A love story along the river Seine.. Our splendid travel to the capital of France, Paris

I am back from 2 wonderful weeks of travel, with the batteries fully charged!
First stop: London!
Second stop: Paris!
What about Paris that has not already been said? The city certainly needs no introduction! Beautiful, regal, romantic, lively, cheerful, austere, these and many more are the faces of Paris, that after 17 years I finally reviewed as they should, and I have literally fallen in love ... I saw many cities, but I think Paris, Rome and later in New York City together, has become one of my places of the heart!
I arrived from London via the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel ... 2 and a half hours fly! Arrival at the Gare du Nord and transfer to the hotel Timhotel Montparnasse, Montparnasse metro Benvienue, 20 meters from the Tour Montparnasse. I would highly recommend the accommodation here, I found myself very well, excellent value for money: 525 € x the bedroom with private bath for 7 nights, large room, always clean, as well as the bathroom, great location, the neighborhood is lively and safe even at night and is also well served by four metro lines, which optimizes all movements of course! Breakfast was not included, but is near pienodi coffee (actually strategic expensive!), I always went to the Gare Montparnasse from Paul, where we took a little of the pasta with delicious and enormous orange juice before heading out to discover the city!
I purchased before leaving the Paris Pass, the advantage over the Paris Museum Pass is that it also includes the transport (the Paris Visite), and that in addition to the inputs provided in the Paris Museum Pass (almost everything from museums to the palace of Versailles) is also available to the cruise on the Seine with Bateaux Parisienne, a guided tour of the Opera Garnier, the climb to the Tour Montparnasse, the Grevin wax museum, and various discounts in shops and restaurants.
What I was able to visit in 7 days? Saying all would be an exaggeration, of course! But surely the most important things in Paris: Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Musee du Quay Branly, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle (unfortunately under renovation!), Latin Quarter, Saint Germain de Pres, the beautiful gardens of Paris , Orangerie .... Information that does not know is that the museums of Paris (the permanent collections at least) is free admission for all, as the Petit Palais, Highly recommended, the Musee Carnavalet, Victor Hugo's house in the Place de Vosges, and other !
For the ascent of the Eiffel Tower (a must!) I booked online on the official website of the tower: you can choose to climb up to the second or third floor (lift both), then you must specify the date and time at which you want to go up there and looks at the indicated time: In ten minutes we found ourselves at 300 feet above Paris, skipping file kilometers incredible! There we made the descent on foot to admire the magnificent structure of the tower, a lovely, especially at night from 10, on the hour every hour, one thousand lights come on for 5 minutes, I am up to 19.30 and I saw a beautiful sunset for those who wish to see Paris lit up, I suggest you go up around 9, when it begins to get dark!

 

We arrive at the Gare du Nord after 2 hours by train strangely pleasant! The time to buy a day pass, and we reach our hotel by metro, right in front of the Montparnasse Tower!
Satisfied with the system, starting immediately to visit Paris: the day is fantastic and now we go to wander around Montmartre, which will be one of the most beautiful sights of Paris: the Sacre Coeur, the steep slopes, narrow streets from the retro, Place des Abbesses and the wall of "I love you", the Moulin Rouge ... everything is beautiful!
At about six we moved to Trocadero, where we make the first acquaintance with the Eiffel Tower: simply wonderful! The gardens are filled with many people and many bathe in the beautiful fountains, and the Tour, at the height of its new paint job, give their best. At 7:30 p.m. we present the turnstiles to get on top, and the reservation on-line is a perfect choice, because in just 10 minutes climb over the crowd and find ourselves in the heart of the tower directly to the summit! The view is something indescribable, I advise anyone not to stop on the second floor, but getting to the end, you'll be rewarded with a real show! After 20 000 usual photos, we descend on foot to the ground from the second floor to admire the intricate structure of the tower is beautiful at any angle, especially with the sunset.
We move with the subway near the Arc de Triomphe looking for a "healthy" McDonald's, and then return the foot of the Tour just in time to admire the spectacle of a thousand lights that light up from 10 at the stroke of every hour for 5 minutes! They are not even in Paris one day and already I'm leaving you win ...

