Two days in Paris AGAIN! Part Two

This is the part that frustrated me a bit.  Realizing when I got up that it was my last full day in Paris.  Again.  I was robbed a day in Paris because of the Iceland mishap.  But I was determined to make the most of it. 

I woke up and got ready to head to the Musee d’Orsay.  I’ve been wanting to go to this museum for a while.  Two years ago I was in Paris and walked past it but didn’t get a chance to go inside.  I found out afterwards that it had Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and my mind never stop thinking about going back.  At last this day had come!
I got off the Norte Dame stop on the metro and decided to see how long the line was to go inside the church.  It wasn’t too bad although it was a pretty windy that day.  Once I got inside I felt so relieved.  Christmas time at Norte Dame was so beautiful!!  I witnessed their nativity scene and even bought a Christmas decoration for my mom.  I felt so blessed!

It was raining in Paris.  Luckily I packed an umbrella.  Since I left out at a good time, the line wasn’t too bad to get in.  This museum was pretty impressive!  I spent a good two hours going from room to room, and even had lunch in the café.  I have to say, I was brought to tears when I saw Van Gogh’s room.  I absolutely adore him and was moved by the crowd.  So many people from all over the world admiring his work.  I felt a sudden rush of sadness when I realized how he ended his life.  If he only knew how special he was…

Afterwards I went back to the hotel to take a nap.  I am accepting the fact that I need to rest from time to time on my little trips.  I am getting older and it feels good to let my feet rest.  My other new friend that I met back in September wanted to have dinner with me as well.  I got up and made my way to the other side of the city.  I had to call her at an McDonald’s when I got wifi.  Unfortunately I got lost but she knew where I was.  It felt so good to see her. 

I followed her back to her apartment.  She made me some ramen and I devoured it.  It was nice catching up with her.  She had a new boyfriend since I last saw her and she seemed very happy with him.  We talked for a bit.  I enjoyed our conversation because I learned so much about her experience in Paris.  

I left after 10pm.  It took me almost an hour to get back to my hotel.  Once there, I thought about going to a bar to have my favorite champagne, but most bars closed around midnight.  It was pointless to go out for an hour.  I decided to stay in.

Looking back at my mini trip, I learned so much from my new friends.  I still keep in contact from the guys in Wisconsin that were stuck with me in Iceland.  I enjoyed my time with my Parisian friends.  I needed this badly despite everything that’s happened since I was there back in September.  So much has changed but my love for traveling has gotten stronger.  I’m not sure when I will head back on a plane.  But in the meantime, I will keep an open mind on where I will head to next!

Paris is Always a Good Idea Part 2

After my UNPLANNED NAP I jumped out of bed and rushed to take a shower.  I did not expect to sleep so long.  I only have 2 days in Paris and now I messed that up.  I got ready and headed back to the metra train station.  According to my research, I was suppose to get off the next 2 stops at Norte Dame.  I planned my trip very carefully, especially since I knew I was going to use public transportation a lot.  I printed up the Paris Metro map and used the same Line B that got me out of the airport.  My stop for my hotel was in Luxembourg.  The hotels around the strip were pretty pricey, so I figured if I stayed outside the strip I could save more money and make my way over there on my own.  Luckily I got there in no time.  The metro map seems easy enough.  Here in Chicago we have a pretty good transportation system as well, so I wasn't worried at all about getting lost at this point.

I got this map off the blog MaNouvelleMode...

Line B is what I used to get out of the airport and to get to my hotel.  I stayed off Luxembourg stop.

Since I was getting off at Saint-Michae-Notre-Dame I was hoping I was going to see the cathedral right away.  Umm, not so fast.  I was overwhelmed on what direction to take so I headed over to Starbucks to use the wifi hot spot and look for info on my phone.  That's another thing that can be frustrating when traveling.  Not being able to use the internet.  I did buy an international package for my cell phone use, but the data was very low.  Buying data is very expensive, but my cell phone representative advised me to take advantage of the hotspots all over Paris.  Starbucks and McDonalds were the most recognizable ones so I always looked for those two when wandering about. 

Once I located the river Seine, there it was!  Notre Dame!!  It was beautiful!  It was surreal!!  It was also closing!!  NOOOOOO!!!  By now it was 6pm and there were not letting anyone enter the cathedral.  I took my tourist pics and kept on going. 

I got this off tourist-destinations.com.  I used it as my guide line for sight-seeing...

IT"S GORGEOUS FROM THE OUTSIDE AS WELL!

Not the original love-locks bridge but they're everywhere!

A cute French restaurant...

musee d'Orsay

I had trouble finding the Eiffel Tower.  It wasn't near the river, but according to the map it was nearby.  I looked over the horizon and saw something peaking over some trees.  I knew I was looking at the tip of the tower.  I ran like a mad woman and made my way over there!  I was getting excited!! 

FINALLY!!!

Of course I had to take a selfie!  By the way, it started to rain right here...

By now I was starving!  I ended up having a French baguette sandwich. 

I ate underneath the Tower.  It was surreal to be there.  My feet were killing me at this point.  I decided to slowly head back when I realized it was getting dark.  That's when something wonderful happened!

The tower lit up!!!

Walking back from the Eiffel Tower, I ran across the Assemblee Nationale.  The city looks completely different at night.  So pretty!!  You have to check it out again

The bridges look magical!!

I looked back one more time and by now the Eiffel Tower was twinkling!!  I wish I had stayed out there longer, but I didn't want to walk back in the dark.  By now it was 9pm.  Day one accomplished!!