Discovering Paris

It is a really beautiful and sunny Tuesday. After having some good breakfast we headed out to discover the life in Paris. In the evening Everton is going to show us the nightlife of his city as well :)

Once out, we decided not to take the subway to the center of town, instead we just walked. On the way there were multiple parks and also the Luxemburg Gardens. All of them nice and quiet, great spots to spend a calm afternoon at.

After a while we made it to the Notre Dame, which looked impressive with its fine detailed facade. For now, we didn't go in, as the line was fairly long and the sun was burning down on us.

From Notre Dame we started heading west along the Seine river, twoards the Arc de Triomphe. Along the way there was Stravinsky Fountain and Champs Elysee. On the later we found some car dealerships / showrooms belonging to Mercedes and Citroen (pictures below). Arc de Triomphe looked pretty impressive, although we decided not to pay to get under it. As we had a bigger goal in sight, seeing the tip of the Eiffel tower over the surrounding buildings. So we set out in its direction to get a closer look ;)

To get to the tower we took probably the most scenic route by heading to the Trocadéro from Triumph Arch. Once there we had our first view of the Eiffel tower in its full size, one of a kind view. While walking past the fountains below Trocadéro the tower grew larger and larger. After a few hours of walking along Seine river we finally had arrived to the pride of Paris. It looked even more impressive from up close. As we had gotten there in the afternoon, we decided to leave going up for another day, too long lines and tired feet.

Having taken a look at most visited tourist attractions, we decided to head back home and prepare some dinner. Just a simple "dish" of fried potatoes and some bean sausage sauce on them, along with some nice French wine. When Everton got back from work and we all had had our dinner, we headed out again, this time with Everton with us. Our destination was Montmarte, a hill in the north of Paris that is known for its original Parisian street scenery and for being a great spot to have some good time during the night hours without having to pay for expencive bars or nightclubs.

Way up to the Montmarte can be a little bit tiering, as it's on a hill, specially with a long walk behind you from the day. But it was well worth it. It is high enough to show the full skyline of Paris, and in the night, it is just amazing. We had some more wine and Belgium beer, while gazing at the lights of Paris at night. Even saw Evertons house in the distance although it is on the other side of the town, or atleast the one next to it, for it has a big bright blue sign on top of it.

Getting back from Montmarte turned out to be quite an adventure, as we stayed there long enough to just barely miss the last metro train. Only option besides from walking home was to catch a night bus. But walking to the bus station gave us a chance to go past the Chat Noir and Moulin Rouge. At the station we just caught our bus. At first it seemed to be just a regular trip on a bus in the night, but soon we found out it was something more. Because suddenly, from one of the stops, a large number of people came on and it felt like we were on one of the main lines at the rush hour. Brought back some memories from Tartu. After what seemed to be a fairly long line of stops, we got off the bus right in front of Evertons home.

It had been a great day full of some iconic sites and burning hot sun that ended with an relaxing evening with Everton, another great person we met thanks to the CouchSurfing project, and us enjoying a view over Paris skyline at the night. Great way to start our stay here.

Highlight of our second day in Paris was the visit to the Louvre Museum. To our surprise, the entrance was free, as it is to all young European Union citizens with age of 25 and under. There was a lot to see in this massive structure that holds the museum. Everything from ancient antique relics to the 15-19 century European art. To visit all of the areas open to public, it took us a bit over 3 hours. Long, but very eventful walk.

Note of the day: If you are 18 or under, most of museums and educative spots in Paris are free to access!

Having breakfast at Everton's balcony

Look a turtle

Cool fountain

Jardin du Luxembourg

King of palm trees

Finally back under palm trees :)

Notre-Dame

Stravinsky fountain

At the Louvre

Cool car

Cute little car

Something for you Risto? :)

Arc De Triomphe

Tour Eiffel

Jardins du Trocadero

At the Eiffel tower like a boss

With Everton

Let's head to Musee du Louvre

Furry walls

Cool statue on the table

A sword I guess :P

Someone's fancy room

Checking out art

Lot's of art

That's what I call a big painting

Napoleon's (tiny) bed

See, we even have a map

With Mona Lisa

Nice hallway

Read that

With Hercules

Want that in my living room

With Athena

With Ramses

Outside Louvre

Sunset at Everton's place

Heading to Montmarte in the evening

By Montmarte at night

The red light district

Lot's to see in Louvre

Awesome paintings in Louvre