Paris - Montmarte and Le Tour De France

For the last day we were in France, we woke up to lovely weather (again). We were very fortunate compared to London where it is mostly overcast, we had sunny weather for almost the entire trip in Paris.




We joined up with Matthew at the Gare to Nord, and from there, we walked up into the Montremartre area of Paris. Sadly, there were a ton of people as well as creepy street vendors selling silly Paris souvenirs that marred the area just below the Basilique du Sacre Coeur.



Tony loves this area, and we found the small cafe that we'd had French Onion Soup at many years ago, and we were able to once again eat there.









I had a very French meal of a salad with Pork Terrine (pate) on top of it. And of course a glass of French Merlot.

Delicious.






Tony was feeling sentimental (a rarity) and had the French Onion Soup (a dish actually credited as being created in Paris) again.



We wandered through the Montmarte neighborhood stopping to pay tribute to the studio of Pablo Picasso, as well as the residences of Toulouse Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh.







It is amazing to see the places where these legendary artists lived and developed their unique artistic gifts.

We also walked past the cafe where Amelie worked in the film, Amelie, and saw the legendary Moulin Rouge. It is a lovely area to walk around in, right up until you get down around the Moulin Rouge, and then it turns into tourist central.


We strolled through the heart of past the most beautiful opera house in the world - Le Palais Garnier. It was here that the classic film, The Phantom of the Opera, was to have taken place. The last time we were here, it was undergoing restoration. Now, the front is finished, and it is magnificent.




From there, we wandered over towards the Louvre to see the riders come in from The Tour de France. It was the last day of the multiday event, and it was exciting to see the mass of riders making their final miles into the center of Paris.



After this, Tony obliged me with a visit to see the inverted Pyramid, which was used as the final resting place of Mary Magdaline in The Davinci Code. It is actually located in the middle of a shopping center ajacent to the Louvre. It's right next door to the Virgin Megastore.








It was then time for us to make our way back to the Gare du Nord, and the train back to London. It was a lovely trip, and I look forward to returning to Paris in november for Tony's 50th Birthday celebration.

Paris - Our Day tour

We woke up Saturday and planned to meet at the Eiffel Tower for a bicycle tour of Paris with the Fat Tire Bike Tours. Unfortunately due to the Tour de France coming in that weekend, demand for the tour was very high, and we couldn't get in. They did book us for the afternoon tour.

So instead of pedaling around town, we took off for the Arch de Triumph.







I'd seen this structure before, but I'd forgotten how impressive it was.

They've just finished restoring the sculptures, and it was magnivicent.

The last time Tony and I were in Paris, we didn't climb to the top of of the Arch, so this time, it was a must. We climbed the spiral staircase up to the museum, and then from there out onto the viewing platform.


The vistas are great from there, and well worth the climb.



From there, we walked down the Champs Elysees. A very beautiful boulevard with all the stores that you'd expect on a high street. It was once more exclusive, but over the years, it has become a mainstream shopping street.

There was a McDonalds on the boulevard, and being the crude Americans that we are, we had to stop and grab a bite. I think we all had Big Macs and French Fries.









It was now time for us to rendesvous back with the Bike Tour, so we walked back over to the Tour shop and booked our Tour.

The tour took us past the Ecole Militaire and the Champ Du Mars where Napolean went to school and learned artillery fire.







It was interesting to learn that the Champ Du Mars where the Eiffel Tower stands was once a cannon practice ground. How times change. . .



We pedaled past the Hotel Invalides, which was the first military hospital in the world. It is a beautiful building and it now houses several military museums as well as Napoleon's tomb.

We then pedaled to Plaza des Concordes where all the beheadings occured in the French Revolution. There is currently a giant Obelisk standing in the middle of the roundabout now.

From there we pedaled our way into the Tuileries Gardens for a refreshment before making our way back via the Eiffel tower to the bike shop.

I didn't think this bike tour was as good at the bike tours we'd done in Berlin and Munich, but it was a lot of fun, and it is a great way to see the city.

Tony and I picked up a picnic dinner on Rue Cler and walked over to Champ du Mars. We sat on the lawn having a lovely bottle of wine and watching the sun slowly set. It was a wonderful way to see out our last evening in Paris.

Disneyland Paris!

Tony and I got up early on Friday to catch RER out from downtown Paris to Disneyland. I'd grown up going to Disneyland in Anaheim, so I am curious and anxious to see what Disneyland Paris would look like.

We grabbed a quick croissant and a Coffee at the corner cafe and we were on our way.









I had done enough research to learn that the best way to get there was by train and this really did prove to be pretty painless, once we figured out how to buy the tickets and where to go. If only we spoke French. The train drops you off right at the front entrance - BRILLIANT!

We thought that the park would open at 8:30 in the summer like back home, but it turned out that it didn't open until 10am, so we hung out in front of the park waiting for Matthew and his Mom. Once they arrived, Matthew showed his employee ID (he works for Disney Studios), and we got in for free.

There was a surreal moment when we walked under the archway and emerged onto Main Street USA. It was a little like being transported halfway around the planet back to my home town.

It was weird to see something I know so well, and yet it is in such a different location. After being in a foreign country for a year now, it was comforting to see such a powerful reminder of home and familiarity.

Ever since we'd decided to go to Disneyland, I kept wondering if they would have Mickey Mouse shaped Croissants. They didn't, but instead they had Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate filled Brioches.

Delicious. . .


Our first stop was under the castle to see the Animatronic dragon I'd heard so much about. It really was a nice dark and scary creature - loud and breathing smoke when it got angry.

Our next stop was Space Mountain 2 in Discoveryland (Tomorrowland). It was magnificent and a perfect adaptation to a French theme by incorporating a Jules Verne'esque theme throughout. They even managed to put in a bit of 1800's whimsy by having the launch into space being done through a cannon.



We were all like big kids anxiously waiting in line for our time to get shot out of the cannon and launched into our imaginary trip to a comet and back.






The attraction is far better than the one in Disneyland as it features both a loop and a barrel roll. There are a lot more projections and a greater sense of depth to the attraction. It was AWESOME.

Parked right next to Space Mountain is an almost Full Sized NAUTILUS. I'm a huge 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fan, and I'd read up on this attraction. It is based on a similar attraction that was at Disneyland Anaheim when it opened.



They have recreations of the sets from the film, including the main lounge and the Squid attacking the large iris viewport.
It was great to walk through these beautiful sets and feel what it would be like to be on the Nautilus. They really did an excellent job on it.

They have another salute to the French in the full-sized Hyperion Airship from Island at the Top of the World. It is another beautiful reconstruction, and is exactly as I remember it from the film. It was another great design.

We also went on the Buzz Lightyear shooting ride. It was fun, but I scored the lowest of anyone in our car. Matthew's 89 year old mother did better. My gun must have been bad . . .

From Discoveryland, we ventured through the castle into Fantasyland, which bares a remarkable resemblance to the Disneyland I know and love.

From there we journeyed to Adventureland to go on Pirates of the Carribean. It is similar to the Pirates I know, but with some fun additions. The french don't feel the need to be as politically correct as the Americans nowadays, so they have kept many of the more baudy bits that have been softened in LA.

We broke for lunch in Acraba and had a Lion King themed meal. Lots of fried food. We later discovered that it looks like the better food would have been found at the Chicken rotisserie in Fantasyland. . .

Next time. . . And there will have to be a next time.

We then headed down to check out the Haunted Mansion, which looks very different from the one back home. It reminds me a lot of the Psycho house from the Alfred Hitchcock film. Even the stairs leading up to the house follow a similar layout.

A lot of the narration is the same, but it is (of course) in French. The dis-embodied fortune teller is bilingual as is the little ghost the says goodbye at the end. It is as great an attraction as the one back home.









A completely different ride from Disneyland LA is the Indiana Jones Temple of Peril Rollercoaster. Though short, it is a lot of fun and has a loop. Both Tony and I gave it a big thumbs up. It is sort of like the mine car chase in Temple of Doom.

One of my favorite Disney rides is Thunder Mountain. I've loved this ride at each of the parks I've visited, and Disneyland Paris is no exception.

It is really cool as the majority of the ride is on an island across from the entry to the ride. When you go on it, you immediately drop down under the river and emerge over on the island where you begin your assent for the roller coaster. At the end of the ride, you dive back down under the river and emerge back at the main shore. It is a really awesome ride, and I loved it.

We also visited the Disney Studios Park next door to Disneyland. it was okay, but I wouldn't recommend it as a separate admission. We went on the Hollywood Tower of Terror, which was a lot of fun, but there just isn't that much there yet. They are building more, and it will be a nice park with some more time.

The Downtown Disney area was where we chose to eat for dinner. There is a Planet Hollywood and a Rainforest Cafe as well as the coolest McDonalds building I've ever seen. We chose to eat at Rainforest Cafe, and we had a fun prix fix meal.

As nighttime finally began to descent upon Disneyland, we lined Mainstreet for a fantasy parade (very reminiscent of Fantasmic, but with no water), and the fireworks show. It was a lovely way to end a fantastic day.

When the park closed at 10pm, we simply walked to the RER station just outside the gate, and took the easy 40 minute ride back to central Paris. It was great day!