Bonjour France! (Family Trip Diary)

An unforgettable experience with family in Paris France. A short 3-day diary written by me.

Day One, August 13, 2011

Saturday, 14.30, we finally arrived in Paris after a long night travel. We reached the hotel half an hour after we reach the country's boundaries. The name of the hotel is Campanile Hotel & Restaurant, very near to the metro. After checking in the hotel, we dressed up & went to the center of the city (not the main spots yet). It was 4pm when we started our very own undirected pre-tour so we haven't got much time to stroll. We went to some commercial centers near Opéra de Paris. It was pretty much like Milan except the eye catching building structures the city has. Crowded with people but the place is literally tidy and I love the busy city ambiance. We planned to eat in KFC, but it was a total fail! So we ended up eating in Pizza Hut, which is a fulfillment too. We were in a hurry going back to the hotel for dinner at 20.00. The food was great, & I ate more desserts than the main dishes. We went back to our rooms bloated,lol. I was totally tired the moment I reached our room, I was half asleep, half awake but I still managed to organize my stuff, get a hot shower, go net surfing & finally @ 23.00 slept soundly.

Day Two, August 14, 2011

The call time was really really early. The fact that I slept 2 hours earlier than my usual sleeping hours, my 8 hour sleep wasn't enough. We ate our breakfast at 8 in the morning & get ourselves ready for the main tour @ 9AM. The weather wasn't really inviting for it was gloomy, but not raining. It was a cloudy day, but the good thing is that the sun peaks through the thick clouds every once in a while. The cold paris winds & the people around us wearing thick clothes (much like in the fall/spring seasons) make us feel weird for it was supposed to be summer (lol). Here are the spots we visited in order. The tour's itinerary is a mess, I'm not personally impressed with it,  honestly. 

• The Eiffel Tower, I love love love the feeling seeing the tower the first time closely & touching it with my hands. 
• The Notre Dame, One of my most wanted spots. I know much about the disney story behind it (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). The structure is pretty much like the one in the cartoon movie. We went in, and I was amazed by it's French gothic structures (very much different from Milan's Duomo).
• The Lourve, I've seen this in the movie The Da Vinci Code. It is one of the world's largest museum. I've seen the glass pyramids in the rectangular arena in the center of Lourve Palace as well as the inverted glass pyramid found in the underground lobby. Such a nice place.
• The Arc de Triomphe, I feel so overwhelmed seeing this structure the first time when the bus just passed around the spot. So I insisted on hopping into the place and getting into the arc by myself instead of seeing in afar. This arc is one of the biggest monuments I've ever seen. 
• The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, it was located in the highest point in the city. The church was closed the time we get into the place. I didn't enjoy much seeing this place. The fact that it was the end of the day and we were pretty much tired, going up with the 300 steps up into the church main location is too much! So, our lazy feet only reached the mid-hill level. 
• Moulin Rouge (Pigalle, Boulevard de Clichy), Oh yea, the place reminds me of the red light district in Amsterdam & our very own Mabini in the Philippines were are all the cabarets are. 

We have seen a lot of monuments & crossed a lot of bridges. Walking around the city is the best way to get a full adventure experience. We forgot to take our lunch, we only ended up eating Panino & cold drinks. I guess we are fed up with all the nice places we witnessed! We ended the day in an Eat All You can restaurant, huray! After the dinner, we went back to the city to see the Eiffel tower at night. The moment we came, the tower was well lit with golden lights, with silver sparkling lights showing up.

We went back to the hotel at around 23.00. Tired. I was pissed off discovering that my main laptop charger's plug is not compatible with the hotel's electric outlet, so I tried to make the most out of the laptop's restored batt. After chatting with a friend & surfing the net, it was drained off. I wasn't able to charge my Flipcam, wishing it would last until our last stay in Disneyland. Uff! 

Day Three, August 15, 2011

Our last day in Paris! It's a disney day today & we were all ready to experience our funniest & enchanching kiddy days of our lives,lol. We reached Disneyland Paris at around 10am. Entering the Park makes me feel glad, not because it was my first time but the fact that I know that God made one of my life's wishes came true. The place is makes me feel like a kid "again". We tried to save much of our SLR's battery making it sure that it would last the whole day until the last parade & fireworks. Strolling the place for 1 day isn't enough for me missed a lot of spots (hmmm,.. especially the Discovery Land). The best part of getting into Disneyland is seeing the parade , both the afternoon & the evening one. The casts portray the characters perfectly and my fave Disney princess, Belle. We ate in Hakuna Matata Restaurant, & I guess we got a nice table outside the resto where we can have a nice view of the Frontierland. The food was great & they offer abundant amount. Yes, we (including my parents) tried some rides! It was fun discovering that they both like it and they didn't act like KJs. After the last parade, it's Enchanting Fireworks time! I cannot comment much about the Fireworks display, I can only say that it's Perfect. One of the best fireworks ever! The got the full coverage of the Fireworks with my flipcam (good job!)

After the fireworks display, we hurried back to the bus getting ourselves ready for going back to Milan. It's sad to know that our 3-day tour is finally over but with all the memories noted in my mind (how the Eiffel tower looks like in a closer view, how huge the Arc de Triomphe, the beautiful monuments, the playful ambiance of Disneyland) made my heart melt. All these are gifts from God, for without His blessings, we can't experince this memorable trip. 

(fin)

Thanks God! <3