Lady Frye's Chronicles of Paris: III
01/03/19
If you're reading this, then you're on board for the final installment of our trip, and I'm grateful that you are. Unfortunately, this is the part of the trip where I get a really great headcold (that I still have as I'm writing this weeks later). It was bound to happen, it just made getting around to places much more difficult. You can probably see this in the pictures, but there's no avoiding that.
The itinerary for the day was the 8th arrondissement, which is most well known for the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. We saved this for after NYE because we were warned that it may be dangerous to be there with all of the hoopla going on right now. We also decided that we were going to get ourselves as American a breakfast as possible, because the whole gluten-full breakfast just wasn't working for us. AKA Give us some bacon and eggs.
American Breakfast at Café Latéral
We ate it all. All being: croissant, bread + jam, eggs, bacon, and more bread. I think we both could have eaten a pound of bacon and eggs each, and we did when we got home. Filthy Americans.
It was then time to make the trek up to the Arc de Triomphe, which is something that I've wanted to do since I took my high school French classes. The night before we went, I asked Levi to do some research about security and pricing to get in. The page he read told us that it was 40 stairs to the top of the arc. That sounded feasible for the sick American girl.
When we came out of the Metro tunnel looking at the Arc, not only were we in awe of the size of the monument, but flabbergasted at the idea that it would only be 40 steps to the top. 40 flights maybe.
Arc de Triomphe
Me, Arc de Triomphe
Well, it's actually 284 steps to the top. And when you get there, there's 2 bathroom stalls, so try to keep that in mind.
The view from the top though is quite beautiful, even after a lot of wheezing.
View of Montmartre from above (remember this for later)
Surrounding the Arc de Triomphe are avenues the branch out like cogs. The Arc feels like a giant clock, with everything branching out from this epicenter.
This was the first moment when we realized how large Paris is. By walking around and taking the Metro, you never fully understand the city's size until seeing it from above.
After climbing back down the 284 steps, we walked the Champs Elysees, which in the summer is adorned with green leafy trees. The streets here were slightly cleaner, but just as smoky. We also took a look at the never-ending amount of shops that line the Champs, and grabbed our first Parisian macarons from Laduree.
Levi chose vanilla, and I picked rose. Macarons are an interesting little delicacy in Paris, and are worshiped by so many tourists. They're not cheap confections either.
We then crossed Pont Alexandre III Bridge, over to the Palaces. It's a very impressive bridge that I didn't nearly capture enough of, but lunch was on my mind at the time.
At the end of the bridge, we stumbled upon the Winston Churchill statue!
We learned later that this bronze statue depicts Churchill marching down Champs Elysees during WWII. The statue is right in front of Petit Palais, which is (mostly) free museum with art ranging in time from the renaissance up to modern pieces.
Petit Palais
Levi took one for the team today and was up for being photographed. I felt like an absolute mop.
There's also a hidden cafe in the Petit Palais where we had lunch. The courtyard separating the main building from the cafe is lovely even in the winter.
I'll admit, I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked, but at this point I was feeling pretty bad. We traveled back to the hotel and took a break until dinner. We learned a couple of interesting tips that may be of help (I would've been thrilled to known beforehand).
1. The cold meds are behind the counter at la pharmacie, and I had to discuss my symptoms with the pharmacist before purchasing the pills. I think I would have sang her my symptoms like a Disney song just to have some relief from that cold. Pro tip: pack stuff to take with you to completely avoid this.
2. If you're at a hotel like ours without a kitchenette, then don't expect to have any chicken soup when you're sick. We looked all evening for a grocery, cafe, or restaurant that would have something besides onion, and couldn't find a single one. We settled on having crepes which were quite comforting.
01/04/19
Remember the part above where I said to remember the photo with Montmartre? Unfortunately that was the closest we ever got to it. Today was supposed to be our exploring day of the 18th arrondissement, and there wasn't a way I was getting out of bed. The only time that we did was to have a horrible 1000 vegetable soup (I was still trying to find some bloody soup). Tip of the day: don't save the thing you're looking forward to the most for last, ever. I thought it would be great to end off on a high note, but you really never know when you're going to get sick. I will admit that Montmartre could have been the old soul-side of Paris that we needed, but we never made it.
Instead, here are some florist shops we stumbled upon throughout the trip
hyacinths in January!
Finally, we got a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on our last night in Paris. It's marvelous how she sparkles at night.
