Tomorrow I am working half a day and then taking a flight to Charles de Gaulle airport for an off-site meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in Paris. We arrive around 6 p.m. in the evening on Monday and will also hopefully have some time Tuesday evening to do some sightseeing or enjoy the city.
I’ve been to Paris, once, with my family when I was 15. We didn’t have the best experience while traveling there because someone tried to steal my mom’s purse as we were boarding the Metro with all our suitcases, and also because on the train (and I can’t remember if it was the train TO Paris or the train FROM Paris) we encountered an extremely rude woman who made us all angry and uncomfortable in our carriage.
Unfortunately, some of that distress colored my memories of that day in Paris. We saw Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur and the Arc d’Triumph (I think we drove around it) and of course, the Eiffel Tower, which I’ve written about before since it was indelibly burned into my brain as one of my most “gawd-my-parents-are-embarrasing-teenage-moments ever. 😛
I can’t remember what else we did. Did we go to the Louvre? You would think I would remember. I have a vague memory of not being able to see the Mona Lisa very well because of the amount of people necessitating crowd control and barriers but it strikes me that it could be something I’ve read about instead. How odd a feeling that is, to think that one of my memories might not be authentic.
The hotel where we are staying is very close to the Eiffel Tower and in fact, if one is lucky, commands a view of it from the windows of your room. We have to take the Metro to get to the Paris office, which is located next to the Bourbon Palace.
SO, in consideration of the fact that I have seen the really major tourist attractions before and am more interested in books and art and shopping than sightseeing, AND have only 2 evenings to really do anything, does anyone who has been to Paris (Bluepoppy? Blueberrymoon?) have any recommendations for me? I would go see courtesy but she very discourteously left the country, probably on purpose, I suspect, mainly to avoid meeting me. 😛
Restaurant, shopping, and attraction recommendations are very welcome!