Paris!

Well, today marks the end of my trip. I decided to spend my last day in Paris. I have been to Paris before, but did not get to see everything I wanted to see. I have always regretted not visiting the Avenue Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe. So, to make sure I didn't run out of time again and miss these two amazing sites, I decided to start there.

First, the Arc de Triomphe. Standing at the bottom of this structure is amazing in itself. Had I known that you could actually go inside and go up the stairs to the top, I may have made sure not to miss it five years ago when I was here. Upon reaching the top I discovered that this is probably one of the best views in Paris. You can see the city and the Eiffel Tower. The view from the Eiffel Tower of course is amazing, but from the Eiffel tower you can't see the Eiffel tower, so I figure this view is better. I kind of wish i would have come at night. I bet it would have been amazing to see the city, and the Eiffel tower all lit up. There were some street performers at the bottom that were interesting as well. Of course it was crazy to see the traffic around the Arch. It is insane! Just like you see in the movies!

After visiting the Arc de Triomphe we headed down the Avenue Champs-Elysées. It was a LONG but lovely walk. There were lots of people to watch, and lots of neat shops to peak in. The avenue itself is lined with trees, so it really is a beautiful walk.

This photo of Champs-Elysees is courtesy of TripAdvisor

After our long walk it was time to grab a bite to eat. We stopped at L'Angle du Faubourg and had their tasting menu....their very expensive tasting menu. At 82 euro per plate our jaws dropped, but it was tasty, and it was our last day in France after all, so might as well live it up! The tasting menu included a creamy risotto, crusted sea bass with New Zealand apples, a rump of veal roast with stuffed mushrooms, and chocolate clementines. We also really wanted to try escargot so we ordered that as well. Everything was amazing. The chocolate clementines were a surprising delight. And the escargot wasn't *too* bad. We had to have the waiter open them for us. They were chewy and salty. I'm a texture person so it wasn't for me. But I saw other people enjoying them.

After our time at the arch, then our long walk, and our deliciously spendy lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel for a little nap. Since we were feeling so rich after our lunch we decided to splurge on our hotel. We checked into the Jays Paris hotel, and wow, just wow. This hotel is amazing. They treated us like royalty.

This photo of Jays Paris is courtesy of TripAdvisor

After our nap we decided to check out Moulin Rouge. I really wanted to check it out my first time around in Paris, so tonight was the night. It was not exactly like I expected, seeing how my expectations were probably influenced by the movie, but it was still very entertaining and worth seeing.

This photo of Moulin Rouge is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Moulin Rouge is courtesy of TripAdvisor

After our night out at the Moulin Rouge, we were definitely ready to head back to the hotel and get a good night sleep. We saw just a fraction of Paris today. Someday, I will come back and spend an entire week just in Paris. I think one could easily do that, especially if you want to see a lot of the Louvre. I just loved my trip through France. I can't wait to go back again!


http://www.jays-paris.com/luxury-suites-paris.html
http://www.francethisway.com/paris/arc-de-triomphe.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs-%C3%89lys%C3%A9es
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulin_rouge

Reims

Today, I'm in the beautiful city of Reims. Reims is most famous for it's cathedral, which has been said to be one of the best examples of the French Gothic architectural style.

So, of course the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims was my first stop. This gorgeous cathedral, with all it's stained glass and art did not disappoint. What an amazing piece of history, art, architectural masterpiece. No wonder it had more than a half a million visitors in 2006!

My next stop is next to the Cathedral at the Palais du Tau. It was the one time residence of the kings of France, and now houses the Musée de l'OEuvre. The Musée de l'OEuvre displays statuary and tapestries from the cathedral, along with reliquaries and other objects associated with the coronation of the French kings.

Next I decided to do something I haven't yet done while in France; champagne tour at Champagne Ruinart. I'm so glad I did it! What an amazing site to see. It was far more than a champagne tasting tour. They treated us like we were special guests. Everything about this place is impressive. From their treatment of us, to the staircase that plunges down into the cool underground of chalk tunnels, to their amazing and expensive champagne (expensive for me anyway.) The chalk tunnels were hollowed out under the city to a dept of up to 38 meters, for the purpose of storing it's bottles. It became a historical sight in 1931. It extends over three levels with eight kilometers of galleries. At the end of the the very informative tour, we sat in a living room type of area for our tasting. It made it feel very comfortable and we were able to socialize with the rest of our group.

After the wine tour we thought it'd be a good idea to have some dinner. We decided to eat at La Table Anna. We treated ourselves to a fancy five course dinner that started off with terrine of foie gras, apple chutney on gingerbread. Apparently, inhabitants of Reims are also known as "the gingerbread eaters," so we were excited to see this on the menu. We also had Beef Wellington, which I have always wanted to try. It was a little rare for me, but I enjoyed it anyway.

After that meal, it was definitely time to head to our hotel. Since we were still feeling fancy from our dinner, we decided to splurge and stay a night in a fancy hotel, le Chateau Les Crayerers. It was $500 per night but let me just say, you get what you pay for at this hotel....luxury! We lived like royalty for a night and we loved every minute and every dollar of it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Reims

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Tau

http://www.ruinart.com/us/la-maison-ruinart/#visits-and-receptions

http://www.latableanna.fr/anna.html

http://www.lescrayeres.com/rooms_202_202.html