Au revoir, cher Paris

We're leaving Paris in moments. After picking up the ugliest rental we navigated the Charles De Galle traffic circle (aka Arc de Triomphe) and about 3 others before reaching our hotel. The fact that there is no lanes is actually helpful. What is not helpful is a) our GPS hasn't found a satelite yet b) we have no maps c) we have no destination until Barcelona on Friday. So this will likely be our last post until we reach Spain, if we ever reach Spain. Au revoir, cher Paris.

While we've seen the Eiffel tower from a distance and I did a quick run-by on a morning jog, we decided to get up close and personal. The structure takes on another personality from up close. Whether it is the hordes of locals and tourists lounging on every piece of grass and under every cover of shade, we weren't sure -- but it is a sight to see. Avoiding the queues and not being dressed for the hike up the stairs we continued along to Trocadero for a wide open view of the tower. Here we found people playing in a huge fountain and many entertainers. The weather was perfect and it seemed like the entire city was on vacation or at a beach party, sans-beach. Opting to go shopping rather than eating at a high-end restaurant, we found ourselves back on the Champs Elysee where Julie picked up a Parisien handbag and I grabbed a pair of much needed jeans for the trip. After yet another long walk down the Champs, why we never took the Metro evades me, we reached the hotel to shower up and head out for a another late dinner at 10pm. We settled into a small bistro in a square under the cover of trees. I finally made the plunge and ordered steak tartare. If you're not sure what that is, feel free to Google it. Needless to say if you have an issue with texture, I'd equate it to wet cat food, then you probably want to avoid the tartare. The flavour was good but the texture is a mental obstacle.

Musée du Louvre

Today we decided to conquer one of the great, if not greatest, museums of the world. The almighty Louvre. We had walked past it countless times and its daunting size is reminiscent of Buckingham palace. As we walked past I.M. Pei's controversial pyramid, made infamous by the Da Vinci Code, we were happy to encounter very short lines with no wait to enter (thank you Museum Pass). Within a single room we viewed almost every renaissance painting known to those who acquire their lacklustre art knowledge through movies. The museum itself is a piece of art with ornate frescoes adorning many ceilings. You can spend a lifetime in the Louvre but we limited it to a few hours. Stay tuned for some photos.

Paris comes alive

Yesterday the weather finally took a turn for the better. The city really came alive with images of Parisen life holding true. Everywhere we looked there were couples, young and old, sharing in intimate moments. Public spaces were overrun with locals laying in the grass, sitting on bridges and covering the banks of the Seine. We decided to log some tourist hours at the Musee d'Orsee, which as a converted train station has a great design. The museum holds within its collection most world renown impressionist paintings -- at least for those who learned about art from movies, like us. Afterwards we swung by the Notre Dame cathedral originally built in 1163. After bumping into people of every nationality we decided to act like locals and take to the banks of the Seine. A quick stop at a cheese shop, bakery, wine shop and variety store (apparently inquiring at the wine shop if they sold plastic cups was funny to the proprietor) we were off to be locals. Sitting on the banks behind the Notre Dame provided great views up and down the river, of ile de la Cite and the back of Notre Dame. A bottle, wedge and baguette later we hotel bound for a nap but not before obversing what seemed like half of Paris laying on the grass in the Louver and Tuilleries garden. As our short nap ended (around 11pm) we took the streets again covering the Champs Elysee. This grand boulevard is truly a sight to be seen. The sidewalk would make any road back home seem narrow. Littered with shops, cafes and just about everything else, including car manufacturers concept stores, it invites the imagery of old Paris in all its grandeur. At the end stands of one Napoleon's commissioned works, the Arc de Triomphe. Situated in the middle of a crazy round a bout is a massive commemorative arc to fallen soldiers. After a late dinner around 1am we decided to head back and rest up for tackling the tourist grand-daddy of them all, the Louvre.

Nos Amis Parisiens

Saturday we met up with our Parisien friends, Kelli and Steve. As seasoned Paris travelers they brought us around the city leading us to Jim Morrison's grave, where Steve shed a tear, then up Montmartre to l'eglise Sacre Coeur, where Kelli shed a tear as the restaurant with a view and des moules just didn't exist. We did happen to find a quaint authentic restaurant with no tourists and both patrons and servers speaking only French. Perfect. After 'a few' bottles of wine at Kelli and Steve's apartment we appropriately selected Mon Vieil Ami for dinner and took the last time slot available at 1030pm. With supplies running low, Steve wisely suggested the nearby wine shop, frommagerie, and boulangerie to provide some much needed time killers. Notes from today; if you rent a bike from a self-serve station be sure to check for flat tires. Sorry Julie, at least it was only 3km -- get buried in Paris, they know how to build serious mausoleums -- the Paris metro is the greatest public transit in the world -- and no hour is too late to begin dinner, as long as you continue to eat/drink between all meals.

Quintessential Tourist

So our first post from abroad can only be of a famous landmark. This shot is from our room overlooking the Tuillerie gardens with the tour Eifel in the background. If the leaves changing colours wasn't indication enough of the weather, it's damn cold. We made it to the hotel via train/metro without any issues and hit the beat for a while until our room was ready. During that time we were approached briskly by two police in riot gear, I mean full head to toe body armour and serious weapons, pointing at us as we were apparently on the wrong side of the sidewalk while a VIP was being escorted by half the Paris police force. I also tried on a pair of jeans that only cost 377 EUR and found perhaps the only deal in the first arrondisement, 3 chocolate croissants for 2,50 EUR. Cheaper than the martinis at the hotel. Which by the way only cost 20 EUR. A la prochaine!

Chillin' at YYZ

Off we go. We made it to the airport even within the required timeline. Now to kill an hour. Good thing for lounges with open bar and hot buffet.