Taking advantage of my layover on the way down to South Africa, I worked my ticket scheduling to allow me a full day in Paris, giving me from 9:30 in the morning until 8:30 that night to explore the well-loved city before getting back to the airport for my late night connection. Though one day could never be enough to see a city like this, I figured I'd utilize my free stopover and make the best of it. The flight from Atlanta to Paris was as uneventful as any 8 or 9 hour flight could be, and I was lucky enough to get an exit row seat for maximum legroom, though I think they negated some of that comfort by making the seats ridiculously narrow in that row with seat dividers/armrests that could not be moved. After just a few minutes on the ground in Paris, I was easily through immigration and headed for the subway to get into the heart of the city, deciding that my short time in the city would need to be focused on the obvious, iconic attractions.
I exited the subway at the Notre Dame stop, just a few blocks away from the famous cathedral and old town. Stepping out from the depths of the subway system, I was immediately greeted by pleasant tree-lined boulevards and quaint European architecture with classically styled two and three story buildings stretching down the road. Heading North, I hit the River Seine after a few blocks and got my first glimpse of the imposing Notre Dame church sitting right on the edge of the river. Tourist boats ply up and down along this stretch, and I joined the crowds in the courtyard in front of the ornate church, decorated with carvings and etchings of various kings and icons, along with the infamous gargoyles perched on the top corners of the structure, looking down at the people below. I was surprised to find that the church was free to enter, showing off some interesting altars and mosaics, with the most impressive features being large walls of stained glass, filtering in the light from the partly cloudy day outside. The weather forecast had looked bleak for my day in Paris, but soon enough the clouds started clearing away, and I was left with a nice, partially sunny day, enough to even leave me with a sunburn before the day was over (my sunscreen was in my checked bag still at the airport).
Moving on, still within the few blocks of the island in the middle of the river, Ile de la Cite, I passed a few more government looking buildings and stately structures, finding my way to Sainte Chapelle. The main draw of this chapel is the incredible walls full of stained glass, stretching nearly from the high ceilings to the floor below. Unfortunately, they are in the process of a 3-4 year restoration, so 3 of the 5 main panels in the front of the cathedral were blocked, though I still got to enjoy the intricate panels lining the side walls of the fairly narrow room. Chairs also lined the walls, allowing visitors to simply sit and stare upwards at the religious scenes and figures depicted in the glass above. Coming out, I ended up at the front stuff at the Palace of Justice, looking stately and somber.
As the clouds began to move away, I decided I should make my way to the Eiffel Tower while I had some good weather, just in case things turned bad later. Instead of using the subway or rental bikes stationed frequently along the way, I wanted to walk the long stretch to get a good feel for the city. As I meandered along the shores of the Siene, lined with willows and other trees, another huge stretch of an elegant, yellowish building along the opposite shore appeared, eventually opening at a bridge across the river with three archways, leading to the entrance to the world famous Louvre. It looked enticing, but I'd have to come back later. Soon after, I turned down a few random streets, all sporting tall residential looking buildings and often with small cafes or shops on the bottom. I thought I was taking a short cut, though the scale on my map proved to be much different than I expected. A little while later, I finally noticed one of the most recognizable sights in the world of architecture, a pointy structure of steel poking out above the skyline - the Eiffel Tower. A few blocks later, and I came upon the iconic view, sitting down to relax in the grassy squares sitting in the shadow of the huge tower built back in the 1880s or so for a World's Fair. It was highly criticized at the time, but it has now become a symbol of the city. I grabbed a quick lunch at a sandwich shop around the corner selling paninis with French bread, ham, turkey and cheese, and headed towards the base of the tower, getting closer and closer to the massive spire. I stood in line for about 15 minutes and got my ticket to get up to the top, opting for the cheaper and more active adventure of taking the stairs instead of simply using the lift.
