It just got real!

Written by:  Amy in her hotel room in Paris waiting for Ker to finish primping so we can go out for dinner.

So, we're in Paris.  In Paris.  We. Are. In. Paris.  Yeppers. In Paris.  France, that is.

As you can tell, I'm pretty blown away by the fact that we are currently in the Montparnasse part of Paris looking for a place to eat dinner.

It's not like Paris was a surprise.  I mean, we booked the tickets weeks ago.  We have been diligently researching all the cool things to see and do in the area.  We have also made flashcards of survival phrases in french.  Our family francophile--Devan--had to be called in to help me with pronunciation. So, I know we have done adequate preparation, but for some reason, being here is just slightly surreal. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I thought Paris would be somewhat of a let down after all we have seen and done so far. Far from it! Everywhere I look it's just over the top amazing.

But, first, we had to get here. That involved getting up at 3:30 am, getting to Dublin airport, and taking an easy hour and 10 minute plane ride to Beauvais airport. Once there, we got on an hour long bus ride

that took us to a bus/train/metro station central to Paris. After getting a little lost and seeing a large queue for tickets, we chickened out and hired a taxi to take us to our hotel in the Montparnasse neighborhood of Paris.

The hotel is quaint. But, I did not come to Paris to see a hotel. So, we decided that our taxi and bus ride showed us that we needed a visual overview of what Paris had to offer. We decided the best way to do that was to do a Big Bus tour. So, we hopped on the Metro (subway) and rode to the Eiffel Tower stop.

The Eiffel Tower is just amazing. I couldn't get enough of it.

 















But, our Big Bus tour awaited, so I put away my wow-ing and hopped on the first bus we saw. Let me tell you that it was COLD. But, I wanted to see Paris, so I dragged the kids and Ker right up to the upper deck of the bus to sit. It was really cold up there, thanks guys!

We took that bus all around Paris. But, similar to London, we were not impressed with the tour information. It seems that our fabulous experience in Washington DC with the Big Bus tour just does not extend anywhere else. I don't mind being hooked to the bus via headphones as much as Ker, but I do mind when all we hear is music and no information about what we are seeing and why it's significant. I think the trick is to make sure there is an actual human guide on the bus with you.

But, we did see an amazing amount of things in the city in a short amount of time. 

Invalides

Crossing the Siene

Wow!  Look at how ornate that column is.

Not going on that in a million years.  Even if it is in the Concord.

Pretty buildings everywhere you look.

Going round in circles.

Thats the freaking Louvre.  How is this me?

Random Arc siting!

After a while though, we decided to hop off and have some eats.

My cappuccino's view from a snooty Parisian cafe. Very chic, no?

It just so happens that we hopped off near Notre Dame. After we were fortified with coffee, soup, pizza, crepes and other goodies, we hoofed it to Notre Dame.

To say that Notre Dame is amazing is just not good enough. It's the most imposing, ornate, impressive example of a cathedral I have ever seen. It's just breathtaking. If you only do 1 thing in Paris, you must see the Notre Dame.

As you walk up a block away.

Getting closer.

The front door...wow.

Look at that organ.

Even the ceiling will make you feel.

Appropriate, yes?

I can't even put into words the feeling that place gives you. It must be experienced. I have dragged many a person to every cathedral/church I see because like it or not, religious centres give you cultural insight that no other place in a community can. You can tell immediately that Paris is a serious place just by approaching Notre Dame. The minute you step in you know that this city has been an artistic centre of the world for centuries.

How do you follow Notre Dame? Well, you don't . You go meekly back to your hotel and put your big girl pants back on cuz you just got blown away by art, architecture, beauty and prestige.

And, that is how we came to be here looking for dinner places. Which there are a lot of here in Montparnasse.

Here are some photo's we got along the Seine (pronounced "sane"):

Abby's picture of us.  She did a good job.

The girls.  We had to threaten them to get a good picture.