Paris weekend; walking, and tourism

I can see why people say that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Everywhere you turn the city has something new to offer you.

Piper and I arrived on Friday evening to meet Hilary, and Mike (two of Piper's friends). We spent the evening in the Montmontre area around Sacre Coeur since that was where our hotel was. I was so happy to have found a wonderful place to stay. It was across the street from a metro stop, was clean and perfect for the 4 of us. Couldn't have asked for anything better.

Saturday turned into a day full of walking. We decided to walk down to the Moulin Rouge then did a walking tour of Paris to the Eiffel Tower; about 15 miles. But we were able to see many churches including Eglise de Madeleine which I think is one of the most beautiful I have seen. We also saw the Opera House, Place de la Concorde, and the Obelisk. After crossing the river we journeyed (still by foot) to the Eiffel Tower. Since we had not had enough walked we decided to walk up the Tower instead of taking the elevator. 388 steps later we had reached the first level and were able to enjoy the sights of Paris. After 668 total steps we reached the midlevel where we could enjoy the views. It really is incredible. Paris stretches out so far! In each direction there are new things to see. And even though this is my 3rd time going up, each time gives a new chance to see everything. It was sensational. After this we were starving to so traveled by train to the Latin Quarter for some Moraccan food. SOOO yummy! i loved every minute of it. And to finish off, we had gelato. The flavor I ended up getting was dark chocolate which also happened to be made of soy milk. mmm :) After this we travelled by foot to the Louvre to see it. The place really is HUGE! and the pyramid is pretty cool! I'm glad we got to go. In the evening we headed back to our hotel for a little rest and a dinner of bread, cheese, salami, cookies, and wine. We decided to finish the night by heading to the bar. I didn't feel like a beer or a glass of wine so long story short i ended up ordering a tequila on the rocks, assuming that is was mostly ice and a little bit of tequila. In reality it was about 4 shots or so worth of high quality tequila; quite tasty and no bite or after taste. It really was good, but I couldn't drink all of it.

Sunday was a bit more laid back. We woke up and walked to Sacre Coeur so we could see it at daytime then indulged in some crepes for breakfast/lunch. Not as good as some of the one's that i've had in Angers, but still ok. We then headed to the Musee D'Orsey, which is mostly impressionism; my favorite. I love Monet and Sisely. They are fantastic! The day ended with some wandering and heading to the train.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend! We got to see and experience a lot. And on the way back, it was a nice feeling to feel like we're returning "home" that Angers has become my home away from home. It was comforting and a nice feeling. Paris is an expensive city and it makes me appreciate the wonderfulness of Angers a little bit more.

Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024889&id=1195471084&l=08745
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024890&id=1195471084&l=1225d