7 AM - One hour later after we were able to comprehend the metro directions and its specific stops, we hopped a ride to the Mouffetard Quarter and Rue Mouffetard, one of Paris' oldest streets. It was here we thought is was necessary to find a bite to eat and take in the early morning scenery. Stopping to eat at Le Mouffetard, a cozy neighborhood cafe known for its breakfast fare and sweet bread, we decided to order the largest meal option on the menu. Complete with eggs, bacon, pastries, croissants with butter and jelly, coffee and orange juice, this cafe did not disappoint. In fact, the entire day we kept high-fiving each other for the delectable breakfast decision. As we sipped on our coffee and devoured our meal, we watched the local shop owners prep their shelves for the day. In aprons and chef hats, we watched them bring out their fresh breads and pastries, fill baskets with shiny red tomatoes and bell peppers, and take whole fish and lay them on neatly stacked blocks of ice. The presentation of their goods was quite impressive. You could tell they were proud of what they were selling, and that it was fresh.
Mouffetard Quarter
Next Stops: With full bellies, we went on to explore the Latin Quarter with the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens. The Pantheon, a secular mausoleum, is home to the final resting place of many great Frenchmen and women of days past. Some of those buried here include: Marie and Pierre Curie, Braille inventor Louis Braille, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Pantheon's other main attraction is Foucault's Pendulum. The pendulum's plane of oscillation stays fixed as the Earth rotates around it, confirming the Earth's rotation.
The Pantheon
Luxembourg Gardens
The Luxembourg Gardens, once a residential area to 17th-century French royalty, has now been transformed into a lush public park. Because J and I were visiting in the winter, the whole lush part was sort of lacking. Nonetheless, it was a sight to see. The Palais du Luxembourg, located within the park and built in 1615, was once a palace used by Nazis during WWII as the headquarters for the Luftwaffe.
LUSH and GREEN
WINTER
Afternoon: Still full from breakfast, we decided to press on in our journey and cover more ground. We stopped briefly for a cup of coffee and connected to wifi to plan out our next attraction stop. With our fuel in hand, we headed toward the Seine River. Notre Dame Cathedral was up to bat on our list, with The Lourve on deck.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a 13th-century gothic cathedral that has hosted a series of pivotal events in Western history. Home to the fictional resident, Quasimodo the Hunchback, the cathedral seats over 10,000 churchgoers and houses a 13-ton bell that requires eight people to ring. More impressively, the Notre Dame houses the Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Christ himself. Bought along with a section of Cross by the Emperor of Constantinople in 1239, the Crown of Thorns was King Louis IX's most precious possession. On the first Friday of every month at 3 PM, it is said the Crown of Thorns is taken out of treasury for display. Talk about awesome, right? Totally worth going back to see.
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great
Emperor of the Frankish Kingdom
Crown of Thorns Display
Mona Lisa
Speaking of things well preserved, let's talk about a gal named Mona Lisa. Believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, the Mona Lisa has survived over 500 years in conservation. This half-lengthed portrait of a woman by Italian artist Leonardo di Vinci, is the size of a mini-magazine. As Juston and I fought our way to the front to catch a glimpse of this rather small painting, we attempted several times to snap a picture of ourselves without getting a shot of other people and their cameras held up. Below is the best we could come up with. Additionally, a shot just had to be taken with our alma mater being repped. Entertaining side note: Mona, or Lisa rather, has no eyebrows. The fascial aesthetics of the lady in question reflects the style of an era when it was considered fashionable for women to shave off the only follicular decoration on their face. I don't know about you, but I would be lost without my eyebrows. By that I mean, rather unfortunate looking.
Mona Lisa at the Lourve
Musee du Lourve
Successful trips to the Lourve require two things: a good sense of direction and a great plan of attack. The cultural importance of the Lourve cannot be overstated, but this thing is m-a-s-s-i-v-e. The museum's collection spans thousands of years, six continents, and countless artistic styles. Honestly, we didn't even make a dent in what the Lourve has to offer. Knowing we had two days to see Paris, we prioritized and saw what we came to see and then bounced. No dilly dally.
The Lourve
2 PM: Alright, we're famished. Time to chow. Not far away we stopped for a Döner Kebab. Don't let the hanging meat scare you. Döner meat (lamb, beef, chicken) is sliced into crisp shavings from the rotating vertical rotisserie that is used to cook the meat. Served wrapped in a flatbread, or as a sandwich, Döners are common fast food options in Europe and other countries. The dish is also widely known by its Arabic name, shawarma, or in Greek as gyro.
Chicken Döner Kebab
To please the sweet tooth we both occasionally suffer from, we needed something French. Ah ha! A crêpe would do the trick! After leaving the Kebab restaurant, we literally went right into the café next door to sit down for dessert. Us Texans gotta eat. With many choices on their menu, J chose a citron crêpe (lemon crepe), while I opted for one of the chocolate variety - Crêpe au Nutella.
Crêpes, one of the quintessential and classic French dishes, are made simply with flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt… in addition to your savory fillings, of course. We usually adhere to a pretty tight diet of clean eating, but it is nice to relax and indulge at times that are absolutely necessary. We’re in France, c’mon now. You can’t leave without a Crêpe, or two.
Crêpes for all
4 PM: Splurge over. Time to burn some calories and do a little shopping, or “browsing” is what I tell J. The word shopping tends to spook him, but “browse” sits much better. Guys. Can you blame them? Once the browsing concluded, we made our way to the Arc De Triomphe. Today, the arch is dedicated to all French army soldiers and veterans. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, illuminated by an eternal flame, is situated under the arch, and was added to the structure in 1920. The memorial honors 1.5 million Frenchmen who died during WWI.
Arc De Triomphe
5 PM: At this point, the dogs are barking after spending an entire day walking the streets the of Paris. As the blog title suggests, the day was not quite over either. We went back to our room, sat down for what felt like 5 minutes, and started to dress again for our date to see the Eiffel Tower that evening. As you may or may not know, that evening turned into much more than an attraction stop. It was the night our life changed forever. Stay tuned for Paris - Day One Pt. 2 :)
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