Our first day in Paris and we have lots of ideas. Now we need to sort them out and start to explore. We have already purchased the Paris Visitie Pass which gives us unlimited use of the metro plus discounts on several museums. However we also learned about the Paris Museum Pass which gives us free access to most museums and other Paris monuments. At first when first looked at costs they seemed pricey but after we considered what we wanted to do and individual costs it is a good deal. So our 6 day Paris Pass was activated today on our first trip on the subway. The Museum Pass was activated when we entered the Louvre.
The weather today is not good with heavy clouds and the threat of rain – but regardless we are not wasting a day. Wes’ cold has not improved much and he is starting to feel a tired. I have a slight headache (which likely means my body is also fighting off this cold Wes has) but as we agreed, unless we feel sick, we are going to enjoy ourselves.
We headed down to the metro station and since we are staying in the suburbs it was a 40 minute walk and ride to get down to the Louvre area of Paris.
Our first challenge was to find an Tourist Information center to pick up our Paris Museum Pass since with this pass we would be able to walk in directly and avoid the line-ups. We did walk inside the courtyard of the Louvre to see the Pyramid and once we saw the line-up we were determined to get the pass. So we headed back out to find the Information Center which we knew was close and picked up the pass and asked for instructions about how to enter without standing in the line-ups. We were given the instructions and headed over. Our first venture inside was successful, only we found we were in the Museum of Fashion and Jewellery. This was not what we wanted to spend too much time at so we did a quick tour and headed back out to the sidewalk and tried again.
This time we found the entrance to the Art Gallery (yes we were looking for the Mona Lisa) and spent the next 2 ½ hours looking at the art gallery. If you have ever been at the Louvre you know that it is huge and 3 hours is the maximum I could manage for one day. By 2 pm we were both ready to leave and find some lunch. I think that the huge rooms with high ceilings and hard surfaces tend to amplify noises so while in the Galleries the noise was loud and constant. Our energy is not the greatest so we decided we would return another day and do some more exploring. However I could not even begin to describe the artwork we saw in paintings and sculptures – mainly because everything is in French and I am not very competent at translating.
We left the Louvre to find lunch which greatly revived our energy levels so we decided to walk from the Louvre through the gardens down to the Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc is located on the right bank of the Seine at the centre of a pentagon-shaped configuration of twelve radiating avenues. It was commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Emperor Napoleon at the peak of his fortunes. Laying the foundations alone took two years and, in 1810, when Napoleon entered Paris from the west with his bride Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he had a wooden mock-up of the completed arch constructed. During the Bourbon Restoration, construction was halted and it would not be completed until the reign of King Louis-Philippe, between 1833 and 1836.
Again we were able to walk pass the line-up and go straight up to the top. The views from here would have been excellent except for the mist from the rain (sprinkling only but still not clear views). We could definitely see the Eiffel Tower and other major landscapes in all four directions. By now we both felt it was time to head back home and call it a day. It was after 4 and we wanted to pick up some groceries and Wes’ daypack has to be replaced so we would look for a new one – only the shopping center we stopped at on the way home did not have any. Groceries were easy but check out was interesting. We stood in one line for about 10 minutes until someone pointed out that this register was for handicap and elderly only. Then we changed lines and waited for about 20 minutes to get through – everyone here must learn patience since it seems everywhere you go there are line-ups. Not a problem, but we both were very glad to get back to the apartment. Now to recoup, regroup and plan for tomorrow.
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