When we finally arrived in Paris at 7am on the 27th it was 27 degrees for a high temp! We took the train straight into the city, and took the metro to our hotel, which was an adorable bed and breakfast near the bastille. The walls were old exposed brick and the rooms were quaint and small, but very cozy and beautifully put together. We bundled up and headed straight for the Louvre, the first major stop of our Paris adventure. On our walk we passed by some classic French sidewalk cafes and the crazy Pompidou Centre, famous for its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical, plumbing, climate control, and electrical systems. We didn’t go in this museum as our time was limited and it’s mostly famous for its exterior.
We continued on our walk towards the Louvre, and when we could see the river, we came right up on the Louvre on our right. I had no idea how massively huge it would be in real life. We walked into the courtyard and took a few pictures before moving into the next courtyard and stumbling upon the famous glass pyramid.
The entry line was extremely long, and we had originally intended to try to go through the Louvre this morning, but we got in a little later than expected and decided to put this off as a maybe we’ll add later if we have time. We mostly wanted to get our bearings on our first day anyway and just walk around getting to know the city. Our only scheduled event for the first day was our trip up the Eiffel Tower at 4:00, so we continued walking around the Louvre property, ogling the structure, and the massiveness, then continuing walking through the Jardin des Tuileries, reaching the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees.
By this time we were starving, and as if perfectly planned the celadon green facade of the infamous Laduree appeared and we stopped in for some lunch.
The food was good, but it’s definitely known for desserts and macaroons, and they are amazing! We left feeling more energized and continued our walk down the Champs to the Arc de Triomphe.
From the Arc, we walked towards the Trocadero area for our walk over the river. We got a gorgeous sneak preview of the tower between buildings on our walk.
Once in the Trocadero region, we walked through the Palais de Chaillot for one of the grandest views in the city as we approached the tower just across the river. Walking up to the Eiffel Tower was one of my most memorable experiences in Paris. The huge mass of steel is incredibly impressive and unlike anything I've ever seen before.
We picked the perfect time of day to go up the Eiffel. It was dusk, so we had some great light to see the 360 degree view of Paris, and while we were up , we watched the sun set over the river giving a beautiful glow to the city.
We went up the second elevator to the very tip top, at about 1000 feet. It was an absolutely stunning panorama of the Paris skyline and we could make out many of the landmarks, such as the Louvre, Musee D’orsay, and Napolean’s tomb, but I was the most cold I have ever been. The wind chills were in the negatives and the frostbite was definitely setting in.
We stayed just long enough to take in the view, and then headed down. Leaving the Eiffel, we crossed the bridge again and took some time to enjoy the view at twilight and watch the sun finally set as the tower lit up for the evening. It really is one of the most gorgeous sights in the city, and it was so romantic to stand there together on our first night in Paris.
We then headed out to our hotel to defrost and clean up for dinner. We ate in our area at a great little sidewalk bistro, Chez Gaston. Drew tried his first real fois gras, and we both enjoyed it. I had a salmon dish, drew had entrecote (ribeye) and we finished with some crème brulee. We went to bed, happy, satisfied, and exhausted, and ready for day 2.
bonne nuit paris
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