Today we began with a bus tour around the city of Paris. We got to see so many things and it was so cool.
The first thing we saw was the "gates" (more like mini versions of the famous triumphal arch that is in Paris) that mark where there used be a wall around the old city of Paris. This was where people used to have to show passports and credentials to get into Paris when the city was much smaller.
Our tour guide told us that there is actually a rule that buildings can't be taller than the Eiffel Tower so at maximum they are 6 stories high. There is one sky scraper in the whole city that was built as an attempt to rival NYC, but failed miserably and ended up being the only one built.
Next we saw the Old Opera House where the story of the Phantom of the Opera takes place. It is a beautiful building and the main entrance today was actually originally built as a private entrance for the Emperor Napoleon.
After the Opera house we saw a hospital built by King Louis XIV for wounded soldiers that is still used today, mainly for veterans and as a French war museum.
Fun fact that our guide told us: gas stations are small and slightly hidden in the city because they are seen as ugly and something that takes away from the beauty of Paris. You really have to look to find them, or know where they are beforehand.
We also got to see the back of the thinking man statue as we were driving by. I tried to get a good picture, but it was hard because our bus was moving and it was behind bushes in a garden.
After driving by the thinking man statue we saw where the tomb of Napoleon is and found out that it is all red marble and designed so you have to look down in and essentially bow in order to view it. The tomb is actually in the same building as the hospital for soldiers.
There was a lot of traffic because a strike was going to happen and so streets were getting closed down so people could safely protest. Turns out we are lucky because the strike today is closing down Versailles, but is only going to be for today so we can go like we are planning tomorrow. Unfortunately though we were going to go up the Eiffel Tower, but the workers were on strike today so we couldn't go up it.
At the end of the bus tour we saw the triumphal arch and the eternal flame for the unknown soldier.
After a few of us decided to wander around the city after and we ended up going to a place (I can't spell it but it sounds like Walmart with an 'M' kinda) that had a beautiful view of Paris.
Then we had lunch and went to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore, which is apparently famous and browsed books. I actually found one I was interested in and I took a picture of the cover to find a copy on Amazon when I get home. There was actually a cafe attached to the shop and I got a lemon pie and hot coco. The cafe was also right next to Notre Dame, so that was really cool. I also made a bee friend, it just hung out next to my pie while I ate and we left each other alone.
We then went back to Notre Dame to see the inside of the church and it was gorgeous! Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos though and I wanted to be respectful so I didn't sneak any.
After we just wandered and shopped for souvenirs and got some crepes with Nutella and Peanut Butter that were AMAZING. Then we headed back to the hostel so that everyone could get ready to go to the cabaret, I wasn't going though because I didn't sign up for the event and didn't really feel like going because it was super expensive and I want to save my money for Barcelona.
Tomorrow we are going to Versailles and the Louvre Museum and I'm super excited!
No comments:
Post a Comment