Tour Guide a Paris!

My friend from London planned to visit me in late April. It was the perfect weekend because I finally felt comfortable with the city and knew I could show her the highlights of the city during the three days that she was there.

Friday: Kirsty and her friends took a guided tour of the heart of Paris and I met up with them afterward. They taught me about the tiny Space Invaders that were hidden all over Europe. Some video gamer felt so guilty after killing so many space invaders that he started permanently adhering them to building walls throughout major European cities. (Fun scavenger hunt for all across Europe!) I took Kirsty through the 1st Arrondisement, we window shopped at some of the most expensive boutiques in Paris and stopped for Laduree macarons and Jean Paul Levin chocolats. She headed back early to meet her friends at the Eiffel Tower for a picnic dinner.

Saturday: We started the morning at Musee Rodin. It was beautiful, sunny and the flowers in the gardens were beginning to bloom. Since the volcano had just hit that weekend—they arrived by train—the city was empty but the weather was perfect! We hopped over to Musee d’Orsay and I gave her and her friends a personal tour of the major artworks- thanks to my Art History lectures! Next, we took the subway to Rue de Mouffetard are lunch. We ate at the battling crepe places. I ordered the specialty crepe at Au P’tit Grec with eggplant, feta, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onions- you get the idea! Delicious! We walked back through Luxemburg Gardens and found a nearby café to rest at while her friends visited Bastille. Then we all met at Abbesse, the metro stop. This metro, most frequently used to get to Sacre Coeur, is a gem by itself. Behind the metro, next to the small park is the “Wall of Love.” Here, “I love you” is written in every language- cute!

Also, at 38 rue Abbesse is Paris’ Best Baguette. It comes steaming hot, freshly baked. We all tour into it before heading over to Sacre Coeur. Since it was such a beautiful day- the lawns at Sacre Coeur were packed, performers were everywhere- and pickpockets. We walked around the artist’s square and Kirsty and I climbed to the top of Sacre Coeur. The view of Paris was beautiful—

We all met up with Kirsty’s friend who was also living in Paris. We took us down the side of Sacre Coeur and we sat in an outdoor café and ate delicious quiches. Fun quirk- there are dozens of cats lurking in the bushes of Sacre Coeur; people come visit them and feed them scraps of baguettes. As the sun set, we made our way through the streets to the Moulin Rouge. After a quick photo shoot on the grates in front of the red windmill, we hightailed it out of the area- it’s not a fun place at night. We made our way to Notre Dame to watch the night performers.

This was INCREDIBLE! Not only did we see the flame throwers- but they were shooting a fashion shoot in the middle of the square with the flame throwers and fire dancers all around. We sat mesmerized for a long time before heading home and crashing after a big day of site seeing.

Sunday: Kirsty went to Versailles and I spent some time in the Marais.

It was an extremely busy weekend, but I would really recommend it as the best way to see Paris in only 3 days.