First on our day's list was the Louvre Museum. After hearing so much about the famous museum from friends and from the movies, it was definitely a must-see. We decided to visit it 9AM, as soon as the museum opened, to avoid any lines and all the crowds. We bought a Museum Pass from the airport and it allowed us to visit all the major Paris museums for just 40 euros. It's a good buy because it saved us time from lining up to buy the tickets and money too when all the ticket fees are added up. Upon arriving, we were sidetracked from entering the museum because we went crazy snapping pictures outside -- on the glass pyramid and the museum's facade. It was a sight to behold. From seeing it so many times on pictures and movies, we can't believe we're actually seeing it in person now.
The Louvre Museum is HUGE. You can easily spend 2 whole days going through their entire collection. What a pity that we just alloted 2 hours given our limited time. We intended to just visit the famous works which included the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci -- probably the most famous painting in the world. It was small as compared to the other paintings in the museum. It was protected by guards, railings and a thick glass case. Photography is also prohibited. Well, it just felt good standing within a few feet of such a masterpiece. But personally, I think the Louvre has other equally, if not more, outstanding pieces than the Mona Lisa.
Glass Pyramid of the Louvre Museum
Fromage (cheese)!
Sneaking a photo with the paintings
As much as we'd like to stay a little longer at the museum, we have a schedule to follow. Next was to visit Victor Hugo's Quasimodo at the Notre Dame. The Latin Quarter Cathedral has a lot to offer to the eager tourist. The gothic architecture, the rose window, the 422 spiraling steps which I didn't expect to make, Emmanuel - Quasimodo's historical bell, the funny gargoyles and the view of Paris from the tower. So much history and beauty.
At the steps of the Notre Dame
My favorite gargoyle sticking out his tongue
The beautiful rose window
After Notre Dame, we then boarded a guided tour bus which would take us around the city. A recorded commentary can be heard on the headphones provided as we passed each Parisian sight. I was glad to be able to sit after all the walking that we did but we wished that we took the Open Bus tour instead -- just because of the view provided by the lack of bus ceiling/top. Nevertheless, the bus tour was a good way of seeing all the major spots in order to note which ones we have to come back to. We got to learn some history too.
The bus tour ended at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Yes, the Eiffel Tower -- Paris' most famous monument. Tickets to the 2nd floor of the tower is included in our bus tour. We have avoided the long snaking line to buy the ticket which was great. However, there was another line just to get in. We spent a good hour just waiting for our chance to take the lift up the tower. But it is nothing compared to the 4 hrs I've heard other people had to wait in line. Our Paris vacation would not be complete without it so this is all part of the experience =).
Look at the number of people waiting to get in the tower
The tower at night
The view is amazing. You can see the whole of Paris from all angles at the tower. We paid an extra 3 euros to go to the top and it's worth it. Check out the views.
It was finally time to go home. But no adventure on a foreign country is complete without getting lost. Ours was when we boarded the wrong train going home and it took us to the suburbs (near Versailles) instead of our hotel. We didn't realize it until we were a couple of stops out of the city. To top it off, it was already past 1AM and we missed the last train on the line that goes back to the city! A good samaritan told us that there's another train line (15 mins walk away) that was still open. Walking to the train station was a bit scary coz the streets were very dark. But it was all good. We got home safely... feet aching and tired but satisfied of our first full day in Paris. Thank God we were granted good weather too.
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