The Walter Blog: Day 8 Perfect Day in Paris

Today was a great day. The weather was just perfect, it was probably in the low 70’s and a little overcast. We decided today to take the hop-on hop-off bus through Paris. We did this in London and really enjoyed it. It was also very good in Paris. It allows you to see the major sites of the city without having to walk a lot or use the subway. The subway is very efficient but you don’t see much since you’re underground. The only thing is we wished it moved along a little more quickly. At times we had to wait 5-10 minutes at a stop. I think the buses in London run a better schedule. Anyway, we started on one loop that took us around the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe. Place de la Concorde, and Notre Dame. Jill and I both are amazed at the age of everything. Buildings, squares and monuments are all hundreds of years old. When the oldest thing in Spokane is maybe 150 years old, it just doesn’t compare. Every street we see has buildings that are older than anything we have in Spokane.

We only got off the bus a couple times today. The first time was to get some lunch on the Champs-Elyees and get a close look at the Arc de Triomphe. We found a restaurant called Quick, which had hamburgers. It was the first hamburger I’ve had since we left and it was very good. It was also quick and easy because you order at a counter and get your food. Getting served at a sit down restaurant is a little different. First of all, it’s harder to navigate your way through the menu although many of them have them in both French and English. After you are done, you need to get the waiter’s attention to let them know you’re ready to pay. Sometimes it takes a while and when you’re in a hurry to get going, it gets a little frustrating. It probably says more about the way we’re used to having a meal. Get in, get your food, eat and get out. It probably would be better absorbing the French way by taking time with your meal but as a tourist, I want to get going so I can get to the next site. Food is just fuel in the tank at this point. One thing that amazed me was at the Arc de Triomphe, there is a roundabout surrounding the Arc and there are no lane markers and I’m not sure if there are any traffic lights. Cars, bicycles and buses were going every which way. A couple people ran across the street to get to the Arc and I was amazed nobody got hit. It almost reminded me of a game of Frogger, where you move the frog back and forth across the street to keep from getting hit. I have some video but I don’t think I can post it on the blog.

The next stop was at Montmartre. At the top is the Basilique du Sacre-Couer (Basilica of Sacred Heart), it’s an amazing church that we walked through. It was only built in 1857, I think, but it was beautiful. The artwork in the ceilings, the stained glass and the huge organ all were very unique. You can’t take pictures because it’s still a place of worship even though thousands of people walk through it every day. The church sits at the top of a hill so that you get a great view of Paris. For an additional charge, you can climb 300 steps to get to the top of the dome to get an even better view. Jarret and I took the challenge. Up to the top we went up a narrow spiral staircase. 25 steps – 50 steps and a landing – 75 steps – 100 steps and a landing to take a breather – 150 steps and out of breath – 200 steps heart beating, sweating and Jarret giving me the look like what’s taking you so long – 250 steps what was I thinking! – 290 steps had to take another break even though I could see the end – 300 steps and the view was priceless. You could see the whole city of Paris as you walk around the dome. We finally spotted Jill and Rylee at the street waiting for us. After enjoying the view for a while, we started the hike down. We headed back to the bus along a street that’s filled with tourist shops. It was nice because the prices were fairly reasonable. We picked up a few trinkets, hopped the bus and headed back to our hotel. Jarret, thanks for making the trip up with me even though you really didn’t want to. He did say something like “ I don’t want dad to have to go up alone” and I appreciated that. We’ll always be able to say we did that together.

A couple of impressions today:

First of all, we had the male – female age-old discussion about asking directions. In my world, I like to find things on my own. It helps me figure out where we’re at and how things are laid out. We walked around a little bit before finding the place where we got our tickets for the bus tour. Jill finally had enough and asked a person on the street. Although I would have found it, Jill confirmed my suspicions on where we had to go. (Jill probably has a different take which I’m sure she’ll share when she reads this). Jill’s take: Although I value initiative and self-motivation in trying to locate a destination, it soon became clear we had no idea where the bus office was. After walking in a complete circle and still not finding the office, and realizing I really don’t need to find my own way because I’ll never be here again and don’t need to memorize the route, I did the smart thing: I asked directions, gasp! In less than 1 minute, we had found the office. Which route would you rather take? J Craig – my way.

Second, A little extra sleep does us all a little good. We stopped a little earlier than normal yesterday so that we could rest. We’ve been on the go for a week now and it was taking its toll. The kids were crabby and we were about to join them. Also, I think the change in the weather helped us a little bit. It’s nice not being so hot and tired all the time.

Next, Paris is a dirty city. The subways aren’t that clean, there is graffiti everywhere, even up by the Basilique du Sacre-Couer. More than once we got a whiff of the bathroom even though there wasn’t a bathroom nearby. I guess it’s because of the number of people that are in the city every day but it would be nice if they picked up after themselves a little better. It’s just sad to see the amount of trash everywhere, even around the beautiful monuments.

Next, there is a restaurant on every corner for any kind of taste in food that you can think of. Trying to please four people is very hard but pretty much everything we’ve had from a sit down restaurant to a small shop has been very good.

Last, many of the buildings and sites were designed 150+ years ago with strict guidelines so that they were similar in size and design. This foresight made for a very unique and striking city.

Tomorrow we have the morning in Paris and then head back to London to start the last few days of our vacation. I can hardly believe it’s already half over and we only have 6 days left. We got a free drink ticket when we checked in and Jill and I are going to take advantage of it in a little bit. A good glass of French wine sounds just about right!