Finding the Catacombs...

Prior to our trip, Carrie had said that the one thing she most definitely wanted to see were the underground catacombs in Paris - can you imagine what a vault filled with human bones would look like??? Luckily, our hotel wasn't too far from this entrance so we figured, "piece of cake...". Sadly, we didn't have time on Saturday because of our unimpressive Eiffel Tower Tour (you know...the one where Carrie's eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head because of how bored she got by the incessant chatter of our tour guide. Yeah, yeah...we KNOW it's her job. but everyone's got their limits and she pushed ours.)

We got to this point where we HAD to see in on Sunday because it was closed on Monday and Tuesday. We knew it would be hard to find because all of the websites had mentioned that it would be difficult to find. We get to the general area of the entrance...from there we ran to the left...we ran to the right....we ran in circles...I re-read Rick Steves' directions and we realized we were running around it the whole time...and we missed it by 15 minutes. It was closed.

I mean...look at this!! Do you see "catacombs" anywhere on this unassuming green building????? GAAAAAR!!!!

I felt so bad that I decided to draw out what I would imagine the catacombs would look like with all the skulls just for you, carrie!!!! Enjoy!!!

The Louvre

Don't let the title of this post fool you. This is the closest we got to the Louvre.

No, we didn't actually go in the museum. We only had 3 days in Paris, and neither of us wanted to spend an entire day inside, fighting crowds to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa.

Please don't be horrified. Those of you that know us will undoubtedly understand - we never claimed to be scholars.

Guest Post: Carrie

Riding on the Metro

The Metro is Paris' subway system. It is fantastically convenient - you really can get to wherever you want to go and it is relatively inexpensive. There is a downside, however - as with any form of public transportation, you have to be prepared to deal with anything.

Before we left for Paris, everything I read cautioned me about the possible evils I could encounter on the metro. I was supposed to be on the lookout for pickpockets, flashers, molesters, and various other bad people. I am happy to say that I was not mugged, flashed, molested, or harassed in any way.

I was, unfortunately, assaulted in an entirely different manner - this was an olfactory assault. The smell on the Paris metro is indescribable (in a very bad way). Use your imagination.

- guest poster, Carrie

Montmarte...sacre coeur

Sadly, it was raining when we went up to the Sacre Coeur but it made the view no less spectacular. Carrie probably has some city views from the Montmarte that she may wish to share...

Cimetière de Montparnasse

There is an amazing cemetery in Montparnasse (14th arrondissement). Some of the monuments there are truly beautiful, and the place is full of notable dead folks including Samuel Beckett, Bernard Lacoste (the guy responsible for the alligator logo polo shirts), and a lot of other people that are famous in Europe but not so well known here in the states. We went during the day in the interest of avoiding contact with vampires and assorted other undead.

Guest Post: Carrie

Eiffel Tower...an unimpressive sight...

I'm not trying to be blase about the Eiffel Tower. I truly felt it was unimpressive. I can't explain why but I was expecting an impact of awe and amazement.

Notre Dame...

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, I was very impressed with the beauty and grace of Notre Dame. I told Carrie that she was just darn lucky that I didn't start hunching over and dragging one leg behind me like Quasimodo.

The inside of Notre Dame was an even more impressive sight. It does seem so odd to me that people (me, included) would sit there snapping shots of the church while service was in session like God was going to smite me for this act of disrespect but I couldn't help myself. You guys judge...isn't it just beautiful??

Paris oddity...

ok, perhaps "oddity" is a bit harsh but they've got these free (pretty darn clean, considering!!) toilet booths in the streets all throughout paris. It's quite convenient when you're on the go and touring around the city...unless, of course, it happens to be out of order. Then you're pretty S.O.L.

Day 3...still alive...barely...

I do not remember a time when my body hurt as much as it does today. I seem to have left my advil/aleve at home so I have no relief and every store we have walked into has not carried anything that may resemble acetaminophen. I think we've completed a full circle of walking around the city.

