Hooray for jet-lag! Because of this phenomenon, two sleep-loving teenage girls naturally woke up at 6:30 am, fully rested! Wow! And since this occurrence was so strange, we decided to have a lazy morning, Maddie enjoying her tea, and Ali enjoying her coffee. After going over some options, we decided to start exploring destinations nearby. First, we walked to the Notre Dame. It was absolutely breathtaking. Ali was having flashbacks to learning about Gothic architecture in Art History class. Walking around inside was interesting because of the hoards of people. Obviously, tourism is not how this building was meant to be experienced, but you could imagine how peaceful and serene this cathedral would have been. Then we went back outside and waited in line for around 45 minutes to go to the top. We definitely got in quite the workout trekking up and down the winding staircases, as anyone could see from our trembling calves. But no worries, Maddie had her inhaler (though she didn't need to use it)! From the top of the Notre Dame, we saw our first glance of the Eiffel Tower since arriving in Paris. Also from the top, we got to get up close and personal with some of the gargoyles (FUN FACT: gargoyles got their name from the "gargling" sound they make from water pouring off of them). After waiting in line for what felt like hours and climbing step after endless step, we had worked up quite an appetite so we headed to lunch at Le Comptoir du Panthéon where we had our first croque monsieur. Très delicieux! Our server was very nice and spoke English to us as we made our first attempts at ordering food in French. From our lunch spot, we had a beautiful view of the Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower. After a very filling meal, we walked back to the apartment and took a nap. Then we met up with Robert and he took us to shop at Picard, a store dedicated to gourmet frozen meals. There we picked up a few dinners and got cute free balloons that say "Coucou L'été" which translates to something like "Woohoo Summer!" Afterward, we took a nice stroll through Luxembourg Garden and got delicious sorbet, perfect for the sunny summer evening. This park is much different than ones back home as it's filled with statues, perfectly manicured lawns you're not allowed to step on, and a large water feature that Maddie almost pushed Ali into (jokingly, but Ali was genuinely scared). After the gardens, we continued our stroll to Shakespeare and Company. We couldn't actually go in, though, because there was a private event going on, but we'll make plans to visit later on. On our walk back to the apartment, we wandered new streets. As Paris night life started up, many shops began to close and restaurants began to boom with activity. We stopped in at a tourist shop and each got Paris keychains to hold our apartment keys. Once we arrived at home, we prepared our microwave dinners from Picard, which were amazing. Day 3, check! Now we are sitting in bed planning our day out for tomorrow. À demain!
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Getting Acquainted
June 30, 2016--Day 3
Hooray for jet-lag! Because of this phenomenon, two sleep-loving teenage girls naturally woke up at 6:30 am, fully rested! Wow! And since this occurrence was so strange, we decided to have a lazy morning, Maddie enjoying her tea, and Ali enjoying her coffee. After going over some options, we decided to start exploring destinations nearby. First, we walked to the Notre Dame. It was absolutely breathtaking. Ali was having flashbacks to learning about Gothic architecture in Art History class. Walking around inside was interesting because of the hoards of people. Obviously, tourism is not how this building was meant to be experienced, but you could imagine how peaceful and serene this cathedral would have been. Then we went back outside and waited in line for around 45 minutes to go to the top. We definitely got in quite the workout trekking up and down the winding staircases, as anyone could see from our trembling calves. But no worries, Maddie had her inhaler (though she didn't need to use it)! From the top of the Notre Dame, we saw our first glance of the Eiffel Tower since arriving in Paris. Also from the top, we got to get up close and personal with some of the gargoyles (FUN FACT: gargoyles got their name from the "gargling" sound they make from water pouring off of them). After waiting in line for what felt like hours and climbing step after endless step, we had worked up quite an appetite so we headed to lunch at Le Comptoir du Panthéon where we had our first croque monsieur. Très delicieux! Our server was very nice and spoke English to us as we made our first attempts at ordering food in French. From our lunch spot, we had a beautiful view of the Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower. After a very filling meal, we walked back to the apartment and took a nap. Then we met up with Robert and he took us to shop at Picard, a store dedicated to gourmet frozen meals. There we picked up a few dinners and got cute free balloons that say "Coucou L'été" which translates to something like "Woohoo Summer!" Afterward, we took a nice stroll through Luxembourg Garden and got delicious sorbet, perfect for the sunny summer evening. This park is much different than ones back home as it's filled with statues, perfectly manicured lawns you're not allowed to step on, and a large water feature that Maddie almost pushed Ali into (jokingly, but Ali was genuinely scared). After the gardens, we continued our stroll to Shakespeare and Company. We couldn't actually go in, though, because there was a private event going on, but we'll make plans to visit later on. On our walk back to the apartment, we wandered new streets. As Paris night life started up, many shops began to close and restaurants began to boom with activity. We stopped in at a tourist shop and each got Paris keychains to hold our apartment keys. Once we arrived at home, we prepared our microwave dinners from Picard, which were amazing. Day 3, check! Now we are sitting in bed planning our day out for tomorrow. À demain!
