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Places Visited: Paris, Barcelona, Nice
After visiting Greece in 2001, we caught the European travel bug but were not sure of when we would have the opportunity to go next. Once we became engaged in 2003 we initially wanted to set off to the French Polynesia however
Paris in the springtime...
The day after our wedding we said goodbye to family and friends and hopped aboard our flight to Paris. It was so surreal being in the "city of lights" after we have seen countless movies and photographs. For our 5-day stay in Paris, we stayed at a small hotel in the 7ème arrondissement close to the Eiffel Tower.
Newlyweds for only a few days we visited Cathédrale Notre-Dame, seeing as we were married at the replica in Montréal. It looked identical right down to the square facing the church. Staring up at the structure, images of our wedding day came to mind.
The Arc de Triomphe was another magnificent structure surrounded by the confusing roundabout; don't think we could ever drive there. As we walked down Avenue des Champs-Elysées, we made many stops in many shops. Paris was wonderful for shopping! If we weren't on Champs-Elysées we were either at Au Printemps or Galeries Lafayette,
both in the 9ème arrondissement.
Our appetite for French cuisine was satiated at Fouquet's. Located on Avenue des Champs-Elysées we had a late dinner reservation one night and were seated at the preferred table of Orson Wells. The fois gras was delicious! Afterwards we headed out to Montecristo Club for drinks and a little dancing.
For our last night in Paris we went to the Moulin Rouge in the 18ème arrondissement; the most famous cabaret in the world that popularized the Cancan. Our evening cost 170 euros and included a bottle of champagne. The show was incredible!
As we strolled along the Seine River, we wondered when we would return to Paris.
Barcelona (hmmm, tapas)...
From Paris we hopped aboard an Easy Jet flight to Barcelona for about 40 euros each. Paris was great for shopping but Barcelona was great for food! Tapa Tapa located on Passeig de Gracia had the best tapas as did Txetatu, Restaurant El Trobador just off of Avinguda Diagonal had the best escargots, and Nuria on La Rambla had the best paella!
La Rambla, the most famous street in Barcelona, was an experience to remember. Starting at Plaça de Catalunya we walked the entire length seeing many tourists and locals, little shops, kiosks, flower and animal stalls, and scores of street artists/performers. Along the way we stopped at Mercat Boqueria to look for fresh fruits and Plaça Reial, a 19th century lively square with tall palm trees and street lamps. Once we reached the end of La Rambla at the Monument a Colom, we continued in the direction of Port Vell onto the wooden walkway which lead us to Maremàgnum (shops, movie theatre and restaurants).
After Spain we returned to France via the Rail Europe one early morning. We switched trains in Montpellier and reached our final destination, Nice, by late afternoon. La Cote d'Azur was filled with affluent locals and tourists alike. It was very relaxing taking our daily stroll down La Promenade des Anglais and gazing out into the Mediterranean Sea. We were able to relax, unwind and lounge on the beach.
Surprisingly, this was the one trip I did not become depressed upon our return. How could I - we were newlyweds back from our honeymoon and now have the rest of our lives to look forward to. Things could only get better. We made a promise to see the world together, even giving backpacks as our wedding gifts to one another. Our 1 year anniversary passed recently and soon we will be embarking on another adventure - 10 weeks in Southeast Asia. We can hardly wait!
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