Weekend in Paris - Part I

We returned from Paris on Sunday and have been very busy with Christmas parties and such ever since. This week is chock full of events, but I wanted to share a bit of our weekend in Paris.

We flew from Jerez to Madrid, and let me just tell you, the Madrid airport is really not one of my favorite places. If you remember, there was a bit of a snafu upon our arrival in Spain four months ago. You know, the one where I had a mini-meltdown and cried on the spot? Yes, that's the one. Needless to say, I already had a bit of a negative attitude about the place. No offense to the Spanish, but that airport just isn't user-friendly and it's incredibly confusing. Gate assignment information isn't given out until just 30 precious minutes or so before boarding. We went to our gate only to find it had been changed and was now in the very location we'd just come from (naturally), so we backtracked. To make a long story a little bit shorter... the gate changed once more, and yes, it was in the opposite direction. Whatever!

The flight from Madrid to Paris went smoothly and it only took us a few minutes to locate the Metro train for the ride to our hotel. I'm so grateful we'd lived in the DC area before traveling to Paris because it totally prepared us to get around there. DC has five different Metro lines. Paris has fourteen! The Metro is a great way to get around in the city because it goes practically everywhere a person would ever want to go, tourists can rest their weary feet if they get tired of walking, and in the case of inclement weather (which was our situation), it gives travelers the opportunity to stay dry and at least a little warmer. Here my hubby and boys get a little assistance with purchasing 2-day passes from a Metro employee...
We stayed in a very small, but nice place called Hotel Unic, which is located just a few blocks away from all the major attractions. It took two trips in the elevator just to get our luggage upstairs, and it wasn't because we'd brought so much. The elevator was the tiniest thing we'd ever seen! The four of us barely fit inside with no luggage. The boys thought that was very funny. It's a good thing none of us is claustrophobic! Here's my oldest son being a goofball inside our tiny, yet comfortable room...
We'd arrived late in the evening and hadn't eaten dinner, therefore we were starving and decided to go in search of food that a) could be found quickly, and b) the boys would eat. The hotel clerk recommended a nearby restaurant called Hippopotamus, so that's where we ate. The place was massive inside with seemingly endless seating and the food was delicious. And although my husband and I would have preferred to try another new restaurant "just because," we ended up eating here another night because the boys liked it so much.
The next morning we ate at a McDonald's. Yeah, I know... we were in Paris, for heaven's sake, and we ate at McDonald's? Sometimes you just have to give in to the little people so they'll be agreeable when we drag them from place to place. Small price to pay, in my book, plus McDonald's was actually quite good. They have a little different menu there and we ended up with a ton of food for not a lot of euro, and it was a huge, beautiful facility. These little pastries were delectable! Inside we found a croissant and two other pastries, one with chocolate inside and the other with cinnamon-raisin inside. Mmmm!

Okay, we were only going to have two full days to hit the highlights of Paris, so we set out to see as much as we could in that length of time. Here the boys point to our first stop... Notre Dame. Never mind their only frame of reference was the "Hunchback of Notre Dame," the popular Disney animated kids' movie. Whatever it takes to spark an interest is fine with us. We weren't disappointed either. The famous cathedral is simply beautiful!
Isn't the stained glass gorgeous? I can't imagine the time invested in making something so exquisitely beautiful! Photos simply don't do it justice.


We ended up leaving Notre Dame to return later in the day to climb the spiral staircase up to the bell tower. Those who tend to have issues with vertigo need not try this. It was quite a hike and I felt every dadgum step as I'm out of shape, however, it was totally worth every heavy breath and painful step to see sights like these... This is a view of the Seine River.

See the Eiffel Tower off in the distance in my black & white version (Move over, Ansel Adams!)? It was a bit foggy that day, but we could still make it out. Here it is after I zoomed in a bit...
We asked a very nice guy to take our photo too. Not bad, huh? We're in Paris! We have proof!

Does this sculpture remind you of anything in particular... like say a movie? Who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!

Another sculpture... one of MANY we saw in Paris.

We climbed a little higher and saw the incredibly large bell in the tower...

Colorful rooftops

Another breathtaking view of this beautiful, fascinating and surprisingly clean city.

Did I mention it was cold while we were in Paris? It spit snow for just a few minutes the day we went to Notre Dame. We had to wait on the rooftop for several minutes while people were coming up the tower. It would be virtually impossible to have tourists going up and down the tower at the same time, and no doubt it would be a real safety hazard. So... we waited and we were COLD!

Next time I'll focus on another highlight of our trip... the Louvre. Wow! What an amazing place! Stay tuned for more Weekend in Paris...