So yesterday (Tuesday) after work I met up with my dad and we wandered along the Seine, checking out the bouquinistes booths that sell all sorts of old books, maps and Paris knick-knacks and getting some Berthillon ice cream on Ile-Saint-Louis. I got apricot and rose-raspberry, my dad got cassis and hazelnut. They were delicious. We grabbed a light dinner before heading to his somewhat belated Father's Day surprise...tickets to Santana! I grew up listening to him music with my dad and was taught to appreciate his guitar skills from a very young age. So how could I pass up the chance to see him with my dad in Paris!? It was my first time seeing him live, so it was pretty cool. Definitely had a blast.
While I was at work today my dad visited the Louvre and Musee L'Orangerie and then I met him in the Tuileries after I finished up. We rode the ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde and had some pretty cool views. It was a warm, gorgeous day. So, of course, we had to have some ice cream. I thought he should check out my favorite gelato, Amorino, with their flower shaped ice cream cones. One has chocolate/hazelnut surrounded by salted caramel and the other has amarena cherry surrounded by speculoos. Delicious!
From there he wanted to visit Montmartre so, for the third time, I took the metro there and climbed up an absurd number of steps (great for calf workouts though). We watched the oil painters and visited the Sacre Coeur and then sat on the steps just below it, enjoying the view and a very good singer/guitarist from Haiti. And, of course, we had to stop at the carousel and my dad insisted on actually going on a ride. So we rode on the upper level. I'm pretty sure my horse was faster.
After this we went south to the Catacombs to see how the line was since my dad's attempt yesterday had failed after the lines were extremely long, even though he got there before it opened. It was better today, around 530-6ish but still an hour wait and he didn't feel like that so we passed on it and just walked back north to the hotel. We rested for a bit and got a bite to eat at a nearby Moroccan restaurant and then took a taxi over to the Arc de Triomphe. We got there around 930 as the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. Beautiful lighting from below and then we walked up to the top (we did A LOT of stairs today). We stayed on top for a good hour watching the sun set and the lights of Paris turn on. Around 10 is when the Eiffel Tower lit up, but the sparkling lights did not go off. They go on the hour once the sun sets, so it varies on the time of year. But it was still beautiful just lit up regularly. In the far distance we could see the Sacre Coeur lit up as well. (You can see the difference with the pictures from before the city lights are on to after. It's about a 30m difference in timing when those were taken.)
The twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower would have to go at 11pm since they didn't go at 10pm, but they close the Arc at 11 and start kicking people out before that since you have to walk down all the stairs. So we headed out quickly and caught a cab over to the Trocadero Gardens just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to watch it get lit up. Portugal beat Wales 2-0 in the Euro Cup semi-final today so the colors were going through different teams and the final colors celebrate Portugal. It was pretty cool to watch. I'll be posting a video on Facebook of the lights.
So a great, action-packed day all-in-all. We both climbed around 55 flights of stairs, according to our FitBits. Pretty sure the calves will be burning tomorrow from that. But it was fun. Not 100% sure what the plan is tomorrow, other than family dinner with the cousins in Chatou. But I need to get some sleep. It's already after midnight and I have work in the morning. Bonne nuit!
While I was at work today my dad visited the Louvre and Musee L'Orangerie and then I met him in the Tuileries after I finished up. We rode the ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde and had some pretty cool views. It was a warm, gorgeous day. So, of course, we had to have some ice cream. I thought he should check out my favorite gelato, Amorino, with their flower shaped ice cream cones. One has chocolate/hazelnut surrounded by salted caramel and the other has amarena cherry surrounded by speculoos. Delicious!
From there he wanted to visit Montmartre so, for the third time, I took the metro there and climbed up an absurd number of steps (great for calf workouts though). We watched the oil painters and visited the Sacre Coeur and then sat on the steps just below it, enjoying the view and a very good singer/guitarist from Haiti. And, of course, we had to stop at the carousel and my dad insisted on actually going on a ride. So we rode on the upper level. I'm pretty sure my horse was faster.
After this we went south to the Catacombs to see how the line was since my dad's attempt yesterday had failed after the lines were extremely long, even though he got there before it opened. It was better today, around 530-6ish but still an hour wait and he didn't feel like that so we passed on it and just walked back north to the hotel. We rested for a bit and got a bite to eat at a nearby Moroccan restaurant and then took a taxi over to the Arc de Triomphe. We got there around 930 as the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. Beautiful lighting from below and then we walked up to the top (we did A LOT of stairs today). We stayed on top for a good hour watching the sun set and the lights of Paris turn on. Around 10 is when the Eiffel Tower lit up, but the sparkling lights did not go off. They go on the hour once the sun sets, so it varies on the time of year. But it was still beautiful just lit up regularly. In the far distance we could see the Sacre Coeur lit up as well. (You can see the difference with the pictures from before the city lights are on to after. It's about a 30m difference in timing when those were taken.)
The twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower would have to go at 11pm since they didn't go at 10pm, but they close the Arc at 11 and start kicking people out before that since you have to walk down all the stairs. So we headed out quickly and caught a cab over to the Trocadero Gardens just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to watch it get lit up. Portugal beat Wales 2-0 in the Euro Cup semi-final today so the colors were going through different teams and the final colors celebrate Portugal. It was pretty cool to watch. I'll be posting a video on Facebook of the lights.
So a great, action-packed day all-in-all. We both climbed around 55 flights of stairs, according to our FitBits. Pretty sure the calves will be burning tomorrow from that. But it was fun. Not 100% sure what the plan is tomorrow, other than family dinner with the cousins in Chatou. But I need to get some sleep. It's already after midnight and I have work in the morning. Bonne nuit!
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