Paris has, for the first time on this trip, made me feel like a true tourist. If you can’t tell, I’m cramming in as much as I can. Mainly because my first day was with family, and my last couple will be too so I really need to experience what Paris has to offer from a sightseeing point of view. No doubt I’ll come back to just explore but for now, let’s kick this off! I’m sticking to the list format for Paris – it’ll be way too long otherwise.
1. Tour Eiffel
You have to, right? There’s no way you can come to Paris for the first time and not visit the Eiffel tower. I was going to get a double dose of it today but more on that later. Remy and I opted to take the stairs because a) lines are shorter – we’re impatient b) it’s cheaper – we’re stingy and c) it’s leg day 😂 trololol
Too dark. Whoops!
After 669 stairs, we made it and what a view. Go early, people. I don’t think you need the warning but just in case. Remy and I got there just after 9am but when we came down, dem lines man.
2. Jardin du Luxembourg
Everything sounds better with a French accent. I would say “jar-den du Luxemburrrrg” and Remy would say “zhardan du looxembourr”. That didn’t work as well as I’d hoped – I’m hoping you can hear it in your heads as I’m hearing it.
We grabbed a crepe from the slowest effing crepe maker in the world (still delicious) and sat in these beautiful grounds in front of the Luxembourg Palace, created by Marie de Medici – the widow of King Louis IV. It’s used by the French senate now. Well worth the visit just to stroll or relax – again, lots of Parisians out making the most of these public spaces.
Gurl, y u no make crepe faster?! Still tasty.
3. Catacombs of Paris
We waited well over an hour to get in here so be prepared. More stairs waited for us (it was leg day so it’s OK) and the crypt below the city was amazing. The bones kept there belong to people who were buried in the Cemetery of the Innocents. When an outbreak of infection occurred due to the volume of people in this cemetery, they created the catacombs to house them. There were halls and halls of bones. It was eerie but I really enjoyed it!
"Stop! This is the empire of death!"
4. Solo date night – dinner at the Eiffel Tower, cruise down the Seine and a show at the Moulin Rouge
Because I like to spend time alone, I booked myself a tour before coming to Paris to these three things. Little did I know that I was going to be the only one on the tour. Literally the only one. But hey, I wanted alone time and I’m getting it.
The bus dropped me at the Eiffel Tower for dinner on the first floor at a restaurant called 58 Tour Eiffel. I had a window seat so I got a great view of the people below and the food was superb. King prawns, guinea fowl and CHEESE. Oh my God, French cheese I was so happy.
I had a bit of a wander around the first floor of the tower – really cool. Glass floors, a museum and a cool little bar to hang out in.
Then I hopped on a boat on the River Seine. A must do no matter which boat you catch and try to go at dusk/sunset because the sky is so pretty and the Eiffel Tower lights up as you come back to port.
Finally, a show at the Moulin Rouge. My mind has been warped by the Baz Lurhmann film Moulin Rouge and of course, it’s nothing like the movie. It’s more of a cabaret show, a cabaret show like I’ve seen in Phuket that features really pretty ladyboys. No ladyboys here (that I know of) but they did do more acrobatic stuff like roller skate tricks, duo acrobatics and a trio. The trio were my favourite – real slapstick type stuff! Also the cancan is a classic.
I didn’t get home until 1:30am and they had given me half a bottle of champagne. My bus driver was a wonderful Peruvian man named Jose. We talked a lot of politics but my favourite conversation we had was about the price of quinoa. Anyway, I really enjoyed his company. I like meeting like-minded people to have these kinds of conversations with. First it was Rio and Cali in Barcelona (our first hostel friends) and now Jose. The beauty of travel.
Day 2 in Paris – done! It’s museum day tomorrow. Let’s hope museum fatigue won’t get the best of us.
THE HOUSE OF EM 