Arriving at our hostel in Paris, I was amazed at its sheer size holding nearly 600 travelers at a time. The hostel was centered around one main bar area with a live band playing in the middle. Since we arrived after midnight, we were just in time to see to our Kiwi friend, Ludo (that we met in London) and a new friend Jay for some drinks at the bar.
After a late wake up call we headed to the biggest tourist attraction in Paris, the Eiffel Tower. As typical American tourists, we first picked up some groceries for a picnic next to the tower. Our groceries included baguettes, meat, cheese, and of course a bottle of wine each. As the sun began to set and our sandwiches and wine began to disappear, Marge and I had an epic baguette fight with the left over bread we had. Following the fight, we tended to our minor battle wounds as the tower lights came on illuminating the thousand-foot tall iron lattice structure. The tower was even more impressive at nighttime.
Heading away from the tower we found ourselves on a “guided tour” lead by one of Jay’s friend who was studying in Paris. Walking the few miles back in the direction of the hostel, she pointed out all of the main attractions to us including the Louvre, Alexander Bridge, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe. Grand Palals, to name a few.
The following day we visit the famous Louvre. It’s maze of mummies, statues, paintings, and artifacts is astonishing. You could easily spend multiple days there; luckily they close at 6 and kicked us out. Before we left, we did see some of the many of the famous pieces of art in the world including the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and of course the Mona Lisa.
On my last day in Paris we visited the Catacombs. Located under the city, the underground cemetery houses the bones of nearly 6 million individuals making it one of the largest graves in the world. Carefully arranged bones tower from floor to ceiling with many skulls strategically facing outwards creating designs in the bone walls. It was hard to fathom that I was walking through a tunnel bones that was equivalent to the entire population of Washington, DC.
On the last night, Ludo and I met up with some Aussie friends Jack and Bronte and their friend Cal (I met them in Seville, Spain). We went on a several hour walking tour around Montmartre that started at the famous Moulin Rouge and ending at the Basilica Sacre-Coeur that overlooks the whole city of Paris. Along the way, our guide pointed out famous artists homes and studios including Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. To round out the tour, we stopped at one of the most popular crepe stands in the area and I was not disappointed.
