When Marcy and I returned from our trip to Bretagne, we had sufficiently indulged in chocolate, crepes and caramel sauce. But, we had some sightseeing left to do...
Thursday:
Somehow, Marcy managed to sleep until like noon. I don't know how the girl does it and honestly, but she works hard and must have been exhausted. So, there was no run again (oops) and unfortunately, since I was due at the center to tutor the kiddos at 4, she had to head out without me. I armed her with a metro map and a street map, showed her where to find Musee d'Orsay, and sent her on her way. And, she made out just fine, getting back to Neuilly-Plaisance around maybe 9:30ish?
Friday:
Marcy really wanted to go to Versailles and the weather forecast was good, so we headed on our way. The ride was so much easier than I remember it being last time I was in France (knowing the metro system well and also having a Zone 1-4 pass that included the Versailles stop on the RER C definitely helped) and it was gorgeous. While the fountains aren't on yet, we had a great time touring the castle, walking the gardens, and deciding whether or not we wanted to rent a row boat to go out on the little pond (we ultimately opted to get snacks and watch everyone else struggle in their boats instead).
Then, since the Eiffel Tower is also on the RER C, we decided to head back for a climb Friday afternoon. The line was long, but we decided to wait it out and after about an hour and a half, we boarded the elevator (I took the stairs last time and refused to do it again).
While waiting, we had the cutest two kids right behind us who were there with their dad. They were maybe 3 and 5 and were so well-behaved and pleasant, despite the wait.
There was also a hilarious gentleman in the middle of the space under the Eiffel Tower that entertained us for quite some time by interacting with people crossing through the square. He pretended that one woman was his wife; he walked behind another man imitating him (but the man didn't know he was being mocked); and he pretended to karate chop many many Asians.
By the time we got up the tower, the sun was setting and it was beautiful! We went all the way to the top, despite my fear of heights. I feel bad because in the elevator to the top, I got a little nervous and a nice little girl who was maybe 10 or 11 kept telling me it would be okay. And it was more than okay - totally worth it and beautiful!
Just as we hit the bottom of the tower, it was 8 pm and it started to sparkle. We quickly ran to catch pictures before the show was over. Man, Paris is beautiful at night!
We then headed to dinner where we found a restaurant called "Le Bistro 30," perfect considering that we were spending the week celebrating our 30th birthdays! The food and wine were great.
Not ready to end the night, we wandered into La Taverne de Cluny which featured some live music and Delirium beers for 5 Euros per bottle. While wine is super-cheap here, beer is exceptionally expensive. But, 5 Euros for a bottle of Delirium (a strong Belgian beer that is 8.5%) is a pretty good deal and it is fantastic beer. Marcy had the brown (Nocturn) and I had the red (cherry flavored - one of my all-time favorite beers now). And, as a bonus, our waiter was wearing a leprechaun hat/beard, albeit a week or so early.
We were discussing the beer and admiring the labels (Marcy carefully tore them off and kept them) when the couple next to us struck up conversation with us. They were Australian and Pete, the man, also loves beer! His girlfriend is on a work assignment in Madrid, so he was visiting her and they made a stop in Paris. After talking with them for a while, sharing a plank of Bailey's shots and some cheese, and enjoying the music, Marcy and I headed off to catch the last RER home, which we did, thankfully!
Saturday:
This was our last day together and after breakfast (and lots of coffee for Marcy, haha) we headed to Montmartre/Sacre Coeur where Amanda joined us for the afternoon. We did some exploring, bought a few gifts, and then headed back into Paris for a while. Earlier in the week, Marcy and I had decided to go out Saturday night, but unfortunately Amanda couldn't join us.
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So, around 6 pm, we parted ways with her, picked up a bottle of wine and headed back to Neuilly-Plaisance to get ready for our night out. Earlier in the day, Marcy had asked Marie-Christine to pick up some Sophies for her (plastic giraffe toys that are traditional gifts for each child born in France) and they were waiting for us at home! There was also some yummy crumble left at the house which we ate, along with some cheese, while we enjoyed our wine!
The night started back at La Taverne de Cluny. Unfortunately, they were out of the Delirium red we were craving, so we had to settle for the Tremens (blonde), which was also great. Our waiter (the same guy from Friday night, minus the beard) recommended a place for us to go dancing, so we headed off around 11:30 pm to find it. It was a cave bar with rooms for dancing and it was pretty cool. Bars like this are pretty common in France, but not so much in the U.S.
Basically, when we entered it was tiny upstairs, but upon descending, there are several caves that serve as rooms with the bars and dancing. We had a good time and met some interesting people - I found another Maine connection when we started talking with some guys doing a master's program outside of Paris, and one of them was from Freeport - crazy small world! While we had fun, we were getting tired and around 3 am we left the bar in search of food. We found a place where we ordered a cheese plate and I had a cocktail that came with a sparkler in it (I didn't grab my camera quick enough to catch it on film)...
While we had originally thought we'd stay out until the first metro, we were beat, and convinced a cab driver to bring us home around 4 am (it was a bit expensive, but worth the 33 Euros so we could sleep).
Sunday:
Marcy managed to get all of her stuff back in her suitcase (and it was still a bit too heavy, but she just hoped the person checking her in on the way home would be as nice as the one when she arrived) and Marie-Christine made her some salmon for lunch. Earlier in the week, I had suggested Ophelie drive to the airport since she has her permit (you can't get your driver's license until 18 here) and needs practice hours, and Philippe agreed. So, off the four of us went, and Ophelie did a great job!
It was sad to see Marcy go, but we had a fantastic visit and it was great to be able to share a bit of my world in Paris with her!
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