A few days ago we returned from a trip to Paris. We spent New Years there and a few more days after that :) I will have pictures up very soon!--So do come back!!
Our 2 night, 3 day
trip to France was a beautiful experience. While this would not be my first
time in France, visiting Paris would be entirely new for me. This time, my
husband and I became full-on tourists and took a tour bus with a savvy (yet
chatty) guide. After our luggage was loaded into the under-belly of the bus, we
were escorted from our lovely village in Germany to Paris, France.
Paris was all I could have ever dreamed it to be! Going
a-la-tour-bus style has its advantages—namely, your limited time is used very,
very efficiently. An official tour trip
will make certain that you see all the big sites of the city while also
managing to get group rates for certain museums and events. Also, you needn’t
figure out all the navigation, parking—which can become quite overwhelming and
time-consuming if you don’t know what you’re doing. The city is so big and
the throngs of tourists are so copious that, as a newbie, you depend upon a
professional to be the arbiter of your travels.
The disadvantages of
an official tour are:
- The talkative tour guide who disrupts you while you are trying to nap.
- You are often pressured to go to venues (particularly for dinner) that are not always of your choosing and are often more costly (and less tasty) than if you had picked them out yourself.
Thankfully, we managed to figure
out the Parisian subway and found
our way from the outskirts of the city (our hotel location) to downtown Paris.
Also, the subway was free while we
were there.
The tour bus took us to all the major highlights of Paris
which included: The Palace of
Versailles, Notre Dame, The Louvre, downtown Paris, Arc de Triomphe, The Paris
Opera House (with the famous Marc
Chagall paintings on the ceiling), The
Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin and also the Eiffel Tower (created by Gustave Eiffel in 1889)
Of the major Paris attractions my two favorites were the Palace
of Versailles and also, the Paris
Opera house. I would highly recommend both of these! The Palace of
Versailles was an outstanding, magnificent beauty that stands as one of
France’s great treasures. Louis the XIV
is someone who is regarded as incredibly ostentatious and led a life of untold
decadence and someone who had a group of servants stand by to clap after he
successfully crapped in his bedside commode. By his decree he created a
piece of architecture that will last for ages---bringing untold numbers of
tourists that will perpetually enrich the country of France.
If you’re into sight-seeing and have a fancy for seeing
thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of tourists all at
once—the Louvre is the place to go!
Also, if you’re into sculptures or paintings, you are in for a treat too. In
addition to seeing riveting art works that span millennia and include glorious
religious scenes and all manner of Biblical themes, you will come across an
entire room full of people clawing their way to behold the most famous face of
all—the Mona Lisa.
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