Today was the BUSIEST DAY thus far in Paris. We woke up fairly early because we had an appointment with Ms. Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum at 9:30am. But before that, we stumbled upon a Sunday food market and obviously had to stop and walk through, even though we didn't have intentions of buying anything. Locals walked around with their baskets, going to each stand and buying fruit, vegetables, flowers, nuts, fish, pastries, you name it they had it. We were lucky enough to watch this market get set up from our hotel window this morning since it was located directly under the train. It was long enough that it started at the train stop across from our hotel and ended at the next stop that was a decent distance away.
We made it to the Louvre Museum twenty minutes before our 9:30 reservation and had to wait on line until then to get let in. It's a good thing we got there early because the line started to get longer and longer as it got closer to our reservation time, the line only got longer. It wrapped around the museum so even if you have a reservation, I recommend getting there as early as possible so you are not at the back of the line.
The Museum is huge and has lots of floors. It is fun to get lost and wander around all of the floors. The Mona Lisa is located on the first floor (which is the same as the second floor for all you non-Europeans) and was insane to see in real life. It is another must-do when in Paris but don't get your hopes up too high. The painting is iconic of course but visiting it was a little underwhelming. The painting is 30 inches by 21 inches and is the only thing hanging on the wall so it looks very small and like any photo you've ever seen of it. Walking around the painting and watching her eyes "follow" me was really cool though and made the experience worth it.
Do not leave the museum after you see the Mona Lisa, get your money's worth! There are amazing sculptures, paintings, artifacts, and crowns with sparkly jewels throughout the museum. Get a map when first walking in to see which time periods to see art from.
From the Louvre, we got on a metro to Princes Park (which was basically on the other side of town) to get ready for the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) game. Soccer is taken very seriously here and the entire street leading up to the arena is blocked off and only people with a ticket can get into the blocked area.
This was my first soccer game and man oh man, it did not disappoint. I truly did not know what to expect because I have never watched soccer on TV or ever so I was kind of going in blind. Upon entering the arena, I got a red hat with the PSG logo on the front and a blanket since I'm chronically cold.
Our seats were basically front row and we could see all the players up close. There were blue papers on our seats to hold up before the game started to make the French flag. Other rows had white and red papers. Right before the game started, we all held up our papers. Then all at once, papers were being crumpled into balls and hitting me and everyone else in the lower rows in the head. I guess it's a thing to throw the papers down when the game starts. Some people made paper airplanes and flew them onto the field.
The food at the stadium was amazing. I only had french fries but they might have been the best I ever had. A plate of fries and water in a souvenir cup was €9 and I was shocked by that. In the US at any sports game, that would have cost at least $20.
Behind the opponents goal, the seats are filled with super fans who chant and cheer and sing and dance the ENTIRE GAME. You would think I'm kidding but no, they would not stop and I honestly loved every second of it. I was getting so into the game and even though I had no idea what was going on, I cheered when the crowd cheered and booed when the crowd booed. Everything was also in French (obviously) so it was a little hard to understand what the people were saying. It was a high scoring game but PSG ended up losing (sadly).
The day was not over yet...once we got to the metro and found our train, we visited Sacre Cœur. This is where The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris is located in Montmartre. The view of the city and basilica at the top of the steps was worth the walk up all 300 stairs.
If you go here, be aware of the scammers, they hang out here and look for tourists. Here, we saw many guys with the "friendship bracelets" who pull on your wrists and try to tie a bracelet around it, then demand money. There were also guys selling locks and random things everywhere as we were walking up the steps. This made the experience a little less enjoyable because we couldn't walk ten steps without being asked if we wanted to buy something.
Walking down the steps, we saw the famous sinking house that's NOT ACTUALLY SINKING! I came here thinking this house was about to fall into the ground but no, it is a completely standing and secure building. The camera angle when a photo is taken is what makes it look like it's sinking. Thanks to the internet for getting my hopes up.
We ended the day by spontaneously going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and seeing France from a birds eye view. I recommend this to anyone who is visiting France as a must do. The Eiffel Tower is separated into two different sections. The first elevator took us up to the middle section where a restaurant is located. The second elevator took us up to the tippy top of the tower where we were able to get out and walk around.
Seeing Paris from 984 feet in the air was incredible. We looked to our left and saw the Louvre and then turned to the right and saw the Arc de Triomphe. The ride up was less than three minutes total and being inside the tower feels so surreal.
We came down and walked out of the tower just as it was starting to sparkle. This was the last time we saw it sparkle from up close and made sure to take it all in.
The perfect day ended with a yummy cookie butter crêpe at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Paris was a dream I never wanted to wake up from. Until next time, Paris. Au revoir.
BS