meggie was here
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Paris by Tummy
M.I.A. - Macaroons and Raspberry Cake.
FINAL VERDICT - Paris does a tummy good. :) nomnomnom
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the Moulin Rouge - its not as glamorous as you think it should be, but the walkover is full of things to check out.
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The Great Cathedral Tour - Pt. 2
Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre
This Cathedral is located at the top of Montmartre, the highest point in Paris. The view is amazing and the Cathedral itself is beautiful, but beware of pickpockets and scammers. By scammers, I mean men who will ask you to hold string as they braid a friendship bracelet on you and then charge you an arm and a leg for it. Sounds easily diverted, but you won’t believe how many tourists lent their wrists willingly. Also, there are a lot of beggars on the steps - apparently, church overseers shoo them away by throwing water at them. Don’t know if that’s really holy, but you there’s always two stories.
P.S. There aren’t many pictures inside the Cathedral because they didn’t allow it, but I’m a rebel and took a few.
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Sainte-Chapelle is a small chapel built within the walls of the Palais de Justice. It was originally built to be the home of the “Crown of Thorns” and a piece of the Cross that Louis IX had purchased.
By observation alone, there was no sign of either item, nonetheless, the stained glass work is breathtaking. Seriously, from the outside, you won’t see any color whatsoever - the chapel looks dreary and run down. But right when you step in, you find yourself surrounded by stained glass artwork that you’ve never seen anywhere else. FINAL CALL: Diamond in the Rough, this was definitely a pleasant, spontaneous pitstop.
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If you kept up with me during my trip to Korea, this will look familiar. The first time I ran into a place like this was at the Seoul Tower. This time, its a bridge across from the Notre Dame Cathedral that crosses over the Seine River.
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The Great Cathedral Tour
First Stop - Notre Dame Cathedral
No Quasimodo was onsite, but apparently a bunch of juvenile pickpockets were running around. [Paris is known for pickpockets, keep your bags in front of you and do not be distracted by kids or pretty women..]
Notre Dame Cathedral is worth checking out. Even if you’re not religious, the architecture, sculptures, and detail all over the building make it a great site to take in and see in person.
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the Louvre - If you want to see the whole thing, it’ll take a couple of days. My advice (from my brother-in-law), pick 5-8 things you want to see - FOCUS, EXPLORE along the way, take PICTURES. Seriously, I’ve been through a dozen museums…this is the only one I’ve been intimidated by (just by opening the map).
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[X] the Eiffel Tower
Believe the hype. If you don’t come to Paris and don’t make an effort to see this and take the stairs up…you might as well have stayed home.
Metro trip - $1.50, Ticket up the first set of stairs - $6.50
Ice Cream for the kiddies at the Cafe - $15.00
Another Ticket up the rest of the Eiffel Tower - $6.50
the View from Up Top - PRICELESS.
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Metro - Your Key to Paris
When you get to Paris, use the Metro to get anywhere within the city. I didn’t know this beforehand and it took my Dad, his GF, and I almost $100 (83 euros) to get to the place where we were staying (the CDG side to the ORLY side of Paris). The ride, no matter how many stops or transfers you need, will take you about $1.50. It’s an amazing public transportation system - easy to learn, easy to follow, but be warned, it is not for the out of shape, the transfer halls are long and there are many stairs.
