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| Me & Mom at Notre Dame |
My parents flew into London on Thursday afternoon, so I met them in the city via train and we did a “quick” version of the London tour, starting at Big Ben, jumping on the Thames River boat tour to the Tower Bridge and walking back towards Trafalgar and Leicester Squares and catching a few z’s before jumping on the Eurostar early on Friday morning off to Paris!
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| Me & Damian at Kong Restaurant |
The Eurostar was great. Going almost 200 miles/hour from London to Paris, we were scheduled to arrive around 11:30am. Upon arrival, we got some EURO cash and jumped in a cab to our hotel, and with only a little hesitation towards the language barrier. After arriving at Hotel la Boétie, I called my long time friend and former neighbor and coworker from when I lived in Australia, Damian. He came and picked us up and took us to his friend (also my former neighbor) Remi’s restaurant, Chéz Julian, where he managed. We had the most amazing lunch experience, with Champagne, fois grois paté, salads and fish. It was also where they filmed a Gossip Girl episode too! After lunch, Damian drove us to the Notre Dame where we departed ways and ventured around the great cathedral and through the Louvre gardens back towards Champs Elyssés, where our hotel was. Our hotel was decent. No hair dryer and lacking internet access in the rooms and only one electrical outlet, but the location was perfect.
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| Eifel Tower |
That evening, Damian was working at Kong Restaurant, an amazing Japanese fusion restaurant at the top of a building overlooking Notre Dame with all glass walls and ceilings. We made our way via the Metro over to the Chatelét exit and arrived (almost) on time. He made us a reservation at the table where they filmed the Sex In The City I movie and served us in his suit and tie. Looking debonaîr, he brought over champagne, wine and shrimp rolls for a starter. We ordered tuna, lobster udon, yellowtail and miso soup. Everything was amazing. We finished off with some delicious desserts and a cappuccino and of course Damian comp’d nearly everything on the bill! I felt so spoiled and my parents were definitely enjoying their first ever European experience!
On Saturday we ventured out to the Eifel Tower and jumped on the hop-on/hop-off riverboat cruise to see the city via the River Seine. The day was filled with beautiful sites, amazing weather and tons of incredible photos. Oh yes, and crepes.
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| Mona Lisa at the Louvre |
Sunday was an early morning wake up in order to hit the Louvre Museum when it opened at 9am. We were lucky enough to be in Paris at just the right time. The Louvre is free the first Sunday of every month! We got in via the metro line and headed straight for the Mona Lisa. Much smaller than I had imagined. It’s still a bit odd to think that that painting has become so famous. I saw so many other amazing paintings that I personally think were much more beautiful! After a few hours meandering throughout the Louvre, we headed back to our hotel to get our bags and back to Gare Du Nord to catch the Eurorail back to London. The next adventure would be the rental car my parents decided to get for the remainder of their trip. My dad driving on the opposite side of the road in a manual car 60 minutes to my temporary hometown!
I LOVE the picture of you in front of the Eifel Tower. What an amazing trip, and so great that you were able to share it with your parents. I'm sure they were in heaven. :o)
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