Easter in Paris

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Paris isn’t known for being particularly religious or having any Easter celebrations, is it?” To which I would respond, “No. No it’s not.” As a matter of fact, I spent my Easter at the Chateau Versailles and McDonalds, but we’ll get there.

Let me start the retelling of my epic journey the way it actually began: 12 hours on a bus. It was an hour late, miserable, and my sleep was often interrupted. Then, I had the wrong address to our hostel, so it took approximately another 2 hours to find where we were staying (sorry Will! He was waiting for me to get there… oops!).

After the initial struggles, things went pretty well. Will and I started in the city center and just aimlessly walked around for a while. We walked along the La Seine (the main river through Paris) for a few miles, seeing everything from the Notre Dame to the Louvre all the way to the Eiffel Tower (from the outside of course). It was a great introduction to the city and way to get our bearings. It was also a great way to expose us to the idea that we didn’t speak any French. Okay, I can count to 10, say hello (bonjour) and goodbye (au revoir), and a few other select statements like “Parlez-vous Francais?” (Do you speak French? – this does you no good when you don’t speak French or no the word for English, but I know that phrase for some reason…), but other than common phrases, we were in a completely foreign environment (pun intended).

I’ll skip over Friday, but look out for a post on Disneyland Paris! :)

On Saturday, we attempted to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. After waiting in line for approximately 45 minutes, they flashed a notice indicating that the top was closed. Thus, we adapted our plans and climbed the Arc de Triomphe (which also hosts France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; more on this in the History of Paris post), visited the Louvre (yes, I saw Mona Lisa), and did some generic sight-seeing.

On Easter, Will and I (along with hundreds of other people) went to Chateau de Versailles, which was formerly a royal palace and is now a very popular tourist attraction. It is filled with beautiful paintings, a lot of history, and the building itself is simply gorgeous. Unfortunately, we were herded through the inside like farm animals because there were so many people trying to see everything. It was a little bit uncomfortable. After viewing the inside, we were able to tour parts of the gardens and even see a water show at one of the fountains. The gardens are glorious and are filled with incredible fountains and sculptures.

Luckily, I was able to spend part of my evening inside McDonalds talking to some of my family (those who answered) and wishing them a happy Easter. Gotta love technology!

On Monday, Kyle and I toured the inside of Notre Dame. It is another magnificent, gothic church of Europe built beginning in 1163! I was also able to make my way around Paris to see Napoleon’s tomb, the Pantheon (which hosts the graves of Marie Curie, Jean-Jacques Russeau, Louis Braille, Voltaire, and many more), the Grande Arche, the second level of the Eiffel Tower, and the Moulin Rouge! I saw a bunch of things in between, but these are the highlights.

Tuesday morning, I was finally able to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower! Later in the day, I took a tour of the city, and the History of Paris entry will summarize some of the things I learned while on that tour.

I can’t forget to mention the food! I ate many delectable things while I was in Paris, and here are some of the best/most interesting:

Hamburger and Egg (with no bun) – surprisingly delicious, expensive

Triple X – we ate at a Turkish restaurant near Versailles, and it was the best meal I had in Paris, cheap, delicious, and wonderful.

Éclair au Chocolat – really good, kind of expensive, my goodbye gift to myself

Macaron – I tried two variations of this; one was not very good. This one was chocolate with a chocolate center, and it was perfect; another goodbye gift to me (good choice Nate!)

Crepes – I had three, and they were always Nutella and banana. I know you think I wasn’t very adventurous, and that’s because I didn’t have to be. Nothing could beat the warm, thin pancake with warm, sweet chocolate mixing with the taste of the bananas wrapping everything together in one beautiful and delicious taste. Prices varied from 2.50€ Euros to 4.00€. They did have some that were more expensive, but I just looked for cheaper ones. Honestly, the best crepe I had was also the cheapest.