Paris: The Louvre, the Tower and Cafés galore

My arrival to Paris can be described as chaotic. The attacks that rocked the city four days prior had caused an increase in police presence and everyone seemed on edge. While I had looked up how to get to my hostel, nothing went according to plan. I missed the first shuttle bus from Beauvais airport into the city meaning I was delayed 30 minutes from the start. Our bus was stopped by armed police officers on our way into the city for a spot check. I was glad for the increased police presence, But despite it being reassuring, it was also a little unnerving. Arriving at the metro much later than anticipated, I realized I would be unable to take the metro to my end destination as the metro was closing in 15 minutes. A helpful ticket attendant helped me figure out which night bus I should take and I ran down to the subway. Unfortunately after travelling only three or four stops, the train halted at a platform and stood still for 10 minutes. During that ten minutes, a woman and a guard came down to the platform to look around. I have no idea what they were looking for, but after 10 minutes of wondering what was going on, the train doors open and an announcement was made that the metro was now closed. With no idea of where I was and no free wifi I resigned myself to taking a 20 euro taxi. Safe to say I was really excited to get to bed that night. I booked my Eiffel tower ticket and promptly passed out.

The next day, I slept in and nearly missed my time slot for the Eiffel tower. I woke up, looked at my watch and, comfortable with the amount of time I had to get ready, I showered, brushed my teeth and started to do my normal pre-departure rituals (fill up water bottle, check that camera battery is charged, screen shot directions, find out where to get snacks, etc). For whatever reason I then chose to look at the time on my phone instead of my watch. It was one hour later than I thought and I had to be at the Eiffel tower in 20 minutes. Turns out, I had forgotten to move my watch ahead an hour when I landed in Paris… such a rookie mistake. Thankfully, I was able to arrive just in time and didn’t miss my time slot. I had a beautiful sunny day to go up the tower and stayed in the area until dark to see the tower lit up at night.

While in Paris I explored the stereotypical tourist sights like Notre Dame, and the Louvre and ate in as many little Parisian cafés as possible. While eating in one café I nearly ordered entirely in my broken French but slipped up and answered “Sí” to a yes or no question. Turns out the waiter was actually from Argentina so we switched to Spanish. I really need to brush up on my French…

Unfortunately, I missed out on seeing the interior of Versaille (pro tip: it’s closed on Mondays) and on seeing the catacombs (pro tip #2: they’re closed on Tuesdays) but I’m not too worried, I know I will go back one day and I did get to wander around the Versailles grounds for an afternoon.

While wandering through Paris I would often have the strange feeling that I was in a familiar place. Anytime I passed a landmark or attraction I had seen in movies or T.V. shows it felt as though I had been there before. The canal at night reminded me of the night scene from Ratatouille, the Eiffel tower reminded me of every opening shot of Paris in any movie ever, the gardens are Versailles reminded me of many a historical piece’s backdrop and the Louvre reminded me of the Da Vinci Code. I spent a good 6-7 hours wandering through the Louvre and feel like I hardly scratched the surface.

A temporary exhibit on myth and storytelling was on and included in the exhibit was Darth Vader’s mask. Interestingly enough, you were not permitted to take a picture of it. As the logic that I can photograph the Mona Lisa but not Vader didn’t make any sense to me, I snapped a quick picture and ran away to look at the sculptures again.

I have to say, the young owner of the “Trendy Hostel” was one of the kindest most involved hostel owners I have met travelling. He was always around chatting to guests, helping us however possible. He even drove a group of us to a local corner store so we could get cheap bottles of wine. While I was in the hostel it was clear that there were many empty beds. While the hostel had been fully booked, cancellation after cancellation came through after the attacks. While I understand people’s reluctance to travel to a city after a major terrorist attack, I really feel for the small business owners who were hit as a result. If you’re going to be staying in Paris and don’t mind staying a bit out of the city to save a bit of money, give Trendy Hostel a go.

After a couple days exploring the city my next priority was to visit the grave of my Great-Great Uncle Harold. He was killed in WWI and is buried north of France. Time for another train trip.

More to read

• Coimbra & Porto: Cloaks, Bats and Delicious Food
• Madrid: the City Built on Water, Surrounded by Walls of Fire
• Lisbon: Fado with a Friend and Failing to be an Adult
• Madrid: the City Built on Water, Surrounded by Walls of Fire
• Tilloy-Les-Cambrai Canadian Cemetery
• Cork: Kissing the Blarney Stone and Visiting an Art Gallery with Lord Voldemort
• Dublin: Guinness, Fake Tim Hortons and Guinness
• Barcelona: A magic fountain, bubbly and a lost credit card
• Belfast: the Giant’s Causeway, the Titanic and the Troubles