Travels With Barb: Paris in Springtime!

What a thrill to go to Paris from London on the Eurostar! The train was traveling fast. We were going about 150 miles an hour! This was our first experience taking the Chunnel and it’s the only way to go.

Once we got out of the city, we went through the English country side, then for about 30 miles, we were underground, under the English Channel, about 225 ft. below the surface of the water and into France.

Bonjour!

Coming out of the train station, we immediately got hustled into taking a taxi for a lot more money than we had planned. But! When we got to the hotel we decided to let it roll off our shoulders. The Hotel is on Rue Bergere, in a wonderful location and walking distance to many great sites. For instance, Corcoran’s Irish Pub for a pint or a glass of French wine.

After unpacking and getting settled in, we walked the 30 minutes up hill to Montmartre. I was wishing I had my fitbit with me, would like to know how many steps I took that day. Just when we thought we were there, is when the real climb would begin. As you’ll see in the pictures, there’s steps that take you to the very top, unless you do as we did and take the funicular, the cable car.

The beautiful church, Sacre Coeur and the gorgeous view of the city is there to greet you. There are lots of restaurants, pubs, artists painting, sketching and doing characterizations. One of the best things about being in Europe, is being able to sit outside while having dinner. The weather has been warm and sunny and the flowers are beautiful. On our way back down, we stopped at Bella Italiano for spaghetti and yet another glass of French wine.

Our next day, we took the City Bus Tour (The Big Bus). It was a great tour of Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Arch de Triumph, Champs - Elysees and the magnificent Eiffel Tower. We ended the tour with ice cream at Isle St. Louis and a walk along the Seine.