Today we planned to visit Notre Dame and the gallery of the chimeras, but time is a bit 'cloudy and so folded to the Louvre.
Going down to the metro station "Palais Royal", with direct access to the museum via the so-called "inverted pyramid" (those who have read The Da Vinci Code certainly will remember it), and miles of traffic jams. We have free admission with a pass, and once taken the plan, we program the most suitable route to see at least the most important works.
The museum is huge and you would have to have well over half a day to enjoy the masterpieces on display in galleries, art greek Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Assyrian, Italian and French painting ... For me, I love art, this is paradise!
Around lunch time we move to the Palais Royal gardens and the beautiful, and we continue to the Opera Garnier: The pass entitles you to a guided tour in English, but leaves at 2:30 p.m., so let's jump to the nearby Galeries LaFayette pending. The guided tour is very heavy, we understand very little of what the guide says, so soon we move away from the group and begin to explore the Opera on our own (much better). Worth much, the rooms are very luxurious!
From Opera reach the Madeleine, where you can enjoy a beautiful view in perspective in the National Assembly to the Left Bank, and then Place de la Concorde, a huge open space where time stands the famous guillotine of the Revolution.
The day has definitely improved and is quite hot, so having the Tuileries at hand, we make a stop at the beautiful gardens filled with flowers and statues, and especially with the huge fountains refreshing!
Now we visit the Orangerie, the museum housing the famous Monet. And 'one of the most beautiful museums I've ever seen: simple, harvesting, really expresses the will of the painter to dwell on works that are more beautiful than the last!
We go to the Defense to enjoy the sunset time from the Grande Arche, a huge, then it is time for the cruise on the Seine: hour by boat on the river which starts from the Eiffel Tower and reach the Ile Saint Louis ... romantic!

Disneyana parentheses after the previous day, we are ready to immerse yourself in the magical Paris.
Today we depart from the beautiful Notre Dame: we start immediately in a row (outside, along the right side of the cathedral) to climb the towers, since the pass, for safety reasons, we do not allow us to use the "jump-code ". They get 20 people every 10 minutes, then the wait is really infinite, but after an hour and a half we reach the large gallery of chimeras and make friends with the legendary gargoylles. The view is magnificent and the statues are beautiful, and there is a chance to visit Emmanuel, the main bell, and an additional rise to the top (but we gave up because it was drizzling and the view was superb so already). On the square there is the crypt, which allows you to visit the Roman ruins of the ancient Parisii Paris was actually born on the Ile de la Cité.
Continue, given the proximity, in the direction of Sainte Chapelle: Unfortunately, the windows of the chapel choir were in greater restructuring, and the effect was much reduced in the scaffolding, but the chapel and the windows are beautiful and unmissable. We also visit the Conciergerie, or prisons, where there is a reconstruction of the cell where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before decapitation.
The day suddenly becomes clear and after lunch we go now in Beaubeaurg: we see the beautiful Saint Eustache, Forum des Halles, to the Centre Pompidou. I've become fond of in recent years and the Pompidou modern buildings is incredible: from the top floor the view is outstanding (but there will be in Paris a poor vantage point?), And the museum of modern art very interesting.
From the Centre Pompidou reach the Hotel de Ville, the Paris City Hall, L'Ile Saint Louis, going back to Notre Dame (beautiful even on the back, flourished from the square you can enjoy the prospect of flying buttresses) and go to the Latin Quarter, swarming people and inviting restaurants! We get groped by a delicious nutella crepes and then, not yet satiated, eat a very good paella in a Spanish restaurant nearby.

Today is the turn of Versailles.
With the RER in a while we get to the station Versailles Rive Gauche, which is 5 minutes walk from the palace.
The castle is a must-stop in my view, not only for the building itself, and lavish opulence at the highest levels (the magnificent Hall of Mirrors), but also and perhaps especially the gardens, the best I've ever seen, riccgi of statues, fountains, beautiful flowers. The gardens are so big that it is possible to rent bicycles or electric cars, and lakes are rented paddle boats for the most romantic. The visit of the palace is just spoiled by the human tide that engulfed today: never in my life seen so many people crammed into a building!
Also open from 12 Trianons the two: for reasons of time, I chose to only visit the Petit Trianon, the favorite residence of Marie Antoinette, recently restored, it is worth and the gardens are once again beautiful.
After lunch, we return to Paris and stop at the Eiffel Tower, direction: Musee du Quay Branly. The museum, opened in 2006, deals with African art, Asian and Aboriginal, exposures are very rich but it's a bit 'difficult without an audio guide, find their way among all those totems! The building is very nice, and beautiful gardens in the shadow of the tour.
Along the Seine, we get to walk to the Musee d'Orsay: Another "must"! The Impressionists are best at, and the former railway station has been restored to perfection! Too bad it is no longer possible to photograph!
It 'almost time for dinner, so, through the Tuileries to the Louvre Pyramid, in the Montparnasse area back ... after dinner waiting for us the view from the tower: Paris illuminated as seen from the platform has no equal except ! But it's too cold to wait for the hour and see the Eiffel Tower light up, so back to the hotel.

