Sightseeing In Paris

Paris was not on my 'bucket list'. I have never saved my pennies and planned a romantic getaway with my DH to take in the sights. It never called to me.

So, when the other refugee wives said they were taking a sightseeing trip out of the hotel today, I said, "I'm in." Not because I cared about seeing the sights, but more because I think it's good to get out of this tiny room whenever possible. You want to go to the mall? I'm in. You want to walk down to a restaurant? I'll come with. You see my plan?

So, this morning I dressed up warm, put on walking shoes and met the girls downstairs. All three of them have been to Paris on trips before. A couple of them love designer shops and were excited to see some of the things. They kept deferring to me because they assumed I had some agenda of sights that I 'must see' to call Paris done in my book. I kept telling them that I was along for the ride, or walk as it were.

We started out from the hotel and went down to the Grande Arche de la Defense. Not because we are enamored of modern architecture... not because we wanted to explore the dichotomy of old arches versus new ones. We went there because that's where the entrance to the train station was.

We rode down the line for a stop and got out, went up to street level and were less than a block away from the Arc de Triomphe.
I find it completely entertaining that these two edifices face each other across a few miles of Paris. The modern arch stands in the business district and the old arch down in the middle of town. It's a hoot, architecturally. At least it makes me smile.

Then we schlepped down the Champs Elysee. Possibly I should have been more impressed with all the glamorous shops, but it's really not my cup of tea. I'm not much of a shopper. Or I should say, I'm a 'hunter' not a 'gatherer'. We walked clear down to the end of the street and we passed a few things along the way.
There is a big museum of modern art that has an amazing roof. It has arcs of glass that look like atrium or sunrooms that wing off the basic structure. The front colonnade has this gorgeous sculpture gracing the top. I guess I should be more excited about the Monet exhibit, but since the rest of the gals weren't interested in going IN the museum, I contented myself with admiring the architecture outside.

We walked on down the Champs Elysees and it's like a long park. At one crosswalk, I noticed this wrought iron piece standing in pride of place.
Could be a fountain turned off for the season. Could be a trashcan, I just don't know. What impressed me was the ornate, detailed ironwork. And the fact that it's just standing there, unprotected. The gorgeous Grecian styled goddesses are running away from the center of the column and you can just see the joy on their faces. It's really a stunning piece. I still have no idea what it is.

We walked on down to the Place de la Concorde. That's a really large plaza known especially for the Luxor Obelisk.
The Luxor Obelisk is a grand piece of Egyptian art gifted to France from Egypt years ago. From this square, it was a few steps to the Tuilleries, which are gardens that lie along the Seine river. We walked up a few steps and had a view of both the Obelisk and the Eiffel Tower in the background. At this point, I'm two for two on sights in Paris I can tick off my list. But, oh yeah. I don't have a list of sights. Still, it's pretty cool to say I saw these two things. The prospect from this square is really nice. You can see right up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe.
I liked the view up between the two horse statues. It's quite impressive in person. We walked a lot today. Went from this point down to the Place Vendome to see the Vendome Column. Okay. We really didn't go to see the column. One of the gals is a 'royal watcher' and she really wanted to see the Ritz hotel where Princess Diana spent her last days.

We did all this sightseeing by foot and riding the subway for approximately $3 US. We sat in a Parisian sidewalk cafe (COLD!) and drank hot drinks to warm up. We navigated the subways without getting lost. I even managed to do all the walking without getting a blister from my new shoes. So, all in all, a big win for Team Wagner.

I'll probably go back out tomorrow. If you want to see ALL the photos I took on the trip, they are posted in Facebook. Paris has really interesting architecture. I'm sure I'll find something to add to, then cross off, my list.

--Sandee Wagner