We stayed in the area called St. Germian des Pres, which is on the left bank in the 6th arrondissement. It is a very cute neighborhood with tons of outdoor cafes and boutiques. Friday night we just explored the neighborhood and had a causal meal. I had the obligatory beef bourguignon which was really great. Then we shared a bottle of champagne to celebrate Dan's 31st birthday.
The next morning we set off to explore the famous sites. We walked first to the Hotel Les Invalides, which is a massive complex housing a hospital for wounded soldiers, an armory museum, and Napoleon's tomb. The former ruler's mausoleum was remarkable. Dan now says he is leaving all his money when he dies to erect a similar tomb for himself. The grounds and buildings were spectacular, I highly recommended visiting it.
Next we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. We were lucky to have a warm sunny day and were able to enjoy the view by siting on the lawn in front. We then climbed up to the second observation point, which was about 40 stories. To get to the top, you have to wait in a huge line and it just wasn't worth it. We still got a great view from our vantage point. After posing for too many pictures, we walked on to our next destination, the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the weather had turned for the worse and was raining pretty heavily. We therefore only quickly looked around and headed back to our hotel to dry off and rest up for dinner.
For Dan's Birthday, his parents generously gifted him to a nice dinner in Paris. We had a wonderful dinner at Chez Ferdinand, which was recommended by a friend of Dan's who had lived in Paris for awhile. It was so good. Being that I am not at all adventurous, and the fact that the menu was all in french, I opted for the steak au poivre. Dan doesn't speak french either, but to him that made it more fun. He just picked something at random which turned out to be veal kidney! Disgusting! But Dan liked it so I guess that's all that matters!
Sunday morning we decided to try our hand at being Parisian. We took a seat at an outdoor cafe, ordered breakfast and coffee and people watched. It was very enjoyable I must say, except for the smoke. Geeze Parisians love to smoke! After breakfast we headed over to the Musee d'Orsay. It's a bit more manageable than the Louvre, but still very impressive. The building itself, inside and out was worth the visit alone, it was so beautiful. The paintings were equally impressive, with Monets, Gauguins, Van Goghs (including his Starry Night) and much more. Next we walked through the Jardin des Tuileries, past the Louvre, and on to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral was breathtakingly beautiful, especially it's stained glassed windows. Finally it was time to pick up our bags and head back to the train station. It was a fantastic trip, and I can't wait to go back again sometime soon! Who's coming with me?
