It was much taller than I expected it to be. I didn't pay the nine euros to get a good view - I'd rather have breakfast instead. Pan au chocolat, of course.I walked by Les Invalides and was searching for the Seine. Unfortunately, I had confused the locations of Les Invalides with the Eiffel Tower, so finding the Seine was quite a bit more of an adventure than it should have been. It was all worth it, though. The Seine might be my favorite part of Paris.
It was an excellent time of year to be in Paris. Almost every tree had started changing colors.
I walked to Ile de la Cite. I had to meet up with Vio, another couchsurfer, in an hour. Until then, I chilled out on the park on the very tip of the island and did some quality peoplewatching.Vio was not my next host, but a "coffee or drinker." As a couchsurfer, you don't necessarily have to let someone sleep over to host them. Another option the website gives is to simply meet up with surfers for a "coffee or drink" and show them around your town a little bit.
We meet at the huge glass pyramid in the Louvre. From there, we decided to go to Montmarte. Since it was a nice day, we rented a couple bicycles. (In Paris, there are random, automated bicycle rental stations. Using a credit card, you can rent a bike for a euro per hour. These stations are located all over the city, so it really is a convenient way to get around.) Riding a bike through Paris was an exceptional experience - I'd recommend it to any visitors.
Anyone who has been in Paris can tell you that Montmarte is on top of a really high hill. When we finally reached the bike station, there were no other bikes present (each station has space for fifteen bikes).
On top of Montmarte is the Bascillica de la Sacre Coeur, the big white church. Really beautiful inside. Unfortunately, my camera was out of batteries and I'd only be able to take pictures sporadically from this point on. There was a beautiful view of Paris right outside Sacre Coeur (and it was free!) We had some crepes for a snack, stopped by the Moulin Rouge, then found an Australian pub. After a few drinks, we parted ways. I was staying in another hostel that night, so I showed up, stumbled through some French phrases, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, the free breakfast offerred was especially classy. Instead of cornflakes, they had a crazy frakencereal - half oatmeal, half Fruit n Fiber. They also gave away milk. Since I was far more aware of Parisien prices, I had three bowls for breakfast (plus the bread). Sated, I was off to go see Les Invalides, the military museum.
Les Invalides was one of my favorite parts of Paris. They had extensive exhibits on WWI and WWII, military artefacts from the thirteenth century onward (like the arms and armor room in Cleveland's Art Museum, but an couple orders of magnitude larger), Napolean's Tomb, and the Cathedral Saint-Louis
Behind this main part of the cathedral, there was a special room for royalty. This way, they could attend the same mass as the common soldier. The sentiment was overwhelming.After spending the day in Invalides, I met up with Julien, my host for the remainder of the week. He found a cheap bar and we had a few pints before meeting up with Micheal, an English surfer for the first night I was there. We found more beer and falafel crepes. A good night by any standard.
Most of the places you visited in Paris were those I also had seen although I had not been in as many bars. It was against the law to drink in a bar in a religious habit. (I made that up). Sacre Coer was especially beautiful. We heard mass at Notre Dame. Most of the churches, at least in the '50's in Parish had no pews and few chairs so church-goers usually stood while attending mass. The Hunchback was nowhere to be seen.
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