Adventures with Mum: top 10

Oh la la. The city of Lights. Bienvenue a Paris!

So the semester started off as quite a vacation.  My mom and I flew around Paris, seeing the sights, sipping wine, eating good cheese, cliche cliche in the absolute best sense. We couldn't have done it better even if we were following the most popular guidebook's Paris bucket list for tourists.  So, here's the Me & Mum's top 10 of our adventure in Paris:  (Note that they're not in order-- the numbering is for keeping track!)

10: Eiffel tower
So the absolute most touristy thing you can do in Paris is to see the Eiffel Tower.  No matter how much you want to challenge the stereotypes, the Eiffel Tower is worth every euro.  Mom and I first caught a glimpse of the Parisian ornament coming around a corner out of the metro. We were like: Hey! Hey look! there it is! Wow, that is really impressive!

A glimpse of the tower at twilight in royal illini colors

The stained glass windows at Sainte-Chapelle

 9: Sainte-Chapelle

The Sainte Chapelle is on the Ile-de-Cite, very near the Notre Dame in the center of Paris.  The Stained glass window are sooo beautiful--each 'column' of windows tells a different section of the bible. 

8: eating crepes walking down the Champs-Elysees

At the Arc de Triomphe

We figured that we'd walk the famous boulevard up to the Arc de Triomphe to see what all the rave was about.  Lots of designer stores, including America's best such as Abercrombie, the Gap, the Disney store and McDonald's.  For the most part it was just your typical designer district, but overall a worthwhile walk because the Arc is impressive, the exercise necessary and the crepes were delicieux.


7: kid chasing birds in the park

An "aww cute" moment: right by Notre Dame there was a little kid running around in circles chasing the flock of pidgeons.  The funniest part was that the pidgeons would barely get out of the kid's way--they were totally unphased by the little kid.  The kid kept shuffling around trying to scare the birds to no avail whatsoever--it was adorable.

French kids in general are so cute--they're all p-coats and bows, and cute French accents :).

Kids on strike... a normal day in Paris.

6: joined a manifestation
In one of the Paris guidebooks, they joke that in Paris there are at least 365 strikes a year.  Well, Mom & I just happened upon this 'parade-like' activity on one of the main streets.  Of course, after reading the picket signs we realized that it was no parade, it was actually a strike, or manifestation, as the French call it.  We didn't march along with them, but we did get some pictures of the kid picketers who were striking for more teachers in their schools.

Let's check our progress on our Paris bucket list of things to do: see a strike? Check.


 5: Sipping coffee at a cafe along the Seine
Before Saturday night mass, Mom & I had some time to spare so we spent our leisure time the Parisian way by sipping coffee and chatting at a cafe overlooking the Seine.  It was at a good people-watching spot: right across from Notre Dame! 

Mom in front of Notre Dame.

4: mass at Notre Dame
On Saturday night, Mom & I went to mass at the Notre Dame.  It was so neat to share this experience with people from all over the world.  It was beautiful, they played the organs. The only thing missing was Quasimodo.


3: A walking tour & a Parisian sunset overlooking the Champs de Mars
After spending our Friday afternoon exploring the commercial, northern half of Paris called la rive droite, Mom and I made our way to the historic highlights along the river: the Palais de Louvre (Louvre museum), le jardin des Tulleries (Tulip garden), and the Champs de Mars (a parc with ferris wheel).

Us in front of the Louvre!

We didn't go in to visit the Mona Lisa, but in our own way took in the glorious Parisian feel of history-meets-modern.  We took a leisurely stroll in the Tulip garden, enjoying the lovely weather in a nice park, and at the end of our stroll, we watched the sunset on the Champs de Mars with the Eiffel tower in full-view.

A Parisian sunset.

2:Dinner with the family
On Thursday night, Mom & I got to meet my Parisian host family! We went out for dinner on the Boulevard of Crepes, where every door leads to a crepe restaurant (I forget the actual name of the street).  My family is sweet, and they speak English well so we were able to have a wonderful conversation in "Franglish" (a mixture of French and English!).

The bastille of Sacre-Coeur

1: Sacre coeur
Our favorite experience was our visit to Sacre-coeur.  The bastille is set on a high point, so it had a beautiful view.  The church itself was so extraordinary: the architecture was beautifully intricate both inside and out.  We had perfect blue-sky weather to accompany our visit of the church and the quaint neighborhood surrounding it.  There's a powerful peace around the church that magically isn't diminished by the flocks of tourists-- definitely a wonderful memory.

All in all, a good mom & daughter trip!

Mom & I at Sacre-coeur, enjoying the beautiful view of Paris!