10 or 15 hard minutes later, I was at the first stage, looking out over the city from a huge observation deck encircling the whole tower. The views of the city were marvelous, allowing me to spot Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, and myriad government buildings in every direction. A nice breeze was even blowing up there, though the weather wasn't quite as I'd expect at the end of July. I then made it up to the second level, about halfway up the tower. The views here were again impressive, though unsurprisingly similar to the views from the other observation deck a few minutes earlier. I opted not to take the lift up to the final level, as the tour groups and price both helped my decision.
Coming down, I decided to cross back over the river and walk up to the Arc de Triomphe, which also proved to be a much longer walk than I had expected. The massive roundabout finally came, and I saw the huge archway towering over the cars that twisted and turned, narrowly avoiding each other in a crazy dance to get across the many lanes of the traffic circle. From there, I walked down one of the most famous streets in the world, the Champs-Elysees. The boulevard is lined almost the entire way with trees providing a bit of shade, morphing from a very high-end shopping street to a place of government business and finally emptying into the huge gardens and entranceway into the Louvre. At this point, I was quite tired of walking with my heavy carry-on bag, so I took a few breaks in the park, watching the locals and tourists alike soak up the warm sun with their feet hanging in the edge of some of the fountain pools or just laying back in the grass. Up further, I came to the highly recognizable entrance to the Louvre, a huge glass triangle in the middle of a cobbled courtyard, surrounded on three sides by one of the world's greatest art museums, along with a statue of a general on a horse...probably Napoleon, but I can't read French, so who knows. Getting late in the afternoon, I didn't have time to actually go in the Louvre, but I'm sure it's great. I decided to get back towards my starting point, relaxing again at a few benches along the side of the river and the incredible buildings of the area.
After another quick stop at Notre Dame to enjoy the fading afternoon light, I headed back into Saint Germaine to wander a few side streets until finding a string of street cafes. I weighed my options and finally decided on a small place offering a good set meal of basic French food. I started with a (French) onion soup that was great, though I didn't realize the soup would literally be boiling when they brought it out, so I burned both my hand and my tongue. I followed this up with a bit of beef stew cooked with red wine, rice and potatoes before finishing up with an apple tart. My long day of walking was coming to an end, my legs were quite tired, but I had done my best to make the most of a quick stop in the City of Love. Getting back on the subway, I made it back to the airport with two hours to spare, getting ready for my 10-11 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. I got to be on the second level of the massive new Airbus 380, one of only 30 of these highly-acclaimed planes in operation at the moment. The plane was nice, and it was good to sit up on the second level, which stretched almost the whole length of the plane (it is usually only a few rows up there), though I was tired from walking all day around the city, so I managed to sleep for most of the flight before touching down in South Africa the next morning.
(Some of the beautiful stained glass inside Notre Dame cathedral.)
(Coming out of the beautiful Sainte Chapelle, I wound up in the parking lot of some government building - perhaps the Palace of Justice or something. Either way, it looked nice.)
(The iconic Eiffel Tower.)
(After climbing up many steps, I had some great views of the city from high above.)
(The long grassy expanse makes a great place for relaxing under the shadow of the tower.)
(Not quite as close as it looks on the map, the Arc de Triomphe isn't TOO far from the Eiffel Tower. At this point, I was getting a little tired of walking all around Paris, but it was still an amazing day, especially considering it was all just a long stopover on the way to Johannesburg.)
(Just outside the Louvre, many locals and tourists alike were out enjoying the beautiful day.)
(The classic inner courtyard and entrance to the most famous art museum in the world. The Louvre. You should know this stuff.)
(A scenic look back at the tiny Ile de la Cite, wedged in the middle of the River Seine.)
(I stopped back at Notre Dame around dusk before getting a quick dinner and heading back on the subway to the airport.)
(From Paris to Johannesburg, I flew on a brand new Airbus 380. Only 30 of these are in operation in the world right now. I got to sit in the upper deck, also. If you cared about any of that comment, you might be a nerd.)
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