My First Trip to Europe - Paris

(6/10) Day four of the trip saw us taking the EuroStar from London to Paris. There was a bit of a scramble to be on time, especially since security at the EuroStar is effectively the same as at a major airport.

Upon arrival in Paris, we loaded into coaches/buses for the ride to Montmartres, where we stopped at the foot of the hill crowned by the Sacré-Cœur. Climbing that huge hill to tour the Sacré-Cœur was an option, but Lavender and I were hungry, so we found a nice Italian bistro up the street called Four Saisons. The tagliatelle bolognaise was excellent, and there was a chocolatier across the street.

Here begins the story of pay toilets. There were some in London for 50 pence, but there were more in Paris, and they were usually a euro. Sometimes they are automated things that do an auto-wash cycle after every visitor, which means you always get a nice pit stop, but you should definitely not try to nip in while someone else is leaving, or you'll get auto-washed yourself. Your other option is to become a paying customer at a restaurant of some kind, as they typically have a toilet for customers.

(6/11) Day two in Paris saw us visiting the area around the Eiffel Tower. Before walking around that area, we took a boat tour on the Seine, which affords a view of many of the landmarks and monuments of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower an impressive sight up close, but climbing up it was something neither of us was inclined to do. Instead, we went to a French bistro down the street for some authentic French food.

After the lunch, we took our coaches to the Jardins d'Acclimation, which is a mix of a park and a small zoo. This is where the band played their Paris concert. A wandering peacock kept trying to steal the show.

(6/12) Day three was our visit to the Louvre. We only had a few hours at the Louvre, which is sad, because I could have spent days at the Louvre.

The choir performed at Eglise de La Madeleine this afternoon. Alas, I have no good pictures.

Paris is nowhere near as well kept as London. Grassy areas are often unmowed, trash is frequently seen along the streets, and graffiti is abundant. I did, however, see some kind of industrial lawn roomba mowing beside the highway at one point.

The people of Paris are delightful. If you've heard that Parisians are stand-offish, it's a lie. I had a lady at a pharmacy walk over help me find some things we needed when she barely spoke English (fortunately I barely spoke French, and we made it work), and a lady at a Samsung store also went out of her way to help me (and her English was impeccable).

Next stop... Switzerland.