Day 1: Paris, France

Cleveland, OH

Wow! I can’t believe it’s 2AM local time and after maybe 2 hours of sleep on our 8+ hour flight we had the chance to see so much in our first ~12 hours here! After our airport transfer on BlackLane and checking into our hotel (Crowne Plaza – Republique in Arrondissement 10) we decided to stroll to Notre Dame and find an early lunch along the way. We stumbled upon a great cafe (Les Pieds Nickel) across from a shopping plaza called “Passage du Grand Cerf” that reminded us of a small version of the Galleria in CLE. The local crowd certainly made us feel we made the right choice for our first meal in Paris. We decided to try the “meal of the day”/fixed menu or “le menu de jour”, which included melon gazpacho, roasted chicken with rice/vegetables in a lovely pesto/curry sauce (and had the option to add chocolate mousse, which we decided to hold on to save room for an afternoon treat). After refueling we passed Hotel de Ville and ventured down to get in line for Notre Dame…we were pleasantly surprised to find the wait to walk up to the top bell tower was only about 15 minutes! What a spectacular view of this beautifully constructed masterpiece that took more than 200 years to build. All three of us loved the many gargoyles and enjoyed spotting all the unique ones…from traditional gothic style to elephants and even one eating a bird. Once we circled the top of the tower and enjoyed the many birdseye views, it was time to check out all the inside of Notre Dame has to offer. We walked inside and were simply speechless at the magnificent stain glass windows everywhere. Gorgeous chandeliers, endless rows of pews, and the lofty ceiling continued to impress us as we made our way through. I stopped on the side of the main alter and decided that was the perfect spot to light a candle in memory of my dad and late cousin Noreen (who spent time living here in Paris). It was the perfect view of the iconic, circular stain glass windows. Notre Dame certainly lived up to its expectations and personally exceeded mine! We also had to grab a photo op with “Point Zero”, the center of Paris 2,300 years ago and point from which all distances are measured. From the top of Notre Dame we saw that the bridge behind it (Pont de I’Archeveche) had collected several locks and seems to be the new spot for lovers to leave their padlocks since the recent removal of padlocks due to structural damage at the Pont Des Art. I was so excited to see this, as I was feeling quite broken hearted about the recent news of removing the locks just days before we departed…I had already made a lock for Bryan and I, and was determined to find a home for it here! I think this spot is perfect and has a lovely view of Notre Dame! We decided to walk to the Louvre next, and managed to catch a glimpse of wedding photos being taking on backside of Notre Dame. En route to the Lourve, we stopped at the Pont Des Art and decided to take some photos with the silly new artwork replacing the areas the 40+ tons of padlocks use to hang from 🙂 We enjoyed the lovely chateau style buildings and many courtyards as we approached the Lourve. We did not tour the Lourve today, but instead decided to take advantage of the sunny, 90* day and explored the Jardin Des Tuleries. What a beautiful park to relax in…we even found a cheerful carousel to take a whimsical rest stop near! From there, we exited the park and were torn on if we should proceed to the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe. Couldn’t be happier with the option we chose and how our night played out…we wanted to catch the Eiffel Tower for sunset (right near 9:30PM), so ventured that direction. At this point in was about 6:30PM and would explore around the Eiffel Tower/make sure we allowed enough time for the wait to reach the top of the tower. As we continued to approach the area, we were easily distracted by all the crowds of people enjoying food and drink in lounge chairs and benches lining La Seine (river). Without question, we knew we had to find a way down and join this Friday “happy hour.” It was perfect…such a fun time people watching and interacting with all the locals while we shared a bottle of Rose and a fresh wood fire pizza with arugula, Parmesan and cured beef. What a cool after work “pop up bar” called Port Des Invalides that includes three bars. After taking in the scene, we decided it was time tto get to the Eiffel Tower. As we approached the light tower a rain cloud popped up, but looked like it would quickly pass. We ducked into a cafe called Boulangerie De La Tour Eiffel for some snacks and dessert since we’re still working to get on a normal eating schedule. As the rain passed, we reapproached the Eiffel Tower after just a short wait (the rain seemed to scare the crowds away) we started the adventure to the summit! I’m TERRIFIED of heights…thankfully, Marisa and Olivia held my hand and kept pushing me along every time I would “freeze” and we got to explore every level of the Eiffel Tower and took in the simply perfect nighttime views of the city of Love! We even managed to sneak a bottle of champagne in with us and enjoyed it at the very top 🙂 Good way to enjoy my first true glass of Champagne! Not a bad first day in Paris, huh? We took a short cab ride back to the hotel and had a pleasant driver that gave us some great tips for the picnic lunch we plan to have tomorrow! I can’t believe just how friendly all the locals we have met have been…I always had the impression that many are not friendly nor are found of Americans. They continue to prove that stereotype wrong with every interaction we have. ….now, time to try to get some sleep! Bonne nuit (good night)!