A Day Of Art @ the Orsay
Posted by ScarlettMay 2nd, 2009 | 2 Comments
Today we went to our first art museum together on this trip (we’re both not really art lovers so we’ve been waiting for the larger, everybody-must-see museums), and although we still don’t appreciate or understand art as much as most people, we both felt the Orsay was a worthwhile experience that made us feel inclined to get more into art. We’re not saying we’ll go study it or learn about different artists or anything like that, but we might invest in buying a piece or two when we get home, instead of having bare walls like we’ve always had. The thing about art is it’s so subjective and we don’t know how to determine what a piece is or isn’t worth, but there’s a learning curve for everything and today was the first baby step. 
Night Out In Paris
Posted by ScarlettMay 1st, 2009 | 1 Comment
After a frustrating day of dealing with crowds, we took a nap at our hotel then ventured out to do some more sightseeing since Paul was able to get away from work for a change (he’s normally tied up from four pm till midnight Paris time). We decided to find some dinner and then walk around till sunset so we could see the “city of lights” lit up – seeing the area by our hotel at night just doesn’t do it justice!
A Day of Line-Ups
Posted by ScarlettMay 1st, 2009 | No Comments
Since we’ve already been in Paris for three days and haven’t seen the Eiffel Tower at all, we decided to start our day by trying to climb up the first and second level. Try is the key word – apparently May 1 is Labor Day in Paris (and also a holiday in most of Europe) and everything is closed except for the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame so all the tourists go to these two sights! The line-ups for the lift at the Tower were over 2 hours long and even the line-up to climb the stairs (which is normally pretty short) was over an hour wait!
Château de Versailles
Posted by ScarlettApr 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment
Today we went to our most touristy (and most expensive!) attraction so far – the Palace of Versailles. We woke up early to catch the train (which takes an hour from where we are staying) because we had read that it gets busier as the day goes on. When we got the Palace at 10:30, there was already a line-up of over a hundred people at the entrance and another 80 or so at the ticket office! Fortunately we had read a very useful tip to skip the line-up for tickets by walking through the crowd at the doorway and going to the back of the ticket office where there are automated machines that most people don’t know about. The only catch is these machines only accept pin-chip credit cards and you can only buy the adult-priced full day pass, which gives entrance to the Palace, the grounds, the Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate for 20 euros (if you want to just visit the Palace it’s only 13.50 euros and there are student and senior discounts for all passes, but you have to purchase these tickets from a cashier).
Finally in Paris!
Posted by ScarlettApr 29th, 2009 | No Comments
At last, we’ve arrived in Paris! It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to come here, so we scheduled nine nights in Paris, which worked out well because it gave us time to chill and do some more trip planning (for our next segment, the UK) when we arrived yesterday, without having to worry about not having enough time to explore Paris. We’ve decided it’s a good idea to have an extra day in as many cities as possible so we can take a break from sightseeing without having to skip stuff, and our upcoming schedule has been modified accordingly (we’ve also noticed that from Barcelona till now, when we move from one city to another, the travel day is pretty a write-off because we’re too tired to do anything). I don’t know how some people can hop from city to city without any breaks in between – we get tired after three days of running around sightseeing!
Halfway To Beef Tartare
Posted by ScarlettApr 27th, 2009 | No Comments
After eating bad food in Rouen, Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer, and Mont-Saint-Michel, we resorted back to eating at McDonald’s for our past few meals – I know it’s horrible for you, but at least the food is consistent! Tonight, however, we tried the restaurant at the Holiday Inn (because Paul needed Internet and our hotel’s wasn’t working), and we were happily reminded of how good French food can be! I think it’s been a week since a meal made me go “mmmm…” like this!
Crêpes in Saint Malo
Posted by ScarlettApr 26th, 2009 | No Comments
After our morning in Mont-Saint-Michel, we drove 30 km to Saint-Malo, a walled port city in the Brittany region of northwest France,. Although it’s just as touristy, the scenery is beautiful and there’s more stuff to see and do (and the shops are open on Sunday!). Sightseeing aside, if there’s one reason to come to Saint Malo, it’s for the crêpes! The dessert crêpes we had today were better than any sweets we’ve had so far, including the portugese tarts Pasties de Belem.
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Posted by ScarlettApr 26th, 2009 | No Comments
After touring the D-Day beaches yesterday, we spent the night in Mont-Saint-Michel, a rocky tidal island just south of the beaches. We had timed out our driving schedule to overnight in Mont-Saint-Michel because I had read that it’s really pretty at night (and I must say, it did not disappoint!), but we had to stay at a rather crummy hotel about 2km off the island, on the mainland, because it’s a very touristy destination and rates on the island are through the roof.
Driving & The D-Day Beaches
Posted by ScarlettApr 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments
Today we picked up a rental car to go see the D-Day beaches, which aren’t reachable by train or bus unless you join a tour group, but it’s really expensive (like 80 euros per person). This was our first time driving in France and there’s only one way we can describe it – it’s all about the roundabout! I don’t think you can drive more than 10km without going through a roundabout. I know they”re supposed to improve the flow of traffic and reduce the number of crashes, but is it really better to have this many roundabouts? We’re not convinced…
Sushi Attempt #1
Posted by ScarlettApr 24th, 2009 | 2 Comments
Sushi is my favourite type of food and back home in Vancouver I can get great sushi at good prices, so I’ve been hesitant to try it while in Europe, but it’s been almost two months since I last had sushi so tonight we indulged my cravings and tried a sushi restaurant we found while searching for dinner. All we can say is, we wish we hadn’t bothered!
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