Paris with Ve and Sinead

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Paris, France It was great to hook up with Ve and Sinead in Paris. Ve used his points and got us a room at the Marriot with Elite Lounge access. We took in as many sites as you can in three days.

We spent the first night at Sacre Coeur and as well as the artist area. We marveled at the church and the fantastic sights of Paris from the hilltop. We went out that night. It was a tough night for Chad. They poured some stiff drinks in Paris.

Eiffel Tower tour –We got there and then waited 30 minutes to get tickets, then waited to go to the top. It was a long process. As we waited, several people apparently did not see the “do not bring up strollers” signs. This lead to longer delays as people tried to figure out how to get the strollers past the turn styles and other barriers. At the top, a mother with her newborn childe stated to her husband and the rest of the group, “This is where I get a little uncomfortable, because I don’t have control over things like being so high. (The things she had control over were holding up the line while she fed her kid, changed his diaper, and forced the workers at the tower to provide special access for her and her baby, What she did not have control over was being up so high, oh wait, she choose to buy the ticket, ignore the signs about strollers and bring her newborn up to the top.)

The arrival
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The sights from the tower were great but the lines were long. Next we went to the Arc de Triomphe. At this point, Ve, who typically does not like sight seeing takes control and makes us all go to the center of the Arc to get group photos. The Arc was followed by a walk down the famous street-Champs Elysees. At the end of this walk we took a rest on the Ferris Wheel and got some great pictures of the surrounding area. We made it over to Notre Dame. Ve was having problems with the number of pigeons all over that went to attack him at various times. There were lots of pigeons at Notre Dame but Ve made it out without incident. Ve then had Jen and I reenact a kissing scene in front of a lamppost. He has the picture is his living room at home. At this point in the day we went back to the hotel. Ve asked a lady where the metro stop was located. It was a few streets over from where we were, by the Hotel de Ville. Ve was not sure what she said, but we found it. When we got home and talked about the picture, it was realized that the picture Ve wanted should have been taken in front of the Hotel de Ville. Well the picture Ve got was o.k. but it was not the reenactment he was looking for. Apparently he has never really noticed the Hotel de Ville in large letters on the wall art at home. Sinead got a huge kick out of this, esp. because she had told him several times that the photo he wanted was in front of the Hotel de Ville. When we walked past the hotel, Jen unknowingly said, ‘hey look-there’s the Hotel de Ville.” In which Ve and Chad stopped to take a photo of it. Again-not noticing that this was the place he was wanted to take that picture.

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We went out that night and went to a bar that has a real France flair to it. The people were having a good time and the décor was a tad bit risqué. We were talking with the bar tender we had some good conversations about the U.S. He loves it there and he liked southern California- the best to go surfing and get lots of sun. We were there for a few hours and at the end of the night the bartender gave us a shot on the house. He was a friendly guy and he was not the anti-U.S. type that people tend to think of when they talk about France. In fact I would say that the French people that we met and talked with had favorable attitudes toward the U.S.

Ve's first view of Paris
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On our last day we went to the cemetery and searched for the gravestones of famous people such as Jim Morrison, Marcel Maceau, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. The cemetery is absolutely stunning. It is so large with so many unique and grand grave markers. As we walked through the cemetery and came upon the grave of Oscar Wilde, which was covered with writing from adoring fans, Ve gave Sinead quite a stir with his remark, “Who is this guy? What song did he sing?”

The cemetery was followed up with more death as we finished our hours in Paris at the Catacombs. Quite an experience really. At first it was a bit anti-climatic and then you enter the “Empire of Death” and you see the rows and rows, and stacks and stacks of bones. This is when you realize how many people lay in the crypt. You can imagine how many bones there were when you think about how it took 60 years to move all of the bones from the cemeteries to the crypt. If the cemetery was not enough to put you in a Halloween spirit with thoughts of vampires jumping out, the catacombs ensured that you would be a bit more on edge and your heart rate would beat a bit fasters. Being underground in miles and miles of narrow tunnels in near darkness with few others around was a trip. It was similar to the visions you have while you read some of the books by Anne Rice.

Sacre Coure
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Paris is a large city and we had great comfort, as we were part of the Elite lounge club thanks to Ve and his points. We had some long nights but we were able to stay well fed and well rested in great comfort. We were a bit tired from all the walking and sightseeing but we still had two cities left. Next we headed for Slovakia.