I like London. There is something about it's tiny, twisted streets and small alleys that beg for exploration. But, it does become claustrophobic after awhile and I start to crave wide open boulevards and open sky. And this is why I love Paris.
If these two cities were human siblings, Paris would be the glittering one, full of flair and frivolity, while London would be the practical one. Both are wonderful in their own ways, but even the most practical soul needs to get out and have some fun, and this is the role of Paris.
So, I'd decided early on in the planning stage that I had to bring R. to Paris, even if it was just a short trip. I knew she'd appreciate that glittery city as much as I do.
We left on a not-too-early Eurostar that got us into Paris Gard de Nord before noon. I booked us using my free Hilton Honors rewards at the very nice Hilton Arc De Triomphe, we checked in and thus started the fastest trip to Paris I've ever done.
What does one prioritize in a city when you have essentially one day to see it? We started by taking a walk down to the Arc de Triomphe, which was just a 10 minute walk away along leafy streets. R. took lots of very good photos, despite the dust choking her. Then we walked down the Champs Elysées, and over to the Louvre via the metro. Wandered in the courtyard of the Louvre (it was closed that day, but we wouldn't have had time to see it properly anyway).
From there, we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. I was happy to see that the line ups I've come to associate with the cathedral were essentially non-existent. I wanted R. to see this church - sadly, most of the front exterior was covered in scaffolding for restoration - but the inside is stunning anyway. I lit a candle for Colin' parents (R.'s grandparents) and thanked them for their generosity to their children and grandchildren. Both were very devout Catholics, and I knew the family would value this.
From Notre Dame, we crossed the bridge to the Left Bank and wandered through the Latin Quarter, before we took the metro back to the hotel in time meet with my Aunt Anne.
We had an enjoyable dinner with my Aunt, and afterwards, she came with us to the Troccadero, where she left to go home and we walked to the Eiffel Tower. I've never seen it up close at night, and it was really lovely! We stood in line to go up to the main level. R. had, perhaps, harboured ideas of going up to the top level, but I've warned her all along that she would be doing that trip on her own...as I get older, my vertigo is not improving - besides, I've done it 4 times now and the thrill is gone. The decision was taken from her, however, as by the time we got to to the ticket booth (the line up was only 45 minutes!), the top had been closed and we could only go as far as level 2.
The next day, we had a date to go to Versailles. At my party in London, my friend, Anouska, said that like me, she had been to Paris several times but never to Versailles, and when she finally went, it was well worth it. So we hopped on the metro/train to Versailles and spent what little of the day we had left. We had to stand inline for over an hour to get tickets to go into the Palace, and given the time restrictions we had, opted for a guided tour later that afternoon. In the meantime, we walked though the gardens and I'm sure saw less then a tenth what was there!
We were so far away from the Palace at the far end of the garden that we barely made it back in time for the tour, but we did make it and so the palace tour started. For me, the highlight were the Chapel, which is still beautifully preserved, and the Hall of Mirrors. But the tour ran over, and we forgot that our cell phones had *not* adjusted for the 1 hour time difference...and well, to make a long story short, we did not make it back Paris in time to collect our overnight bags and make it to Gard de Nord for our train back to London. It was an expensive mistake, but what do you do? I wouldn't have traded our time at Versailles for anything, but if we'd known we weren't going to make it back in time, we'd have stayed an extra hour at Versailles instead of rushing for a train we missed anyway.
All I can say is: Kids, Don't miss your Eurostar back to London, or the last-minute 1 way fare will cost more then your return fare booked weeks earlier. You have been warned. :)
We made it back to London that night and enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal with Cath. We packed and booked a taxi to Heathrow the next day for our next leg of the adventure: Rome.
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