Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Sacre Coeur Basillica, Montmartre, Champs Elysees

So the first full day Lauren was here, Wednesday the 30th of Jan., we decide to hit up the Sacre Coeur which is basically in my backyard.  It is absolutely beautiful!  It is the highest point in the city of Paris and the name means Sacred Heart. There are 2 ways to get up to the church...you can either walk up an endless amount of stairs OR take the Funiculaire which is like a mix between an elevator and and escalator and you can cram about 50 people or so in it and it just whisks you to the top!  Which option do you think we chose?

So after grabbing our touristy photos on the outside we venture inside only to see where the real beauty lies.  Holy moly is was jaw dropping.  However as soon as you walk through the doors there is a guy shouting "no cameras and no pictures."  Lauren and I looked at each other pretty bummed out because this was too pretty not to take a picture of.  We even witnessed one guy getting kicked out and he was made to delete the picture off his digital camera. Well if you know me, i've never been one to follow rules.  Of course I decide that I'm gonna be sneaky and get a picture.  I simply just turned off the flash, took a glance over my shoulder to make sure no one was looking, and snapped a quick pic.  Behold, the only picture in the World from inside the Sacre Coeur (or that's what Lauren and I joked  at least).

After we scurried out of the Church in fear that the French authorities were waiting for us outside, we made our way around the corner to Place du Tertre which is an artistic hub.  The squre consists of hundreds of artists setting up their easels for tourist.  In this area Picasso once set up shop and also just a few streets away is the Salvadore Dali museum (which I visited back in 2005 during my first trip to Paris). 


After exploring Montmartre and it's winding roads and steps, we head over to the 8th to hit up the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.  On this street is a multi-level Louis Vuitton where we actually had to wait in line to get in the store! I guess they like to regulate how many gawkers go in.  There is also a giant Sephora which is more in my price range.  Lauren did buy a book inside LV, she's a high roller!

We got our exercise in that day because the Champs Elysees is no short street, we walked that entire sucker and our feet were hating us.  At the very end is Place de la Concorde where the famous Egyptian Obelisk stands and also where the Ferris Wheel is.  We would later learn that the obelisk is the oldest thing in Paris...it is 3300 years old and used to stand at the entrance of the Luxor Temple in Egypt.

Lauren and I never rode the Ferris Wheel, but rest assured if we had we would have been in the VIP cabin!  VIP you ask...we aren't exactly sure what kind of specialty treatment you get (since it was all the same view) but it was fun to pretend.  Also in the area is a famous fountain.  It was in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" when, at the end of the movie, Anne Hathaway chunks her cell phone over her shoulder and into the fountain.

After much walking, we spotted the Holy Grail that is the Metro stop and hopped on that bad boy back to my apartment where we rested up and got ready for the evening.


Later that night we made our way to Corcoran's, of course.  This was a fun night as we met Manuel Wilson.  A guy who claimed to be 24 but looked to be more 44.  He was fun none the less and we got some fun pictures.  I did make him show me his ID and sure enough his story held up.  World...please meet Manuel!



Somehow Lauren and I always attract the winners! 

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