Hooray for jet-lag! Because of this phenomenon, two sleep-loving teenage girls naturally woke up at 6:30 am, fully rested! Wow! And since this occurrence was so strange, we decided to have a lazy morning, Maddie enjoying her tea, and Ali enjoying her coffee. After going over some options, we decided to start exploring destinations nearby. First, we walked to the Notre Dame. It was absolutely breathtaking. Ali was having flashbacks to learning about Gothic architecture in Art History class. Walking around inside was interesting because of the hoards of people. Obviously, tourism is not how this building was meant to be experienced, but you could imagine how peaceful and serene this cathedral would have been. Then we went back outside and waited in line for around 45 minutes to go to the top. We definitely got in quite the workout trekking up and down the winding staircases, as anyone could see from our trembling calves. But no worries, Maddie had her inhaler (though she didn't need to use it)! From the top of the Notre Dame, we saw our first glance of the Eiffel Tower since arriving in Paris. Also from the top, we got to get up close and personal with some of the gargoyles (FUN FACT: gargoyles got their name from the "gargling" sound they make from water pouring off of them). After waiting in line for what felt like hours and climbing step after endless step, we had worked up quite an appetite so we headed to lunch at Le Comptoir du Panthéon where we had our first croque monsieur. Très delicieux! Our server was very nice and spoke English to us as we made our first attempts at ordering food in French. From our lunch spot, we had a beautiful view of the Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower. After a very filling meal, we walked back to the apartment and took a nap. Then we met up with Robert and he took us to shop at Picard, a store dedicated to gourmet frozen meals. There we picked up a few dinners and got cute free balloons that say "Coucou L'été" which translates to something like "Woohoo Summer!" Afterward, we took a nice stroll through Luxembourg Garden and got delicious sorbet, perfect for the sunny summer evening. This park is much different than ones back home as it's filled with statues, perfectly manicured lawns you're not allowed to step on, and a large water feature that Maddie almost pushed Ali into (jokingly, but Ali was genuinely scared). After the gardens, we continued our stroll to Shakespeare and Company. We couldn't actually go in, though, because there was a private event going on, but we'll make plans to visit later on. On our walk back to the apartment, we wandered new streets. As Paris night life started up, many shops began to close and restaurants began to boom with activity. We stopped in at a tourist shop and each got Paris keychains to hold our apartment keys. Once we arrived at home, we prepared our microwave dinners from Picard, which were amazing. Day 3, check! Now we are sitting in bed planning our day out for tomorrow. À demain!
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Oh how much fun you're having. It sounds like you are fitting right in with the locals too. Did you sail any little boats in Luxembourg Gardens? Little kids seem to love doing that. You can also bask in the sunshine while sitting in one of the many free park chairs. Don't miss the chocolate shop just outside the garden across the street from the 'round-about'. I'm not sure of the spelling but it's name is something like, Doiyou. Have fun!!
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