Ah Paris…the city of love, lights, wine, chocolate and so much more. Returning to this city, even after five years was like seeing a long-lost friend. Everything was exactly how I remembered it and I could experience things I didn’t have the chance to the first time around. It was a wonderful day trip with my parents…
We set out before the sun had even risen by taking the Eurostar from Kings Cross Station in London, to Paris. Because we were with a tour group, the entire day was planned but it was still a great opportunity to see the city. We left the train for the coach bus and were driven through the many arrondissements of the city (like districts). Most are “known” for something whether it be shopping, food, studying or the finer things in life. We passed a few well known places such as Montmartre where the artists thrive, and the Moulin Rouge with its classic red windmill.
The coach drove us into the heart of Paris through expensive districts where the “cheapest” store is Rolex, until we disembarked to board a tour boat on the River Seine. We set sail and by sitting on the roof we had wonderful 360 views from the water of Paris. From all the bridges, to Notre Dame and beyond, the sun shining on the water made for a lovely excursion.
As the boat made a loop and finally docked we could make our way to Paris’s most famous landmark…the Eiffel Tower. Here we went through security on par with airports until we reached the inner circle and could take the elevator up to the restaurant level. At the restaurant, we indulged in a champagne lunch and wonderful meal fit for a day in Paris. Afterwards, we took the hundreds of stairs back down to the ground where we loaded the coach once more and traveled to the Louvre.
As our final stop for the day, we wasted no time and with our tour guide showing us all the notable paintings and sculptures, we spent our 2 hours traveling through the former palace and taking in the art. We even saw the Mona Lisa (because you can’t say you’ve been at the Louvre until you’ve seen her.)
Our day ended under the Louvre where we saw the remains of the castle it was built upon and with that we loaded back into the coach and headed to the train station. Less than 3 hours later we were back in London leaving Paris an adventure to return to on another day.
