May 3 – 5th, 2017

Another stop on our European tour. Post Barcelona and pre San Sebastian. I had never been to the city of love, so I was excited to visit this world famous city. It was short 3 day visit so we only had time to do a few things. We played it by ear, as the weather was least pleasant during this time. A lot of rain which hampered our exploration abilities, we made a bee-line for our hostel after landing at the airport.

Les Piaules – well-rated on hostelworld, they have two locations we chose the Belleville 10. Modern, clean and the lobby a hub for the after-work drinks crowd. Most hostels provide great directions from the airport depending on your method of transport. We chose to take the metro to our hostel – the metro in Paris is super user friendly and a great way to get around the city.

We planned each day out over a cappuccino in the hostel lobby. We played each day by ear picking out our activities based on the weather that day.

Wallet stolen – slightly bitter. It was my own fault, I was dumb and brought my wallet down to the lobby to pay for drinks. Highly unnecessary – 1 card would have sufficed….lesson learned. I got tipsy off of our wine one night and realized walking back to our room that my wallet was gone and I was 99.9% sure I had brought it down. I immediately called my two credit card companies and my bank to cancel my cards. There were 5 attempts to purchase metro tickets on it within minutes. NOTE – if you travel using wifi Skype allows 1-800 calls (ie to your banks) via WIFI for free.

Louvre Museum – You can’t visit Paris and not go to the Louvre. Even if you’re not a museum person (which I am not) I feel it is still worth a visit. This world famous museum is a must see. From the gorgeous grounds to the several floors and wings of different collections of art and sculpture and history. Plan your visit a bit at least as it can get very overwhelming if you are only planning to be there for a short amount of time. You can look at the map of the museum ahead of time and pick and chose which collections you want to see.

Tip: Purchase your tickets on-line a few days ahead of time. We paid 17 Euros which is quite reasonable for a museum entry fee. We still waited in line (queue) for about 30 minutes in the pre-purchased ticket line, but we were still better off than the people showing up without tickets, especially because it was sprinkling that day intermittently.

The Mona Lisa – I can say that I’ve seen it in person. It was hard to find, we got a lost a couple times, I won’t lie. It was worth it for the short 10 minutes we were able to see it. The crowd around it was intense. I doubt there is a time when there is NOT a crowd around it.

Paris Catacombs – suggested by our fellow travel buddy Beth. She had this on her list to go see, so since it was raining, we figured no better reason to be underground into a museum. One word – creepy. Tunnels in the underbelly of Paris lined with bones and skulls. We bought our tickets online ahead of time (Current website prices are 29 Euros or ~ $35USD).

Towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral – this was pre-fire. A Unesco World Heritage site and a gorgeous Gothic work of art. There are many things about this cathedral that make it beautiful, from the high sculpted ceilings to the incricate carved sculptures lining the walls. To me it was the beautiful stained glass windows and the lighting through them that made the place ethereal.

Bastille Market – I loved exploring this market. Selling everything from housewares, clothes, electronics and produce.

Eiffel tower – Iconic and one of the most famous monuments in the world. You are able to visit up into the tower where there are gift shops and resturants and spectactular views. We chose not to take the ride up and were happy with the different angles we got from afar. The tickets to the top increase the higher you go. According to the website they seem pretty reasonable. Given the options the second time around I would probably purchase the tickets that let you take the stairs.

Arc de Triomphe  – a national monument of the city at the end of the Champs-Élysées – one of the world’s most famous streets, lined with businesses and restaurants. You can buy a ticket to get up to the top for some panoramic views of the city of Love.

Mémorial de la Shoah Paris – Holocaust Memorial – a moving memorial and museum about one of the most horrific times in history. To walk through the memorial and read all the names gave me a sombre feeling.

With so many iconic monuments and museums in one city. It’s hard not to find something to do. Despite some not so fun things like (getting a cold and getting my wallet stolen), I still thoroughly enjoyed our quick visit to the city of Love.