Paris in 12 Hours or Less

Here we are....day 2 of real life in 2012. And my second blog....so far, I am keeping my New Years resolution. I can do this....

The Arc de Triomphe

So on our trip to Malta we had a 12 hour layover in Paris. Our plane landed at 9:30 am Paris time and didn't leave until 9:30 that night. Since neither of us had ever been to Paris, we knew that we needed to plan a trip around the city to see the sights. Plus, 12 hours in an airport can drive anyone downright in-sane.

Le Grande Roue

I did some research before we left on the best way to get into the city from the airport and ways to get around the city by ourselves. We decided on taking the train from CDG Airport into Paris and stopping at the Notre Dame Cathedral first. We knew that the Cathedral, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower were must sees.

First cafe we saw in Paris

We found a place to store our luggage at the airport since you can't check in more than 2 hours before your flight. With only our backpacks, we headed out in Paris. When the train arrived at our stop, we climbed the stairs to the street and I am not sure if it was the amount of time we had spent inside or on a plane or that Paris is just magical, but the moment we got to the top of the stairs and could look around we were blown away.

Notre Dame Cathedral

It was rainy and gray on New Years Day, but we loved that first rush of cold air and all of the people roaming the city. You could even still see the confetti and empty champagne glasses left around from the night before. Our first stop was to grab some lunch and coffee and set a plan.

Bowl of Coffee

Parisian Chicken Sandwich

Dan's Croque Madame. Amazing!

After lunch we went over to the Notre Dame Cathedral and looked around. We couldn't go inside, but the outside was gorgeous. There were tons of people taking pictures too. We then walked along the Seine and found our way to the Louvre. Again, tons of people milling around, but it was wonderful just to be there. Since it was New Years Day and a Sunday most everything was closed so we also didn't get to go into the Louvre, but that's fine with us. If we had one day in Paris we probably wouldn't have spent it in a museum anyway.

The Seine

From the moment we stepped out of the subway we could see the Eiffel Tower. As we walked it appeared to be getting closer. We had no idea quite how far from everything else it was...and it's not that far, but with 25 to 30 pounds of stuff in our backpacks and little to no sleep we were weary travelers. Both Dan and I had our moments of breakdowns where we just simply could not go on. Mine ended when Dan reminded me that I looked like a drunk homeless person crying on a bench and people were watching. All were true minus the drunk part. We were a wreck.

The Louvre

We did make it to the Eiffel Tower, but the line to go up to the second level was probably 200 people long on each leg. Since we are also not crazy about heights we opted to stay at the base and wander around. Unfortunately we didn't see anyone get engaged. I guess I always imagined people are constantly getting engaged at the Eiffel Tower. No idea why.

The Eiffel Tower

After a long long day of walking all through the city and seeing so many other crazy things we had had our fill. We hopped on the metro and headed back to the airport. Paris was definitely magical. And I can totally see why people love the city. It is beautiful, big, full of people and places to see. Maybe one day we will venture back...until then, au revoir Paris.