We woke up around 7:30 and headed down to the Yacht Club restaurant for breakfast. All of the Disneyland Paris hotels include free breakfast, a nice touch. We had a delicious meal of fruit, yogurt, chocolate croissants, and cereal (where have I seen this before, lol). The restaurant was pretty crowded, but we managed to survive just fine. Since the parks didn't open until 10, we were beating the rush. After breakfast we got ready and then hopped on the bus to the train station. We stopped at the Paris transportation ticket window to buy a 1 day Mobilis pass which allows you unlimited use of the Paris Metro and the RER commuter train system. After making our purchase, we headed downstairs and found a train waiting for us. Since Marne La Valle Chessy was a terminus on the RER A, we didn't have to worry about going the right direction.
We spent about 45 minutes on the A line as we crossed the countryside and headed into the heart of Paris. About 2/3 of the way, the train headed underground to enter the city center. We got off at Chatelet Les Halles, a massive underground station that was very difficult to navigate. Using my trusty iTouch we were able to find our way to RER B and ride for one stop to the Notre Name stop.
We popped above ground around 9:10, we had scheduled to meet Mary at 9 but Chatelet was confusing, and shortly after we met up with Mary. This was our first time seeing Paris, and it was even cooler then you expect. The metro stop where we had chosen to meet up was right on the river Seine, and we were given an incredible view of Notre Dame. The architecture is just amazing, and you know instantly that you are in Paris.
As we headed across the river to Notre Dame, Mary gave us a warning. Gypsy women will be walking around asking if you speak English, you must flat out ignore them or you will probably be robbed. This turned out to be good advice as we ran into these people almost instantly. If you are planning a trip to Europe, learn to avoid eye contact with these people and ignore anything they say to you. They never gave us any trouble when we ignored them. In front of Notre Dame, there was a giant bread festival going on, a true slice of Paris culture. We spent a while walking through Notre Dame and enjoying the incredible architecture. Incredibly, there was actually no charge for entering the cathedral, there was only a charge for climbing up top.
When we were done inside, we took a stroll through the gardens between the cathedral and the river to see the famous gargoyles and flying buttresses. What an incredible place. Around back, there was another large garden right on the river and something you rarely see in Europe, free bathrooms. After using the bathrooms, we headed to a metro stop and hopped across the city to Le Tour Eiffle. As we came up the steps from the metro station, we got our first sight of the tower. WOW! That is all you can say. No movie or picture can prepare you to see it in person. It is huge, much bigger then you expect, and located right next to the river. We walked under the tower and marveled at its immense size. There was a huge line for the elevator to the first floor (surprisingly, the line to walk up the tower was very short), but we had already planned on doing the Arc De Triumfe instead of Le Tour Eiffel.
We headed across the river to get some better pictures, and to enjoy a higher perspective on the tower, walking through the many vendors and entrepreneurs of Paris along the way. The view from the top of the hill was fantastic, and we soaked in the view for a while before hopping on the metro and heading to the Champs Elysses. After just a few stops on the metro, we were strolling along the Champs Elysses, taking in the sights and sounds of one of the most famous streets in the world. We were all starting to get hungry so we stopped at an Italian restaurant called Vesuvio. Yes, an Italian restaurant in France, don't judge us. We had a fantastic 3-course meal. I had an antipasti platter, a pasta sampler, and chocolate gelato for dessert. We also learned that it is possible to get tap water in Paris, if you ask nicely.
After lunch, we took the underground tunnel across the 8 lane traffic circle, and popped out under the Arc De Triumfe. We grabbed tickets, and started the climb towards the top (there is only an elevator available for disabled persons). There are three different levels within the arc, two inside and one outside. The first level had some displays and artwork, the second level had a gift shop and a mini Arc De Triumfe museum, and the third level was the observation deck. The view from the top was beyond belief. The Arc sits in the middle of a traffic circle connecting 8 roads, so you could see down every major Paris artery. We also had an incredible view of Le Tour Eiffel. Something funny happened well we were up there. I was wearing a Florida sweatshirt and all of a sudden I hear, Go Gators!!! Some people from Oviedo, FL were standing right behind me, what a small world. After spending a while soaking in the view, we headed back downstairs, taking a moment to stop at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
We crossed back under the traffic circle and hopped on the RER towards the Luxembourg Gardens. Mary's school was located right near the gardens, so she knew the area well. We stopped at a local bakery to get croissants and drinks, and then set in the garden. This was truly a magical experience. There were no tourists, and no crowds. We were surrounded by locals, enjoying a beautiful day in the gardens. The gardens themselves were just incredible. There were giant fountains, lawns, gardens, playgrounds, tennis courts, it just went on and on.
After sitting in the garden for a while, we hopped back on the RER and headed for the Louvre. Even if we didn't have time to go inside, we wanted to see it. We got off the RER at the Musee d' Orse, and walked down the river to the Louvre. I cannot begin to describe how large this museum is. It seems to go on, and on, and on. We also ran into many of the "do you speak English" women here. An interesting thing about the area, was that it holds one of the other three arcs of Paris. This arc, lines up directly with the Arc De Triumfe and the new Arc downtown, right along the Champs Elysees, very cool. We also got to see the famous glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre that caused so much outrage when it was constructed (almost as much as Le Tour Eiffel caused). It seems like the Parisians get outraged quite often.
We decided to try and see if we could take a boat ride on the Seine, so we squished ourselves onto the metro (it was rush hour), and rode for a few stops. We then had to switch to an even busier metro, but this wasn't so bad since the line rode outside, and we had a fantastic view of the tower. We walked down to the boat docks (the main boat company docks are by Le Tour Eiffel), but the times didn't work well, so we decided to just head for home. We walked Mary back to the metro station and said our goodbyes. What a wonderful tour guide!
We hopped on the RER C and had something scary happen. When we boarded the train, our tickets were inspected by the metro police (this was new to us), but we could tell they weren't looking for us. Onboard the train with us were three metro police and three conductors talking to someone in the corner. Even the Parisians seemed confused by what was going on. We were very glad that we had only three stops to go.
We managed to escape the C, and hopped on the B for one stop, and then boarded the A for the rest of the journey back to Marne La Valley Chessy. We had a beautiful ride through the country, our seats were on the second level of the train so we had a better view then in the morning. About 45 minutes later we were pulling into the station. We sure gave those metro passes a work out. We stopped at the New York restaurant again for dinner and then grabbed some sodas at McDonalds. After that, we headed back into the hotel, and once again collapsed into our ridiculously hard beds. I don't really think I have ever been this tired in my life, but it was worth it.
Up Next Day 17: Disneyland, Paris
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