Paris with Pryor

Opéra Garnier

After getting back from Spain on Tuesday, I worked for a few days before I met Alex Pryor who is studying in Germany in the Paris train station.  We spent the weekend touring Paris. It was his first time here. We actually stayed in Paris too because the commute back to Compiègne would have been too much. Our hotel was reasonably cheap and huge, for a Parisian hotel that is, and we even got our own shower and toilet in our room! It’s the little things!

Notre Dame

Alex arrived late Friday night so we got dinner and then headed back to the hotel. Saturday morning we started our day off at the Bastille and worked our way down to Breakfast in America. Yes, we went to Breakfast in America. I know what you are all saying, not too French, but the food is really good and filling. I had real French toast and homefries. Yummy. If you remember I went to Breakfast in America back in August. Since then, they have built a second one and that is where we went this time.  After breakfast we continued on to Notre Dame, past the Louvre and onto the Eiffel Tower. At the Eiffel Tower, Alex and I stopped for lunch and sat along the Seine listening to a 

                                                                                         Native American band play. It was very 

                                                                                         unique.  

Louvre

Afterwards, we headed to the Champs-Elysées and the Arc du Triomphe. It started raining so we went shopping in a few stores and then by that time we were hungry again so we went to a pizzeria for dinner. Again, not too French. After dinner we were going to see a movie but we stumbled upon and Irish pub instead. We had Murphys, which was delicious as usual, and watched a Liverpool vs. Chelsea game. The bar was filled with a bunch of Irishmen. After the game, we met some kids at the bar and started talking with them and they knew the bartenders so we got free drinks for the rest of the night!

What a good dog!!

Sunday morning we got up and headed to Sacré Coeur and Montmartre. It was lovely as always. Then we made our way down to Moulin Rouge. Our next stop was the Opéra Garnier. I had wanted to tour the inside of the Opera house since I arrived in Paris, but never had had the chance to go in. It was gorgeous inside. I would love to see a ballet there someday. Afterwards we went to the Louvre, to actually go inside this time. It was the first Sunday of May so the Louvre was free to the public. Every first Sunday of the month is free admission. Everyone and their mother decided that they wanted to go to the Louvre so it was packed, but we still got to see all the main attractions.

Grand Hall at the Opéra Garnier

Theatre

Once we were done looking at art, we headed over to Montparnasse and had dinner before I dropped Alex off at the train station and headed back to Compiègne myself. It was nice to see a familiar face from home. Alex was determined to see as much as he could while he was here and we certainly accomplished that. We walked the entire length of the city! Well not really, but it seemed that way. It was nice to walk through all the streets, but it was very tiring.