Sleep-deprived-zombies. Strictly English speaking. Bustling city. 24 hours. So began our time in Paris – first stop on the Bristow-Enns-Tour-Of-The-Europes-Or-At-Least-Some-Of-Them. We made the wise decision to overwhelm ourselves with the biggest and most popular tourist attractions straight away. After a hearty and delectable meal of croissants, croissants and croissants (which include all 11 food groups – being health conscious, I checked), we (cough* I) expertly navigated the public transport like a true Laurie-Bristow-Spawn and we, along with alloftheAsians, arrived to drool over Notre Dame.
Photos will never capture the breathtaking magnificence that is this Cathedral – but you snap away furiously. The arches, the lights, the glass…. BLAH. It was an unbelievable space to explore and sit in.
Sweet Tourist Facts:
- The Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1345
- It is one of the largest religious buildings in the world
- Notre Dame attracts about 13 million visitors each year
- Access to the Cathedral is open and free of charge everyday of the year
- MOST IMPORTANTLY it’s where The Hunchback lived
When touring foreign countries – one may find that navigating the streets can be a stressful, exciting and hair-pulling experience. We were fortunate enough to find this excerpt from the book ‘A Couple’s Guide To Getting Around & Other Remarkable Acheivements’ (part of the Oprah Book Club) and it was for sure a lifesaver.
Rules To Live By When Seeking Directions As A Couple:
- Draw straws and decide who will play ‘Damsel in Distress’ and who will scream very loud in case of attempted kidnapping.
- Damsel will stand alone, appear sad, confused, and available (crying over open map is optional – though encouraged).
- Parisian local will zero in the scent of helplessness and demand to get to know the Damsel ** Highlighted in image above
- Damsel will play coy for 2.5 minutes before milking local for all the directions he’s worth.
- Local will cooperate.
- Damsel will exclaim ‘their life-partner is waiting for them’ and skip away jauntily.
- Couple will reach their destination.
Croissants, beautiful city, old churches, efficient directions… First morning in Paris was tops.