BRUCE, ANDREA. EMMA, & ZOE
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Adventures
    • Emma and Zoe Chronicles
    • Emma's First Road Trip USA 2017 >
      • Emma's 1st Road Trip Blog
    • Canada with Emma 2016
    • Baltic to Adriatic >
      • Baltic to Adriatic Blog 2015 >
        • Where are we now?
    • Cuba - 2015
    • Our Wedding
    • Honeymoon
    • Southeastern Vermont Loop
    • Paris to Istanbul Blog
    • Quebec Loop
    • Outer Banks Loop
    • Salem to Mongolia
    • Costa Rica
    • Northern Lake Champlain Loop
    • P'tit Train du Nord
    • Niagara Fall Loop
    • Bruce's Cross Country Ride
  • Contact Us

Notre Dame, Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower

6/25/2013

3 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture

We started the morning by making friends with the baker at the local boulangerie (always good when they give you a couple of free apple turnovers :) ! Then we were off to Notre Dame where the lines were incredible, so a quick look around admiring the gargoyles and the little veggie garden tended to by the monks and we were off again...

Then the trains! We successfully took 2 metros and two commuter rails out to Versailles.The weather was utterly perfect for walking around Paris today; about 70 degrees with big white puffy clouds and a cool breeze. This weather came in handy when we reached the line at Versailles. Even though we already had our passes, the line for security was 8 snake-like turns that took up the entire front entry way to the palace. We were in line behind some funny Australians though, so it made the two hour wait feel shorter.

Versailles was beautiful, except for the crowds. So we toured the palace and had a picnic of pain-au-chocolat (from the friendly boulangerie). This excursion took most of the day so we were getting hungry again...

After Versailles we took a stroll around the city near the palace. We found a fantastic artisianal indoor/outdoor food market that circled a central square. We selected a couple of cheeses, cherrys, bread, and wine then hopped back on the train(s) towards the Eiffel Tower!

"Holy crap... That's the Eiffel Tower!" - Andrea's first sighting the enormous steel structure

We had our second picnic of the day under the Eiffel Tower. It was spectactular, delicious, awe inspiring, and romantic... for the hundreds of couples doing exactly the same thing we were... and it was wonderful. We saw a couple who obviously had just gotten married (big white poofy dress and red shoes of course). We saw a good deal of French kissing... oooh la la... and we met a wonderful couple from California who offered to take our picture (sadly the camera had literally JUST died...) they were very nice and one was a recently retired teacher! Congrats on retirement!

By this point, we were absolutely shattered from the day (it stays light here until about 10pm... so you can stay out much later than you think without noticing). We went back to the apartment and watched some frenchy TV, finished up the bread and cheese (and another bottle of wine) and passed out around 1am.

What a day! Now to do it all over again.

Tomorrow: Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and dinner at the Eiffel Tower (again... :)

The World is ours!

3 Comments
Carolyn Buractaon
6/26/2013 10:18:46 am

Congrats on your marriage! Looks like a fantastic trip!

Reply
Sandy Gonnerman and James Zito
6/27/2013 06:44:43 am

Hi Bruce and Andrea. We have photos of you two at Le Tour Eiffel. We met there picnicking. Not sure how to post your pictures. Give us an email to send photos. We send good wishes and every happiness in your life and travels. May your teaching career be as wonderful as mine has been, Andrea. Our homes are yours in San
Diego and in Eureka, CA. Please visit! Lots of love, Sandy and James in Paris and soon to be wimps (even tho we cycle at home in California) in a car on the way to les Pyrenees camping until mid July.
Cheers!

Reply
cindysunny link
10/21/2013 05:20:55 am

How old is this post?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Bruce & Andrea

    Two newlyweds that are cycling from Paris to Istanbul for our honeymoon.

    Archives

    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.