Day 10 - Paris
Up and at em early today. Well maybe not early for you, but an 8AM alarm is early for me. Especially on vacation.
It was kind of all for not too - which is funny now, but I wasn't pleased at the time. We set off for The Louvre. A world famous museum that houses the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and 17,000 other pieces of art under one enormous roof. We got there early to try and beat the crowds and it wasn't terrible! We did good! Let me preface the rest of the story with - I thought that the first Sunday of every month, museums were free to visit.
We were standing in line with a drizzle coming down and I remembered I booked tickets ahead of time under the "Free" category on the website months ago! Awesome! So we go to the line for people with tickets and have to wait for our time slot now to be called. It was about 20 minutes from then. We watched the other line quickly disappear into the building while we continued to get rained on :) We should have just stayed in the other line...
Then our time comes! Yay! We pass through security, put our coats in the coatroom, grab a map and we're off! We ascend the escalators to the ticket check and I scan us in. Nope, the man asks us how we got free tickets and I said "I booked online, its free today right?" No no no. They don't do that. I have to buy tickets. I have no idea when this changed but we took our butts to a ticket counter and buy tickets - only problem was, the time slot was about 2 1/2 hours from then. I felt defeated. How could I have missed this?!
Sam and I decided to stick around and grab a bite to eat. The place is massive and houses full restaurants and stores in there - we could kill some time sure. So we run to Paul, a chain bakery my best friend recommended, and indulged on a delicious quick lunch. Check the clock - half hour down. Maaaybe we can try our tickets and see what happens! So we tried and we FINALLY got in!
And boy, was it worth it. We saw so much but the most memorable moments were the Mona Lisa (she gave me chills), Liberty Leading the People (another emotion provoking painting) and The Winged Victory sculpture. For even just these three alone, its worth the visit. Also helpful tip: the line to view the Mona Lisa may look way too long to wait, but it moved fast. We waited 15 minutes and the line wrapped around the room.
After the museum, we grabbed macaroons at Laurdee, and then decided to hit the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore. We got off the Metro and walked a short distance before literally stumbling upon The Notre Dame and I laughed then almost cried. The incredible structure had suffered a major fire back in 2019 so there's a wall to protect it right now as they do restoration work, but her beauty still remains. I had to whip out my phone and play "Bells of Notre Dame" as we marveled her beauty.
Once getting our fill of Notre Dame, we hopped skipped and jumped over to the bookstore where Fitzgerald and Hemmingway are just two names that have spent their time writing and reading. I wish I could have bottled the experience of walking through, looking at everything, feeling the history ooze from the walls. I honestly wish I could live there.
After that soul session, we walked across the way to an adorable café for some tea and listen to the rain tap the glass windows. Ahhh Paris. I love you so.
Back at the hotel after a delicious dinner of steak and parmesan ravioli, we put up our feet at the Hammam and let the heat soak our weary bones. Tomorrow, another big day for walking. We are going to Disneyland Paris and I could cry from excitement!
And I'll tell you now, I won't complain when the alarm goes off early again.
Happy travels my loves!
