Coolest Church: Notre Dame, with Sacre Coeur Basilica running a close second. I have seen many cathedrals and churches in England, but nothing that compared to these two. They were huge and beautiful and ornate and just breathtaking.
These two churches are really just at the heart of the city. Notre Dame actually sits on an island in the middle of the Seine River and you can see its two towers from practically everywhere. We happened to go in when they were having a mass service and we watched them serve communion as we walked around the outer part of the cathedral.
Sacre Coeur is high up on a hill in Montmartre and is a very different style. It has a huge rounded dome and I think is in an Italian style. The inside was simply beautiful. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but the views outside were pretty nice too.
Most likely to have Brain Damage: Like I said, Sacre Coeur Basilica is pretty high up. To get to the top, you have two choices: climb the stairs or take the funicular (tram) with a metro pass. Wow. What a hard choice.
On our way up the funicular, I saw a young man choose to run down the flat area beside the stairs – sort of like a ramp, but meant to be decorative – instead of taking the stairs. At first, I just thought it was amazing how fast he was running. Then he tripped. With such speed, you can only imagine how he tumbled head over heels down the stone ramp, only sliding to a stop on his back at a landing. I gasped loudly, I was sure he had broken bones – or worse. But then he pumped his fist, I guess to prove to the world that he was fine. He walked away. I’ll bet he has bruises. And brain damage.
Best Food in Paris: Crepes. Followed by chocolate bars and chocolate chip pastries.
Best Place for Crepes: Cafés by Notre Dame. Is that even debatable? Try the Noix de Coco (nutella and coconut). It is to die for. Oh, and the ham and cheese. Actually, try all of them.
Best Toilettes: Notre Dame courtyard. I would know; I used them four times. Hey, like I told Holly, don’t be mean. They were free, clean, and I knew where they were.
Most Used Word or Phrase: Pardon! Used as an apology when you bump into someone or as an announcement when you need to wiggle your way out of the metro. Either way, know it. And pronounce it right.
Most Preferred Make-out Spot: I think I saw the most couples along the bank of the Seine River, but, really, they were everywhere. In BYU terms: PDA everywhere. I guess Paris really is the city of love. The funny thing about the Parisian man’s “chivalry” is that it seemed he would do anything for his girlfriend, fiancée, wife, but he had no qualms about pushing past another woman as he rushes for the metro doors with a bouquet of flowers.
Best Museum on the Face of the Planet Earth: The Louvre!! Emily and I spent three and a half hours perusing this beautiful palace-turned-art museum. As I walked through the halls, two things kept running through my mind:
1. Disney World has to create this sort of magic. Between the masterpieces of art, and the amazing splendor of a historical palace, the Louvre has magic without even trying.
2. Where’s a bench? By the time we got to the Louvre Thursday afternoon, my legs ached from the stairs and my shoulders ached from carrying a backpack for two days straight. We were seriously exhausted.
Most Likely to Lose American Customers: We planned a “real” French dinner for Thursday night because we knew we would tired. Being the food connoisseur of the group, Michelle had looked up restaurant reviews and directed us to her choice. We arrived at 6:15 only to find that they don’t even open for dinner until 7! In England most people do eat later, but the restaurants are still open. Unfortunately, if we waited for 7 we wouldn’t catch our train in time. Sad day.
Nicest Frenchman: It was the end of a very long day. We had just had amazingly authentic Italian pizza for dinner, but we were craving crepes. No, you can never have enough crepes. We decided our last stop of the day would be Notre Dame for another round of crepes. We got there and found that all of the shops were closing – and it was only 7.30! We really needed to figure out this European timetable. We walked down the row of creperies and at the very last shop there was a man outside cleaning the machines.
Me in an extremely hopeful voice: “Pardon? Can you still make crepes?”
Man cleaning: “Non, non. Closed.”
Man in the back: “Yes, yes, we make crepes!”
Me: “Oh! Merci, Merci!!”
Man cleaning: Eye roll and sigh.
We got our crepes J
Most Popular Activity for the Day After Return: Sleep… and watching Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame still in my pajamas… and sleep…
Best Paris Memory: How could I pick just one. It’s PARIS!!
