The hardest part was getting from the train to our hotel. It involved navigating the Parisian metro system with all of our luggage. They are crowded enough without the piles of suitcases, but somehow we managed to haul everything back above ground. Then it was a long walk from the metro to our hotel, and we nearly lost our will to move several times. We were exhausted but we eventually came to the light at the end of the tunnel: The Marriott Hotel! (insert picture) Mom and Dad were glad to have a little slice of America and our room was great. I even had my own bed this time, in the form of a fold-out couch.
This was my fourth time in Paris so I pretty much had the tour down pat at this point. I like to start with the Montmartre district, a neighborhood of Paris immortalized in crime films from the 40's and 50's, and more recently in Moulin Rouge. The tour begins at the bottom of a hill, in a pretty sleazy area filled with cabarets, kebab shops, and sex shops. You then ascend the winding hill through communities of artists and bohemians until you arrive at the top of the hill, the magnificent Basilica of the Sacred Heart. I had a professor who compared it to ascending from hell to heaven. The Basilique overlooks the hill and provides a wonderful panoramic view of the city. Its a great way to start the Paris portion of the trip, although mom's feet did not appreciate the climb. She was already run pretty ragged by the ordeal of getting our luggage to the hotel.
Going down, we took a new trolley/lift that saved us a downward climb, and then we headed back towards our hotel. There was a cozy little Italian restaurant in the neighborhood where our hotel was (Neuilly-sur-Seine). The food was great but it was the ice cream that made us decide we needed to come back before the trip was over. After that we returned to our hotel room and called it a day.
 |
| Our hotel is Point A. |
 |
| Our metro stop was Anatole France. It doesn't seem that far but its a bit of a walk with luggage. |
0 comments:
Post a Comment