01/05/19
Today we embarked for Zurich, Switzerland for our final layover. Our airport shuttle driver didn't speak a lick of English, and it suddenly occurred to me that many of my conversations with locals had transformed into complete French. I know it's not an amazing feat, but to me it was important. Our flight was delayed 45 minutes due to a snow storm in Switzerland (again, translated from French), and for some passengers it would mean a very quick transfer to connecting flights (cue the appeasement chocolates).
When we arrived in Zurich, there was a full-fledged blizzard. We had to make the very, very disheartening decision to forgo exploring the city to stay at the airport. Murphy's Law had been in our favor so far, and I'm sure it would have continued to do so.
We made the most of our time in Zurich by enjoying the snow on the observation deck.
Our flight back to America was the complete opposite of the first. Instead of a full flight, there were much fewer passengers (including babies). The snow caused a delay in our start again (cue the appeasement chocolates), and required de-icing. About an hour into the flight, one of the passenger entertainment screens began smoking, which caused some panic and more appeasement chocolates. We reached Boston around 9pm, and unfortunately, still had yet to make it through customs (during government shutdown). Luckily, we had the finest accommodations in Boston waiting for us.
Prior to our wedding, I went on a winning spree of some wedding amazing services and prizes. One of which was a 1 night stay in The Loft Suite at Hotel Commonwealth. Stay tuned for a blog post from our wedding where I share how I did this.
Back to Boston, we finally made it out of the airport and to Commonwealth. It was refreshing to be back in the US, especially at a such a luxurious hotel.
View from The Loft Suite
Common Area in The Loft Suite (yes, that's a pool table)
Hey Fenway!
And that concluded our honeymoon adventure!
Since our trip, we've had many questions about our experience. I felt as though answering these in a Frequently-Asked Questions section of this post would be helpful. If you have any other questions, feel free to thrown them in the comments below and I'll try to answer them!
1. Did you see any of the violence/protesters?
This was the most frequent question we were asked, and it makes sense. Interestingly enough, we saw more of it on TV when we returned home then we did while we were in Paris. This was definitely a good thing. A couple of burned cars, a few bullet holes through glass...nothing out of the ordinary in a city.
2. Would you recommend Paris as a honeymoon destination?
If you're looking for a relaxing all-inclusive vacation in Paris, you're going to pay up. Much more than if you booked something similar in a tropical location. And even if you did, I wouldn't describe Paris as relaxing. We're fairly fit people, and we were exhausted from all of the walking we did (even after taking the metro). I guess it all depends what you're looking for in a honeymoon, but for the typical couple, my opinion is no.
3. What is something you wish you had packed that you didn't?
We made a few rookie packing mistakes, but we blame that on having to also pack for our wedding, which we definitely prioritized. I would have packed more items for being sick like day/nightime cold pills and more tissues. Also earplugs (how does a future audiologist forget that).
4. What is something that you're glad you packed?
Everyday we were there, I carried our stuff in my Travelon anti-slash strap bag. It was the perfect size and held our water bottle, cards and currency, and my Rebel T5.
I was also glad that I had a goose-down coat like my Pajar that I wore. I got it at TJ Maxx for much, much less than retail price. It's the warmest coat I've ever owned.
5. Where is one place you wish you would have spent more time?
We both agree that we should have spent more time at the Tuileries Christmas Market. We were overwhelmed by the size of it and the number of people that were there. We would have loved to have tried more of the food. It was something we had never seen anywhere else before.
6. Alright, last question. We're thinking of going to Paris, what would you suggest for the best itinerary?
Before we left, we asked someone this same question, and she said to get out of the city to one of the countryside towns. Though this was unhelpful advice to us at the time, we definitely agree with it now. We would suggest the same, though since we didn't go, we can't make any suggestions where. I recommend finding a town that matches your interests. Research ahead of time what you're looking for, and the specialties of each region.
As for Paris, we would suggest visiting for a couple of days, but allotting your time to the sites you're most interested in. I can't emphasize enough how important researching a city is, and taking the time to prioritize your itinerary. After months of planning, we were still overwhelmed by the sheer size of Paris, France. If you're like us, look for the diamonds in the rough. Look for those places that you can't find anywhere else in the world.
Because then, you'll always have Paris.
Thank you for reading Lady Frye's Chronicles of Paris. I hope you found them entertaining and maybe, informative. If you enjoyed this series, please write me below. I do read all of your comments and thoroughly appreciate them.
à bientôt!
Lady Frye