I love Paris! It's such an awesome place! We've shopped (window) at Le Bon Marche, Printemps, Monoprix, and various smaller boutiques along the way. We've seen the Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge (disappointing), and the Montparnasse Cemetery (beautiful!). It's been a bit on the rainy side and i've managed to leave my brain at the hotel, along with the passport necessary to buy a higher ticket item (my new purse) so we had to come back to pick both of these things up.

Katie had recommended Fish La Boisson but sadly, it's closed Sunday & Monday so we're off to try:

La Robe et Le Palais
13 r Lavandieres Ste Opportune
75001 Paris
01.45.08.07.41

This is probably our last post for awhile since we won't have easy internet access for the next several days...

Day 2...

has come and gone! we went to see the Luxemburg Gardens, many, many closed stores (made me cry...especially in the face of all the "soldes" signs), Arc du triomphe, Louvre (ok, the OUTSIDE of the museum), Notre Dame (i gave up the urge to walk around like quasimodo in an effort not to embarrass carrie), almost lost carrie as she attempted escape into the Seine (will post photo later). Lots and lots of walking. I was hobbling to dinner. We went up the montparnasse tower...amazing view of the city. I almost flew off the top of the building due to high winds.

today: SHOPPING!! :)

I forgot...

the best thing that happened to me yesterday (besides FINALLY meeting up with carrie, of course...)!!

I was on the RER to the city when an older french gentlemen starts asking me questions in French about the train route. The deer caught in headlights look worked well enough for him to move on to my seatmate, a young, cute james dean type of french guy.

Well, it turns out that the train i was on ended at Gare Nord (which is about 10 stops away from my desired destination). I felt better because we were all shocked by it [locals included!] because we thought it went on [i understood enough french to know that everyone's direction to the old french guy was that the train would continue on after Gare Nord].

I pulled off to the side to start unravelling my rail maps to figure out what trains I should jump on when the cute french james dean guy came up to me and asked me if I needed any help. I'm no dummy...i had a map and could figure it out on my own but hell, a CUTE FRENCH GUY WAS ASKING ME IF I NEEDED HELP. How often does that happen?? Ok, for me...NEVER. I almost snapped a photo of the guy just so that I could post it up here and prove that he was real.

So I stuffed my map back into the bag and said in my best helpless voice, "Yes...I'm lost...can you help me??" ok, so i didn't really say that but the intent was the same. Anyhow, being the social retard that I am, I thanked him after he walked me to a map and showed me which line to catch, and walked on realizing after he had left that I had no idea where the heck i was supposed to buy tickets from. Well, the best news is that the bull about the french being rude is completely untrue!! LOVE IT HERE!!!

finally here!

I missed my 3 hour connection in Cleveland. Carrie had to come out to France on her own. First time out of the country. My parents were wondering if she'd be ok. If it was anyone else, I'd be worried but carrie had smooth sailing in

Me...not so much. After being delayed in LA, we (the gate agents and I) were trying to figure out if it would be best for me to go straight to newark then to paris or if i should stay on and cross my fingers. Clearly, I lost.

the good news is that the flight attendants felt so sorry for me that she refilled my rum and coke (at 10:00am) twice. I was so miserable...by the time I got to the hotel, I was tired, hadn't bathed in over 24 hours, and sweaty from having to change trains mid-ride over.

On the flip side, we've already had the best cheese EVER, went on a backstage tour of the eiffel tower, and already had a great meal!! We walked from the eiffel tower to this restaurant...ok, it was more of a run but we made it in about 40 minutes. If i keep this up, I'm hoping to lose some weight.

Be sure to make your reservations early enough as this place gets very crowded during the 2nd seating (2 seatings per night). It's a set meal, seated and served family style, perfect for people like Carrie & myself who tend to be a bit...well, anti-social. It really forces us to at least try to speak to those around us.

One other tip is to buy a bottle of wine and share it with your table mates. This ensures that even if you don't speak French, everyone will speak the language of a toast...

La Cave De L'os a Moelle
181 Rue de Lourmel
75015 Paris
01.45.57.28.28
Metro: Lourmel