Day 1 in Paris - One of the Best Days of My Life!

Our first day in Paris was like a dream for me. There were a few times a day where I was very emotional and had to stop to remind myself that ‘yes – this is real.’ The city of love was all around me and it sure did emanate it everywhere we went.

We had to get up very early to catch our train from London to Paris. We took the Eurostar into the chunnel (through the English Channel) to get to Paris. Unfortunately I was very tired so I slept the whole time. Cole did stay awake to catch some of the countryside though and said it was very pretty.

We arrived at the train station and set out with our map to find our flat. We knew it was about a ½ mile from the train station so we decided to walk it. My husband and his map skills are not too shabby. Between the two of us we found the flat without getting lost. We arrived and freaked for a little while as we waited for our host to arrive. I actually went so far as to call the two numbers listed on my reservation and didn’t get a number to connect. We asked a neighbor in the apartment complex to help us dial the number since I had no luck and she spoke English. About the time she was getting ready to help he showed up and we were relieved. Frederic showed us around the ‘Studio Hi-Tech Monmarte’ flat and then we were on our own.

We knew we were minutes away from the Sacre Coeur Cathedral and we decided to go explore in our excitement. A quick left at the end of the block and then up a LOT of stairs and we arrived. The view of Paris was absolutely breathtaking and I had my first moment of sheer disbelief as to where I was standing. The line to the Sacre Coeur was short so we decided to go in. I have been in the Notre Dame cathedral before and believe me this place is just as breathtaking and absolutely huge! The moment you entered there is a feeling of holiness and calm that washes over you. The stained glass and tile inlays were utter beauty and one that I wish I could share. Of course, no pictures are allowed. 

After seeing the view and visiting the cathedral we were ready to grab a bite for lunch. We wandered back down the long flight of stairs and to a little restaurant near our flat. We were able to sit outside because to go along with my perfect day, the weather also happened to be the most perfect day of the whole entire trip. Our food was divine and apart from Zeppo's in Amsterdam, this was my other favorite meal. I had a salmon fillet cooked to utter perfection. In France this means it involves butter, and I could taste every delicious ounce of it.on the salmon. There were haricot verts (green beans) and pureed potatoes to compliment. For dessert I had a magnificent apple tart that had the best vanilla bean custard I have ever experienced. 

With food in our stomachs and a smile on our face were were content and ready for a quick nap so we could stay up for the evening. We headed back to the flat for a short siesta.

After nap time we set out for the Eiffel Tower. We had determined we would walk around the area and grab some dinner before settling in to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. We had our first experience at the Paris Metro system. We did one quick line change halfway through our journey to the Eiffel Tower. On the second metro we caught to the Eiffel Tower I had my second 'am I really here?' moment of the day. We had no sooner sat down on the metro when a man with an accordion and a speaker began to play Louie Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World." Let me tell you I just about lost it. This is why they call Paris the City of Love people! Now I know that this person wasn't stupid, he was totally soliciting for money and we came to find that on this one route to the Eiffel Tower there was always someone playing music. This time however was the only time the music was romantic and heartfelt out of all of our other journeys along this route. 

We got to the Eiffel Tower as the sun was beginning to go down. It was the picture of perfection. If you have seen the movie "Vanilla Sky" and know what it references (literally a perfect sky) this was what the Eiffel Tower was framed against that first evening. Ironically the Vanilla Sky movie is all about living in a dream world with even the perfect sky, all this did was play into my constant need of a reality check that I was in Paris with my husband. 

We wandered around the Eiffel Tower and yes I was swindled! There was a man selling roses and of course he walked right up to Cole to encourage him to buy some. Cole politely said no and I did the same. He followed us some more and I once again said no. Finally he just ran up to us and put one in my hand. I accepted it thinking he was just going to give it to me since we refused to buy one. Boy was I stupid. We walked away and then he was running us down to get his money. My stupidity didn't stop there as we realized we had to pay and I was like "oh never mind" he handed me another one making me think he was giving me one for free since we were buying one. Nope, then he just upped his price some more! Believe it or not I fell for it one more time. Sweet Cole paid the man and said he was okay with it. After all -  how often are you in Paris with your spouse on such a beautiful night? He said he was okay with paying the money if it meant I got to walk around with roses. 

We got a few pictures with us in front of the Eiffel Tower and then headed out for dinner. Once again dinner was amazing. However, I did observe that since this was the closest we ate to the tourist areas the whole time we were in Paris it was also the one place where the Parisians didn't even try to speak French to us. Since they knew we were American they just spoke English. I actually didn't like this since I love every opportunity I get to practice my French. This made me grateful that we stayed in Montmarte away from the tourists and also where they were always willing to let me practice my Francais! A picture of Cole's tasty salad at dinner is below. We also had a steak with a pepper sauce, dark chocolate mousse and creme brulee. Unfortunately no pictures of those items as we were eager to devour them before even thinking to get pictures of it. Cole said the creme brulee was the best that he had ever had and the carmelized topping was divine and tasted of marshmallows.

After dinner we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the light show. Believe it or not by this time it was after eleven o'clock. Dinner is a VERY long ordeal in Europe. We sat down on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower and took some pictures of the tower being all lit up for the evening. We were able to just lay down and relax as we waited for the light show on the Eiffel Tower to begin. Now the only thing that wasn't enjoyable about this were the vendors. You had someone walking up to you every few minutes trying to sell you expensive champagne or wine. This part was very annoying. I was ready to get a picket sign to set in front of us saying "NO WE DON'T WANT ANY". Right as it hit midnight the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkled for all to enjoy. I snapped a video. We also took a time lapse picture of the lights. That is the picture below where the Eiffel Tower looks like it has Christmas lights all over it. A wonderful way to end a romantic day. We walked along the Seine for a while before heading back to the Metro to turn in for the night. All in all a perfect day if I do say so myself.