First Weekend at Paris!

Bonjour!

My first weekend at Paris took place on an Open Bus Tour that the program gave us tickets for. We got to hop on and off a bus that would stop at all the big tourist attractions. It was perfect for trying to sightsee in the cold weather. A group of girls I had met during the orientation decided to meet up at a metro stop by the Notre Dame to see the famous cathedral and then start the bus tour there. Here’s are the pictures of the places we got to see.

Here’s a view of the Seine river from the top level of the bus. There was no cover to the double decker bus so it is super windy if you sit up top. We braved the wind and the cold which was worth it because of the amazing view. Tip: Paris is really cold because of the wind so bring a hat and gloves! We were given headphones that plugged into the walls/ceilings of the bus so that we could hear a prerecorded audio guide of the bus tour. It was really interesting and when they finished their summary of each location, the silence would be filled with French elevator music. I loved the song where they kept repeating, “La seine, la seine,” as we passed over, you guessed it, la Seine.

We had a relatively short line to the Notre Dame Cathedral which was huge church.

 

You are welcomed by the Gallery of Kings which line the sides of the huge doorways. They are massive and I was filled with awe, so much so that I held up the line while entering the cathedral.

 

The giant stained glass windows are vibrant and brighten the hugely dim cathedral.

I hope this allows you to see just how tall the Notre Dame is. 

The bus tour took us to the Champs-Elysees! It's a street filled with high end shops and at the very end of the street, you can see the Arc de Triomphe!

The walk to the Arc de Triomphe was short. Here's a closer photo. Lesson learned, beware of traffic when taking a photo by the Arc de Triomphe. Actually, beware of traffic everywhere.

I thought the building in the back is beautiful so I snapped this photo while walking.

Walking around in Paris for a day is equivalent to at least an hour in the gym.

The fabulous Hellena Van and I in front of the Musée de L'Armée. The building is lined with old cannons, it's it très cool. 

That tiny figure in black is me. The huge building is the Palais de Luxembourg which is found in the Jardin (Garden) de Luxembourg.

Group photo of Hellena Van, Cindy Ko and I together at the Jardin de Luxembourg!

Group photo of (from left to right) Eileen Sheats, Cindy Ko, Hellena Van, me, and Eden Hailu with the Tour Eiffel in the background. Photo credits to Hellena Van. Props to her for bringing a GoPro!

Ferris Wheel by the Tour Eiffel. Full photo below in the gallery.

The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped. The Tour Eiffel is everything you expect it to be and more. It's amazingly surreal to see it in person.

Saved the best for last.

Au revoir,

Gwen