigger than the one in London. At least I didn’t see a consecutive string of firedoors! I had to take my luggage upstairs using the elevator. It was by far the smallest elevator I’d ever been on. There was exactly enough space for me and my luggage. I’m not sure how other people would have done it if they weren’t my size!

Anyway, we finally find our room on the second floor and pulled out our key. For some reason, the lock would not open no matter which direction we turned it. After several minutes of struggling, we embarrassingly went downstairs to ask for help. They were pretty amused at the fact we couldn’t get the lock open, probably thinking we were hillbillies or something, because they explained it was just a normal lock and it was common sense to turn the key counter-clockwise THREE TIMES for it to open.

Yaaaaaah. Normal alright. Either way, it wasn’t the last of our struggles with the lock. Each time we came back to the hotel, one of us would leisurely sit on the bench outside while the other would spend a good 2-3 minutes flumbling with the lock. I have to apologize to the people in the rooms beside us. The walls were quite thin, so I’m sure everyone was annoyed by the lock-turning sound after the first 10 seconds.

Anyway, the room itself was quite spacious and clean. I was also happy with the semi-balcony window. It was overall a great place to stay. After quickly freshening up, we headed out to the Champs-Élysées to see the Arc de Triomphe. When we got there it was early and the sun was still out. We decided to leave and grab some dinner before heading back closer to sunset.

Champs-Élysées was a really nice street. I think this is where I got my first sense of European culture. Everyone was sitting on the patios and sidewalks sipping wine. It seemed so leisurely and relaxing. I was quite impressed by it all.

We ended up picking a side street and found a nice French restaurant for dinner. The cheapest set menu was 17€ per person. I found it a little pricey, but seeing as we were dining just down the street from the huge LV store, we knew we wouldn”t find food for much cheaper.

Dinner was really nice. We wanted to try some ‘French’ food, so my sister ordered a French onion soup and I had the escargot and crème caramel for desert. There was a table of Canucks just down from us, so there was a little bit of familiarity in the restaurant.

After dinner we headed back towards the Arc de Triomphe. It was slowly getting dark by the time we made it up to the top, so it was perfect timing for photos. We saw the Eiffel Tower light up in the distance and the light display was just spectacular. It was nearing 11:00pm by the time we left, so it had been a long day for us. We called it a night and headed back to the hotel.

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The next morning we had a dilemma figuring out a place to get breakfast. Since the hotel charged an arm and leg for breakfast, we decided we would find a place on our own. Originally we had planned on going to a McDonald’s nearby, but we ended up finding a small bakery a few blocks down. The croissants were excellent and reasonably priced, so that ended up being our breakfast for the rest of the time we were there.

The first stop that morning was towards Île de la Cité to see the Notre Dame cathedral. It was a gorgeous morning out and it made the walk really nice. We first made our way inside the cathedral and toured around. Afterwards we waited in line towards the side of the cathedral to go up to the top. There were a few people in front of us, but we got in shortly after 10:30am. The climb wasn’t terrible as there were breaks in between, but my legs already were hurting from the Arc de Triomphe the night before, so another 400 steps was not pleasant. Nevertheless, it was the best 400 steps I climbed because the view from the top was utterly breathtaking. The gargoyles were impressive as well. We spent quite a bit of time walking around before making it back downstairs. Overall one of my favourite spots in Paris.

After leaving Notre Dame, we made our way over to the western side of the island. Originally we had planned to see Sainte Chapelle, but we were having a hard time finding it. We gave up afterwards and continued walking towards Pont Neuf. The Louvre was next on our list of attractions, but I had wanted to buy something from Tiffany’s, so we hopped on the subway and took it towards Galleries Lafayette.

I must say I was pretty impressed by Lafayette. It reminded me of the high end department stores in Japan. We bee-lined for the Tiffany’s booth and I took my time picking out the ring I wanted to purchase. I was lucky enough to meet a couple of Canadians who were shopping there, because one of them had a 10% off coupon which she offered to me. Sweet!

Later on we grabbed lunch at the cafeteria upstairs. One of the nicest cafeterias I’ve been in. (Which made sense because the food was so expensive!) We shared a table with an older couple from Japan and they were really cute. I found out there were lots of Japanese tourists in Paris. They even had separate menus printed for them. Sugoi desu ne?

