One week in Paris France and a trip to Mont Saint Michel from Paris

We started the trip by flying to Paris, via New York. After a long connection we finally arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport and took a bus to the city, where we walked for a while before heading to the hotel. We stayed at the Hotel de L’Europe, by the Gare de l’est. A very comfortable hotel, with nice rooms and incredible location; but the best of all had to be the view, from which you could see the Eiffel Tower at a distance. The other great thing was that being right next to a train station, we had subway stations all around us and there was no way we were getting lost.

Paris is an amazing city, with so much to see and do; it is filled with history and art, it makes you wander at every street corner. I believe what I loved the most about Paris was the feeling while walking through such beautiful streets and by the Seine. This city has some of the most wonderful museums in my opinion, from the famous Louvre, to the Orsay and Rodin’s house; as well as wonderful monuments which might even include streets themselves. One of my favorite museums to go was the Musée de l’Orangerie, where you can find Monet’s giant water lilies artwork, displayed on a room of its own so everyone can take the time to fully appreciate this work of art. Still, every museum is wonderful and special for its own collection of art, there’s no way you can see them all in a few days, specially since museums like the Louvre can take up a whole day for themselves. Paris is a city that is considered a work of art, but this and its history do not keep it from being a modern city filled with life, entertainment and shopping of all kinds. From the Champs-Élysées to Galeries Lafayette and everything in between. Walking along Champs-Élysées is one of the great things to do, because of its view in any direction, the shops on each side and even the movie theaters you can find there. One of my favorite stores can be found nearby Notre Dame, a beautiful bookstore called Shakespeare and Co. set in a beautiful house filled with flowers and books everywhere you look, it’s heaven for any book lover. The city is the perfect place to find any type of dinning, any store and to never stop during the day. There is a romantic and magical air about the city, which lights up every building you pass by, be it a simple residential home or Notre Dame itself. For me, a great place to stop and eat something while watching people move around is just by the Paris Opera, a magnificent building that´s close by to most touristic locations. Another amazing place to eat, shop or just walk around and take pictures is Montmartre, a large hill that is known for its bohemian style, and for being home to Sacre Coeur and artists in Paris. This place has a wonderful market going all around, filled with artists painting and selling their work, small café’s and the most spectacular view, this is one of my favorite places in the whole city. I have not mentioned the Eiffel Tower, not because I do not like it, but because it is something that’s known. Instead, I recommend the first view you have of the tower be from Trocadero, a huge plaza that leads right to the tower from the streets above, giving you a full and up-close view.

During our days in Paris we made a daytrip to Mont Saint-Michel, a beautiful castle that turns into a standalone island at night when the tide rises. It stands at about a four-hour drive away from Paris, but the trip is more than worth it. We took a tour bus which left us nearby the castle and allowed us to walk up to it, staring at all its splendor. There is nothing more magical than walking into the fortress and towards the abbey through the medieval buildings and staircases, making it all look straight out from a book or movie. The island feels like a spiraling hill which you climb slowly to reach the top of the abbey, walking through shops and houses that have been there since the island was built. The island is open to tourist all the time during the day, because around six or seven at night, the tide starts closing in and cutting the island off from the mainland, taking everything in its path. There are hotels in the island if you want to stay, but it would be more for the experience than to see the whole thing, which you can do in one day.  This has got to be one of the most magical places I’ve visited, and I would do it again without a second thought.

A few days before ending our journey, we spent the night over by Disneyland, in order to fully take advantage of the parks. The park is about forty minutes away from Paris by train and it has become a small town. Here we stayed at the Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne, one of the parks hotels which is just a short walk away from the park’s entrance. The park itself was wonderful, filled with the usual Disney magic with the charm of France. For this visit we were also extremely lucky without noticing it until the day arrived. We chose the days to spend there at random, and by pure coincidence one of these days was the exact day of the parks 25th Anniversary, which meant we got to celebrate and enjoy all the special occasion shows that the park had that day; it made everything even more magical than it already was.