Day Two: Paris

- Elise

I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life. The London weather was actually quite tolerable, not at bad as everyone had told me it was going to be. So when we went out into Paris today I did not prepare myself for the weather properly.

And it was 2 degrees.

The day started well enough with a coach tour around Paris, seeing different things like the Ritz where Princess Diana stayed before she died, the Lourve, the Notre Dame, the National Assembly, the Hotel des Invalides, the Egyptian Obelisk which stands where the guillotine once did; and even where Napoleon went to military school and where he was buried. But no tour would be finished without a drop off at the Eiffel Tower. 

It was so foggy that we couldn't even see the top until later in the day, and only half of the elevators were running. We decided to skip the ride up to the top until we come back, and went with our new Contiki friends Jen and Kate to find a Cash Machine. Then it was onto the River Seine for a cruise to show us more of the sights. Because of all the melting snow and rain (presumably that is) we couldn't even go all the way down to the Notre Dame the river was swollen that much, so Justine and I headed into the Metro subway to catch a double decker train to the famous gothic cathedral. While on the train, 2 men were playing very French sounding music on the accordian. It was quite cultural to say the least.

I entered the cathedral with songs from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame stuck in my head, and left in a state of awed silence. The church is overwhelming. Every inch of it is simply amazingly crafted, and stunningly beautiful. I feel I could go there every day and still feel in awe of the power and presence it holds. We walked around the enormity (though are saving climbing the tower to another day) and ate lunch gazing at the back of the church. It was simply amazing.

Next off was a stop to the street Rue de Rivoli where we walked through the cold to find some warmer clothing. We finished at the Bastille station and a monument I presume stands where the prison once did, then it was onto the Metro to the other end of the street where we did some shopping at H&M. 

Feeling overwhelmed and having had very little sleep the night before, we decided that it was time to leave Paris for now and put everything on our to-do list for a few weeks. We rested up in the hotel before getting on the bus at 8.30pm to head off to the O Sullivans bar and club where Contiki had organised us free entry for New Years Eve.

Situated in the Montmartre, exactly next to the Moulin Rouge, we (that's us, Jen, Kate, Steph, another Kate, and Tiffany) were able to leave the club at 11 to walk up to Sacre Coeur where we saw the new year in eating Nutella crêpes and watching the Eiffel Tower light up between the people and the fog. The French were setting off their own fireworks in the street (one hit Justine on the back of the leg but I think she's going to live!) and it was simply amazing to hear the calls of Bonne Année as we wandered down the cobbled streets of Montmartre.

It was an amazing experience, despite the crowds and only being able to catch a glimpse of the tower for a minute. But the cultural experience is something I will never be able to replace.

 

Bonne Année everyone!