A Rainy Day in Paris

Paris is perceived and idolized as an enigma of a city. Beautiful, thin women walk the streets, a culture of sophistication prevails, knowledge and history are down literally every road you turn, and perhaps most importantly, they have world famous decadent cuisine. Outside of enjoying a week in the south of France for a wedding last year, I had never been. Many books and blogs I enjoy are written by true Francophiles, and I was greatly looking forward to finally embracing their lifestyle, if only for a long weekend.

We flew in on a Thursday afternoon and were fortunate enough to stay in a truly gorgeous apartment with family friends. As we made our way to the apartment, backpacks in tow, I was unsure of what to expect from the next few days. Upon our arrival, it was clear we were off to a great start. Our living quarters were absolutely picturesque. We entered a building, passed through a court yard, and went up to see a perfectly furnished abode and a homemade dinner being prepared for us. Secret number one to French cooking: simple and fresh ingredients are everything.

The following day we were greeted by gloomy rain storms that lasted throughout the entire morning. Both of us had backed our travel umbrellas, but my feet became soaked and it was making me chilly. We purchased a two day pass for the Metro system, and it was fairly easy to navigate our way around using the lines while avoiding the worst of the rain.

We began at the Arc de Triomphe. In a way, I was very grateful for the rain as it probably deterred many tourists from the outdoor spots. We made our way through the tunnels leading up to the arc to avoid the roundabout of cars, scooters, and motorcycles. We took cover underneath while enjoying the detailed etching on every edge of the structure. 

From there we made our way to the Louvre, we didn't have much of an intention to go inside, but felt it necessary to check out. It's a good thing we didn't have our heart sets on the museum, as the lines of umbrella carrying Louvre-goers wound its way throughout the center grounds.

We made our way from the Louvre and it's pyramids through the Jardin des Tuileries.

To get to our next destination, Notre Dame Cathedral, we took the Metro. I took numerous pictures both inside and outside of the cathedral, but they unfortunately didn't turn out due to the rain and the drops which fell on my camera lens, smearing all of my photos.

Hungry and cold, we left Notre Dame and made our way to a cafe where Tom ate lunch with his family years earlier. We both had burgers and fries, not your typical French fare, but it's pretty much all we could decipher on the menu. Besides, we weren't feeling adventurous at the moment. As we were leaving, the weather was finally beginning to clear and we captured some great pictures of the "love lock" bridge by Notre Dame.

Taking advantage of the now clear weather, we jumped on the Metro to go to the Eiffel Tower. While there were minimal lines to go to the top of the tower, my dislike of heights and I passed on the experience.

Upwards view of the Eiffel Tower

We made our way through the grounds and across the pathways to the quaint shops and cafes along Trocadero. The chill and gloominess of the day was making rather tired so we popped into Cafe Trocadero for a chocolate chaud and a break.

Under gloriously warm heat lamps, we relaxed and enjoyed the view of the Eiffel Tower from the patio seats. We covered a number of sights in our first day alone. Lounging in what I considered to be a very Parisian fashion served as the perfect ending to our sightseeing in the heart of Paris for the evening. After scraping the bottom of my mug for every last drop of hot chocolate, we returned to the apartment to take a nap before a night out at a very unique location. But that is for another post.