We were up bright and early to board the Eurostar by 7 am. The train takes about 2 hrs and 20 minutes but because of the time change, we arrived about 10:20 am. My first taste of Paris was seeing a lady breastfeed on the train. Haha. NO JOKE. We walk on the train at 6:45 am and all I see is a boob. Whoa, that will wake you up. Apparently our version of modesty is not understood in Europe? Luckily, Briony took the aisle seat and spent the next hour trying not to look at this way-too-old-to-be-breastfeeding-baby jump on and off of it's mother's bare breast. (Disclaimer- I was a nursing mama- and no one saw my tatas in public).
Ok, moving on from the topless lady. We arrive in Gare du Nord to the universal travel blunder- WHERE IS THE TOILET? After much searching (and passing armed French guards a few times)- we find it. And you have to pay. I believe nothing is more foreign to a midwesterner than paying to pee. (Just sayin') Briony to the rescue- she's got some Euros.
Next stop (don't worry more to come on toilets later)- the Sacre Couer. I wish I knew a lot about architecture so I could tell you some fun tidbits about how beautiful this place is. One of the most exciting parts of the cathedral is just getting to the top of the stairs to see it. I was briefed on the safety of getting past the numerous Nigerians trying to sell friendship bracelets, small Eiffel Towers, etc etc by Ms Briony before we headed up the hill. What she failed to mention was the wingman theory of never letting your friend become prey. Apparently Nigerians understand the word "no" from a tall, giving-you-the-Leah-look girl from the US of A, but take little pity on a 5'5" happy go lucky Aussie. She's screaming "No" and "Let me go" and I'm halfway up the hill. Eventually Briony escaped. Once inside the church we were greeted by a mass service complete with singing nuns. The church was amazing but the reverence of the ceremony made it even better.
After descending the hill and walking around Montmartre. I wanted to buy a painting by a local artist but definitely not in the budget. We purchased our metro passes and headed to the Notre Dame. Again, just a beautiful church. The difficult thing for me was enjoying it with all the herds of tourists (like me). I can't imagine being here on a summer weekend- while there were no lines- there were still hundreds of folks inside and outside the church.
Next the Tour de la Briony took a little detour along the Seine but eventually we found ourselves outside the Louvre, which appeared to be a majestic building but we did not have enough time to explore it. We took our "touristy" photo in front of the pyramids and headed towards the Champs de Elysees. After a quick stop for lunch (baguettes and salad on a park bench) we looked around the Arc de Triomphe then took the metro to the stop closest to the Tour de Eiffel (Eiffel Tower). After another stop for food (hey, this is Paris and we had to try a chocolate crepe, right?) we found ourselves under the Eiffel Tower. Dusk was approaching and it was getting colder. The line for the Tower looked awfully long and I wasn't set on going up in it, so we walked on to get some more cliche photos.
::Beep Beep Beep:: I interupt this pleasant travel story to tell you about my negative experiences with the Paris toilets (see photo below). They have these free toilets stationed all over town. When someone is in the "loo" it will show as occupied, but once they open the door you have to wait about 10-15 minutes for the thing to automatically clean itself. What does this mean? Well there is really no toilet seat, proper floor, etc. Once someone does their business the bathroom literally sprays itself down. The first time I want to go- the line is too long. We finally find one near the Eiffel Tower and there is only one couple ahead of us (but still will be a 15 minute wait due to the washing process). As we're waiting some more Nigerians walk up and start talking to us in their native tongue (I have nothing against them, we just didn't know what they were saying), so we're eager to get into the loo. Briony decides she'll go with me to shorten the process- and as you know, we women always go in pairs. So we get in the toilet, I hand Bri my purse and she says, "Did you lock the door?" I replied, "I think it automatically locks but let me see...." AHHHH. Yep, that's right, once I opened the door we had to wait for the wash cycle AGAIN. Another 10-15 minutes. I was so unhappy. So we left...and after viewing the Tower and walking another 1/2 mile we came upon another toilet! Yay! And this was was unoccupied and no one in line. I leave Briony outside (obviously I can handle this better without her haha) and go take care of business. Now, how do I flush? Hmmm... I see a button and push it, which allows some lady to start rambling French at me (speaker system, folks). Press it again. "le blah blah blah." At this point I'm yelling at Briony, "How do I flush this? I don't know how this works and the lady is yelling in me at French." I wash my hands and walk out the door and Briony is there (with four middle-aged Americans that she just met) to get a classic photo.... Epic. Fail.
We headed back to the Sacre Coeur area to do some shopping, scope out some more baguettes, and try out a new drink. Our day in Paris coincided with the Beaujolais Nouveau. This is a wine that is released from Burgundy each year on the 3rd Thursday of November. Many restaurants, pubs, and shops advertise the new wine. We found an outdoor spot to have a glass and enjoy a nighttime view of the Sacre Coeur. To me, this is what travel is all about-- Having an experience that truly defines your destination. A sidewalk cafe, a glass of wine, and a view of the romantic lights of Paris (enjoyed with your bff)....this summed up a busy, hilarious, and sometimes scary day in Paris. Oh, and expensive. Those two glasses of wine cost about $20 USD... Cheers.
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