After lunch we headed to the Louvre to see the collection. The Louvre was amazing. All I remember from pictures was the triangular prism in the center. I had no idea the actual museum consists of a circle of old buildings. It was a nice contrast seeing old and new combined together. There was so much to see inside the museum. We spent a good 5 hours making sure we saw the big pieces like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. It was impossible to see every piece, but we made good use of our time.

As it was getting late, we decided on grabbing dinner at Bastille. Bastille was another area bustling with activity, although it wasn’t as classy as the Champs-Élysées. Dinner was quiet but nice. We chose from another set menu and the food was pretty good. After dinner we passed by the Colonne de Julliet before taking the subway back to the hotel.

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Day 7 began at Sainte Chapelle. I refused to give up on the cathedral, so we made the extra effort to see it in the morning. The entrance was a little tucked away, but it was a good thing we did go back, because it had the most impressive stain glass work I have ever seen.

Since we had a bit of a packed day, we briskly moved along to our next attraction which was the Musée d’Orsay. Thumbs up for the recommendation because I almost passed up on this. Definitely the best Impressionist collection I have ever seen. Even the building itself was cool with all the clocks on the side. Loved how it was revitalized from an old train station. Only wish we had more time to see the whole thing!

We were on the road again to Les Invalides. The entire complex was enormous. The first thing we saw was Napoleon’s tomb, which is kept in the main building directly beneath the dome. After a visit there, we grabbed a quick lunch in the cafeteria, then made our way to see other parts of the complex. Since we didn’t want to spend too much time, we ended up picking the Antique Arms and Armours Department and took a quick tour inside. Later on we walked past the main square and took some photos from the other side of the complex.

We got a bit lost trying to find our way back to the subway. We basically walked around the entire perimeter of the Invalides after taking a wrong turn. Then we somehow ended up on the side streets before correcting ourselves and finding the right subway entrance. It was just our luck as well that the route we picked to get to Sacre Coeur discontinued its service midway. We had to ask one of the staff to suggest another route for us, but it meant we had to backtrack and take a different line to get there.

We finally made it there a while later. I could tell that it was another major tourist attraction because there were so many people on the streets. It was getting hot out and there was another steep climb ahead. First thing I did was purchase an ice cream cone at Häagen-Dazs. Unfortunately that didn’t last long cause I finished it before we got to the base of the hill. Hehehe.

The climb up wasn”t that bad because the atmosphere was extremely lively all the way up to the top. There were so many street performers, vendors and visitors alike all crowded along the steps. It seemed like the place to be on a sunny afternoon.

When we finally got to the top, the view from above was breathtaking. The church itself was also one of a kind. We toured the inside and stayed for part of the service. Later on, we followed the line up at the side of the church and found out that you could take a set of stairs to get to the top. The only downside was the cost was not covered with the museum pass and it was another 400 steps. We decided we would pass and visited the crypt instead, which was free of charge. Afterwards, we took our time making our way back down and enjoyed the free music around us.

Later on at night we stopped by the Opéra and took some photos nearby. We were having problems figuring out where to eat since all the restaurants in the area were super pricey. We decided to splurge a little since it was my birthday and ended up at a restaurant called chez Clément. The food was quite good, although I was more impressed by the couple beside us who ordered an entire tray of seafood. The oysters, crab and mussels were all so mouth-watering. I had no idea how they finished it because it was massive. I was having problems finishing my crème brulée for dessert!

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The next day was our last full day in Paris and we were lucky we had sunny weather. First thing on our list was the Eiffel Tower. We got there about 20 minutes before opening, but the line ups were already a mile long in every direction. We managed to join the end of the line but I had no idea which elevators we were actually lining up for. It took about an hour to get to the ticket gates. We decided we didn”t want to spend extra time going to the second floor, so we bought tickets to the first floor only. The view from the Eiffel Tower was great, but it didn’t have the same charm as the Notre Dame or the Arc de Triomphe.

When we got down, we took the train towards Châeau in Versailles. The city itself was very quaint. We stopped by a McDonald’s to grab a bite before following the crowd to Versailles. I couldn”t believe the line up outside, even for those with tickets already. We ended up waiting an hour to get into the palace.

The palace itself was spectacular, especially seeing the living quarters and the Hall of Mirrors. Likewise, the garden was just stunning. I don’t think I have enough words to describe how truly beautiful it was. The size of it was also unfathomable. It took a good 15 minutes to walk from the palace towards the edge of the pond. It was a gorgeous day out, so everyone was laying on the grass dozing off in the sun.

