We tried. We really did. We tried so hard to avoid committing the one cardinal sin of traveling- packing in too much activities- but we failed. Paris is that kind of city that has something so intriguing around every corner, it just ruins every one of our plan to sit at a cafe or park bench and do nothing.
Despite of all the backaches and painful blisters, every bit of the abuse we brought on to ourselves was all well worth it. Climbing to the top of the twinkling Eiffel Tower at night, sipping expresso at a sidewalk cafe on a cobblestoned street watching the world go by, cruising along the Seine on a rainy evening, as cliched as they sound, we can now appreciate why they are cliches. They're so uniquely and wondefully Parisian that you wouldn't think for a moment "this could be anywhere else in the world" (which you sometimes do when you find yourself in the Starbucks in Hong Kong and think it looks exactly the same as the one in San Francisco).
The world is getting smaller by the minute, we're glad that we get to see bits and pieces of Paris, however touristy and commercial, exuding the French's pride in their history and their obsession with beauty and style and great food. We wouldn't trade our experience for anything else... althought next time we'll probably find time in our itinerary for regular naps.
This is one of the most romantic moments in Paris I can recall- us trotting along the cobblestone street glistening in the twilight after a shower, trying to catch the last boat that's about to whisk us away along the Seine to somewhere far, far away (or so we imagined)
The Seine under a moody sky
Looking for a bite with pedal power
Alternatively, we rode the Metro. One thing quite peculiar about it is how some train doors are still hand-operated. People have the habit of lifting the handle well before the train stops, which causes the door to open prematurely while the train is still moving, resulting in action-movie-like scenes where people leaped out onto the platform as if trying to abandon a burning building. I find that quite amusing.
Sacre Coeur- the funicular was under repair the day we got there, so we were both semi-dehyrated and delirious when we finally hiked up there (just look at that face...)
Eiffel Tower- from the Seine and from the West Pilier ticket line. It's just amazing how a pile of steel someone put together over 100 years ago became such an enduring icon of Paris
La Conciergerie on the Ile de la Cite, next to Notre Dame, where Marie Antoinette spent her final days during the French Revolution before her public execution. This is the main Hall of the Men-at-Arms, a beautiful medieval structure that drew us in (not only because of the splendid architecture but also due to the suggestion that this place may be air conditioned)
A mass was going on at the Notre Dame when we walked in- there's something about the way the place feels quietly holy and majestic even though it was overrun by noisy tourists. Maybe it's the grandeur of its legendary gothic architecture, maybe it's the way the sounds of the choir stirs angelically in the lofty nave, or maybe it's the hundreds of significant historic figures buried right under your feet here that makes you feel completely humbled.
Arc de Triomphe- OK, we've seen it. Now where can I get my expresso?
Ahhh... found it. Frequent refueling necessary to propel us through the rest of our itinerary