The day was magnificent and discover the Paris Napoleon: Get off at Invalides and we avvicinaimo Hotel des Invalides and the Dome which houses the remains of the French emperor.
Nearby there is also the Musee Rodin: worth it if only to visit the beautiful gardens attached to the building that house the museum.
We cross the Pont Alexandre III and arrive at the Grand and Petit Palais, the Grand Palais is not open, but at the Petit Palais is a never-ending queue to visit the temporary exhibition devoted to YSL. The building also houses the Museum of Fine Arts, which, as the civic museum, is free admission for everyone: the museum is great for the collection and the building that houses it, I highly recommend it to everyone!
After lunch, we face the very long Champs Elysee, the road is nothing short of phenomenal, if not the usual designer stores, inaccessible to most people, but the perspective views the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde are magnificent!
Arrived Arc de Triomphe, immediately to the terrace (of course:)), the steps are very tiring, but reached the top there is a generous reward! Inside the arch there is also a museum dedicated to the history of the monument.
With the subway we go in search of Hard Rock Cafes, and while we're in the area, having it free, we take advantage to enter the Musee Grevin, or wax museum: it is a kind of Madame Tussaud's as though most of the statues French celebrities are dedicated to current and past episodes and reconstruction of the history of France! We spent an hour or so fun!
After dinner, we return to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars we rest until sunset. The tower will not be stressed enough!

Our first destination today is Saint Germain de Pres's raining now and take refuge inside the beautiful church. Fortunately, the time Parisians are quite fleeting (I will be denied on the last day!), So just go out, the sun has reappeared!
We're going to see Saint-Sulpice, a beautiful church with a beautiful square, made famous by The Da Vinci Code by Brown to the Rose Line.
The church is near the Luxembourg gardens as well, now that the sun shines, they become a must, the gardens are beautiful, as usual, full of flowers and statues (including a miniature of the Statue of Liberty), and house the headquarters the French Senate, right in the middle of the garden with a pond in front of octagonal in which children are to benefit their boats!
After a little 'healthy relaxation, we continue to the Pantheon, and to the Latin Quarter. We do not have time to take a picture at the Sorbonne, which starts raining big time! We take refuge in the Musee du Moyen Age, or museum of the Middle Ages, really interesting, with the beautiful medieval tapestries and jewelry! It stops raining just when we finish the tour, so, along Boulevard Saint Germain, we arrive at the Institute du Monde Arabe, beautiful with the sun! the view from the terrace on the top floor is unique, and shows very nice! The real beauty, but needless to say, is in the facade panels that work just like a camera lens to capture light. Wonderful.
By the IMA reach Place de la Bastille, where I taste the most delicious crepes of the whole trip, and the beautiful Place des Vosges. Too bad arriving late, otherwise I would have gladly visited the house of Victor Hugo, also the civic museum in Paris and with free admission.
I have strongly recommended to visit the Marais, so we pass on the streets of this neighborhood, full of life, shops and art, to the hotel de ville.
We reach Notre Dame, beautiful at sunset, and enter the church, since the last time we had only visited the towers: The time is perfect because the windows do come in all colors and lights make the interior of gold ' austere cathedral, and is celebrated the mass.
Let us again to the Latin Quarter, where we eat a delicious savory crepes for dinner (with ham and cheese, one will feed us both!) And witness the dancing hip hop to a group of talented street dancer, and we move right in Montmartre in time to make the magnificent photo of the church silhouetted against a fiery sunset!
Expect to see the dark face lit Moulin Rouge, and after the classic photos of the ritual, we return to the hotel for the last night in Paris!

It 's our last day in Paris and, unfortunately, will not be the best!
I wanted to visit the Jardin des Plantes, the cemetery Pere Lachaise and much more, but the weather was very inclement weather, will not stop raining all day!
So, after check out, go to the Villette science museum in Paris, in my view, very excited by the guides, but leave them out altogether as a goal. Beautiful but the Geode, the huge mirror ball in which a cinema.
As the weather not improving, see what attractions we have covered the pass available, and we head to the Trocadero, which houses the museum of architecture, to the delight of my boyfriend engineer.
The plane leaves at 21:30 but the shuttle bus waiting for us for 18 to Porte Maillot, so, after the visit, a bit 'sad return to the hotel to take your luggage.
Paris is really beautiful. After Rome, which for reasons of the heart comes first in my personal rating is certainly the most beautiful European capital, and along with NY, winning the right podium for my preferences. I did not think I would have liked a lot, but when you are there, avenues, squares and gardens in the maniacally, in front of its famous monuments and the Seine, with the music of street musicians in the background, it is impossible not spark!