Since we had walked all the way out already, we decided to visit the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, which was another 10 minutes walk away. The complexes were quite nice, but obviously not to the extent of the main palace. Versailles was also one of my favourite spots in Paris. If I lived nearby, I would probably spend all the sunny afternoons siting in the gardens. Too bad there isn”t 1,800 acres of land in Toronto!

As we still had plans for later on, we made our way back to the train station and headed towards Paris. We went to Opéra again because we had seen a ramen shop the night before that we wanted to try. I don’t know how we always managed to find ramen shops in our travels, but the noodles there were very good. Probably the cheapest dinner we had in Paris.

Afterwards we went to the Centre Pompidou to browse through the contemporary art collection. Good thing we got there early, as the main collection actually closes at 9:00pm. We had a less than an hour to see the entire gallery. First we took the elevators up to the top, then we cruised through the collection on the second floor, trying to see as much as we could. Unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time inside, but we did see the outdoor displays before leaving.

Since the gallery was suppose to be close to the Place des Vosges (the oldest square in Paris), I wanted to go see it on our last night. Although the art gallery was just one stop away from our hotel, we decided we would follow the street signs towards Place des Vosges. At first it seemed really close by, but then we ended up walking and walking and walking. We walked nearly three subway stops only to find that the Place des Vosges was CLOSED.

@%$^%##@!!

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Day 9 was our return back home. We had to double check train times that morning because we had an early flight. I had the utmost pleasure of carrying my overloaded suitcase up and down the stairs at all the subway terminals. This is also where my other subway fiasco occurred.

So here I am dragging my luggage as I approach the gates. I just finish sliding my ticket in and I take it out the other end, which prompts the gates to open. Just as I”m through and my luggage pulled in maybe 20%, the gates slam shut.

And I mean, it was SHUT TIGHT.

I’m pulling my luggage forward but it wouldn’t budge. Of course in situations like these there’s no one in the ticket booths to help me release the gate. So I continue struggling behind the gates when this man comes from the other side and helps me push the luggage. It still wasn’t moving even with two people. In the end, he hands me his bag and pulls the luggage towards himself which causes the gate to SLAM SHUT ON ME.

Since Jessica had been telling me horror stories of people stealing luggage on the subways in Paris, my mind was going a mile a minute thinking this man was going to run off with my luggage. To make matters worse, he was conversing with two other women behind him in French, and since I had no idea what they were saying, I thought they were conspiring to steal my luggage away.

So I’m kind of panicking at this point, but luckily I had an over-imaginative mind, because he helped me wheel my luggage to the other side where the gates were wider for people traveling with luggage. (Like anyone would have known to walk to the opposite end). So he hands me back my luggage and I give his bag back with a ‘merci beaucoup’ and an incredibly apologetic look on my face. So embarrassing.

After the luggage disaster, we made it on the track and were on our way to the airport. The ride wasn’t long and we got there about 3 hours prior to our departure. I was trying to figure out how to claim taxes back from my purchase at Lafayette, but it turned out to be a rather complicated task.

There was already a line up at the Air Canada check in, so to save time we decided to use the kiosks and check in ourselves. Luckily we did, because the last screen on the page asked if we would like a ‘complementary upgrade to Executive class’. After confirming that ‘complementary’ indeed meant ‘free’, we both said yes and we were upgraded to business class!

Our flight was delayed and the plane wasn’t even at the gates when they called us to board. As we walked through the gates, it led downstairs to the awaiting buses which drove us to the plane. It was the first time I had to enter the plane from the ground, so it was kind of neat.

The business class experience was sooooooo sweet. As we were getting comfortably seated in the reclining chairs, the flight attendants came around offering champagne and orange juice. Later on, they came back with menus asking us what we wanted to eat on the flight. It seemed so luxurious!

The food itself was alright (it’s still airplane food we’re talking about), but the selection and the presentation was pretty impressive. They served the food with glass plates and real cutlery! After a few sips of champagne I dozed off on the reclining chair, which stretched into a bed. It made the 8 hours go by in a breeze.

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Finally back to Toronto after the flight. The Europe experience was quite memorable. Definitely need to check out other countries the next time I go back!