Paris Part Trois - Sacre Coeur, Champagne at the Eiffel Tower and More!

Thursday, March 5, 2015


It's a snow day and while I'm over the white stuff and ready for spring, I'm actually happy to be home relaxing because i finally have time to sit and write about the rest of my Paris trip.  I apologize for not being more consistent with these posts but this winter has kicked my *ss with illnesses!  I just haven't had much time or energy to post as frequently which makes me sad because my blog is my baby. Hopefully things will slow down a bit and i can get back to some sort of schedule.  OK PARIS!














It was Sunday and the last day of my 30's.  We woke up to cloudy skies but thankful for no rain!  As usual, our day was filled with plans for covering more of the places we'd circled on our 'places to visit' map!  We hopped on the sight seeing tour bus and decided to sit on the top deck.  It was cold but the view was insane!  We started off at the Eiffel Tower which always left me in total awe at its enormity and beauty.  We photographed the heck out of it from the tour bus once again and proceeded with our trip.  We saw many of the great buildings many of us have only seen in pictures including the Grand Palais (which i'm sad i didn't get to see inside because it's the most spectacular looking building ever), drove over the Alexander bridge which is quite possibly one of the most stunning bridges in Paris (next to the Grand and Petite Palais).  The bus left us near the Louvre where we had to hop on another route to get to the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart).  Since the Sacre Coeur was in the same area as the Moulin Rouge, we decided to stop there first.  The area of the Moulin Rouge left a lot to be desired.  Think 42nd Street NYC back in the day.  The theater itself was nothing noteworthy and i certainly wouldn't spend my money on a show there because from what i read, it simply wasn't worth it.  What i did love however, was its store right around the corner.  The store is quaint and had the most charming gifts and treasures!  I purchased a few notebooks, magnets, a windmill Christmas ornament and a Make Up For Ever lip gloss designed specifically for Moulin Rouge!  What??? Who knew!  Also noteworthy at this store is this fun little spot that has a ton of props that you can wear and pose for a camera. Then you can  email yourself the pics as a keepsake! We had a blast with that!































Then we made our way up a very steep street and walked all the way up to the most charming area called Montmartre.  I honestly wish I'd spent more time there!  The souvenir shops there were soooo much cheaper than any I'd seen in Paris!  Besides they had the sweetest cafes and shops... this part of town was a dream.  We saw a bride and groom parading the streets followed by a photographer and i just thought, wow, must be so dreamy to get married in PARIS! A few steps further and we reached the Sacre Coeur.  This cathedral was an absolute dream... it's nestled on a hill that overlooks the entire city of Paris!  If you're looking for spectacular views of the city, this is a must!  After visiting the inside of the cathedral, we made our way down to Le Ronsard Cafe for a quick baguette.  OH MY GOD... this was easily the BEST baguette I'd ever had in my life! Warning, the lady that served us was rude rude rude!  My friend asked for the baguette hot and I'm pretty sure the lady told her to go F herself in french... but I'd still go back, rude staff and all!  It was THAT good! The shops on that street were great!  Sadly, i didn't walk into many because we had 3 pm tickets to the Eiffel Tower so i just wept my way down the street wishing i had more time while trying to catch the tour bus to our next destination.

The Eiffel Tower - while we stayed in this region and walked past it pretty much everyday, the day had finally come for us to truly see this beauty! We'd purchased our tickets back home online and highly recommend that you do the same.  I have to say, there was some sort of divine intervention because this was the only day available for tickets which sort of cramped our plans but it was also the day that the sun decided to come out and our views were not obstructed.  In fact, it's always foggy in Paris, at least when i was there, and when it's foggy, they close the summit of the Eiffel Tower so we really lucked out!  We bypassed the hundreds of people waiting in line and proceeded right to the elevator.  That ride alone was insanely cool.  You're inside of the tower and surrounded by metal and bird's eye views of entire city.  We arrived on the middle level and took a ton of pictures of the amazing views.  It was incredibly cold but the views more than made up for it.  We waited in a long line to catch the elevator to the summit but were entertained by the views of many of the places we'd visited.  You could actually see the Sacre Coeur on a hill and the Louvre, and many other beautiful sights.  The elevator ride to the tip of the Eiffel Tower was spectacular!  The views from the top were the best.  There is a tiny champagne bar at the summit where my friend Vilma and I ordered a glass of Rose to toast our thirties away.  The sun was setting and i couldn't imagine a better scenario.  It was a magical feeling to actually sip champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower!  So good in fact i ended up having three glasses!  They were $16 Euros a pop in case you're wondering and i didn't care!  How many times in my lifetime can i say that i sipped champagne at the very top of the Eiffel Tower!  I was in Heaven... or very close to it!  Pure Magic... that night will live forever be ingrained in my memory!
































When we left the Eiffel Tower we were starving and freezing quite frankly!  We made our way to a restaurant my friend Vilma had read about called Les Cocottes owned by well known french chef (and jury on France's version of Top Chef) Christian Constant.  The food was amazing and the staff was incredibly friendly!  I'm not gonna lie, I'm still traumatized by my friend Galo's food though... pigeon... and it was bloody!  OMG I'm still gagging thinking about it!  Of course i had the steak which was delicious! That night we did a little shopping on the way back to the hotel and then rested for our last full day in Paris... our birthday!

I promise to get that post out real soon!!! You won't want to miss that day.... including my adventures at Valentino!!!!  Thank you so much for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM

2 comments:

  1. I love reading this series! Feel like I'm there experiencing everything with you :-) Sounds like such a magical trip so far, can't wait to read the rest!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The winter has definitely been tough this season. Thankfully it will be on the way out soon! Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and stories from Paris. It sounds like it was so so amazing. I am glad that you were able to go and have such a special time!
    the-creationofbeauty.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

- DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS -