Experiencing the Best of Europe
Day 20: New Sights in Paris
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang
Best Moments
1. Seeing the Louvre with a guide
2. Understanding that the Louvre has a Napoleon propaganda room
3. Ordering a carnet of metro tickets with the goal in mind of using all of them
4. Finally walking down Rue Mouffetard
5. Picking up a cheese and roasted tomato sandwich hugged with a delicious French baguette
6. Finding a quiet little park outside of a church to enjoy my picnic
7. Stopping at Ile St. Louis for a glace
8. Picking up scarves for myself and our guide
9. Walking through the very picturesque Garnier Opera House
10. Meandering through Montmartre
11. Understanding a little more of Montmartre's history through the Montmartre Museum
12. Looking around and seeing beauty everywhere
13. Walking down Abbesses and not realizing there was so much more to it
14. Enjoying the last dinner with my new friends (this is a best moment, but also a very sad one)
15. Coming back to the hotel for our last happy hour
16. Sharing our best moments with each other and realizing that they wouldn't have been possible without each other
17. Taking one last scenic night stroll in the rain
Daily Recap
*This was not my first time to Paris, but wow. Each time I go I find that there is still a long list of things I want to do. I don't know if there is any other city in the world that has so much to do.
*Our group time for the day was spent in the best art museum in the world. Even though I'd been before, I still saw so many new things. Visiting the Louvre with a guide is a must.
*My itinerary for the day was a race to see everything that I could. I began by taking the metro down to Rue Mouffetard. It is a fantastic market street full of great restaurants and food. I picked up lunch and went to a park behind a quiet little church.
*Then I hopped back on the metro to go up to Ile St. Louis. I needed some glace after my lunch.
*Once again, I grabbed the next metro train to the Garnier Opera House. It was beautiful!
*I had one more destination, so I got back on the metro and went up to Montmartre. I love this neighborhood. I saw so many new things that made me love it even more.
Personal Connections
*Our local guide, Vincent, taught me so much at the Louvre. I love how each local guide in the different destinations has a different personality even though they have similar jobs. Vincent was witty and well dressed. I kept wondering how he wasn't burning up in his lovely sweater combo.
*Tonight was a very challenging night for me. It was time to say goodbye to all my new friends. I built bonds with these people that I will remember the rest of my life. We brought wine and shared our favorite moments. Each new moment that was shared reminded me that it was my favorite moment too. They all were. It wasn't the places that made it memorable, it was all of the people. Our guide, bus driver, other tour members, and everyone we met along the way created this experience that will stay with me forever. I really didn't want to leave everyone. Couldn't we just pack our bags back up to go onto the next destination? I guess we were; we just weren't going together.
Stub Hub
I wouldn't normally think to visit the opera house unless I was going to a show. Rene recommended I go since I haven't been and it was a great choice. The opera house is a great example of elegance from the Belle Epoque era. There was a moment when I wondered if I was actually in Versailles. I didn't take the tour, but with a little knowledge of the artwork and history of the opera house, a self-guided tour is just fine.
Rick Steves always talks about seeing artwork in situ, which means seeing it in the environment it was created for. Churches are a great example of this idea. The opera house is another fantastic example. Seeing Chagall's opera house ceiling was like seeing the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling is just one feature among many that make up the beauty of a place.
Ile Saint Louis is a gem. It feels like a little town in a big city. While visiting the island I picked up some Berthillion glace and stopped at a stationary store to pick up a thank you card for our tour guide.
I love Paris in case you haven't noticed. I really love Montmartre. This is the first neighborhood that I stayed in while visiting Paris. It is so sad to me that some never make it up to the hill. They may go visit the Moulin Rouge, but to me that is Pigalle, not Montmartre. The area can be tacky and ridiculously touristy, but there are also corners that reveal a glimpse into the art culture life. This time I visited the Montmartre Museum and it was a wonderful setting. The building used to be Utrillo's house and it showcases the history of the area. The gardens are beautiful and it is a peaceful place if you want to visit a museum without a million other people.
While walking down Rue Abbesses, I found this pamphlet advertising immersion into the French culture. They are a bit pricey, but I thought the idea was great, especially for solo travelers. It would be nice to sign up for a safe dinner with locals. When I travel, I want to meet as many locals and try to understand them the best I can. It can be intimidating on your own (especially when you are a young female) because there are so many scams and dangerous situations that could arise. I'm holding onto this brochure in case I get the chance to return.
Another one of my favorite places to stop at while on Ile Saint Louis is Diwali, which is a scarf and accessory store. There are scarves all over Paris, but this store carries my favorite. I even picked up one for Jennifer as a way to say thanks for everything.
