Day 3

Started our day late. Got home from Disney at around 12 midnight, got gas & returned our rental, then nested in our new apartment. We got around to sleeping at around 3 am na. Add that to jetlag & we were knocked out flat. 😛 Mataas na ang araw at nakapananghalian na ang 3 french hen paggising namin lol.

Kap & Ate who are the true & solid lakwatchero’t walang kapaguran in the family went out to get brunch while the rest of us lingered & showered at a more leisurely pace.

—

A true Parisian breakfast.. CREPE! Service deluxe by the early birds who definitely got the worm. 😉

—

It was already 12:30 when we finally started our day. The sun was glaring heavily, not how I imagined a day out in exciting Paree to be, waaa. But no complaints, nope not allowed. We were in a beautiful city, positive thinking only. Kahit agnas na kami sa init ng araw, smile pa din dapat! ;P

—

Paris is a walking city. No parking/paid-parking-by-the-hour meant no car rental anymore for the GOppets huhu. Cadillac-kad ang drama namin for the rest of our stay in the city. Nagmumura na ang mga paa ko.

—

Ate got us a day ticket on the Big (Red) Bus Tours, (30 euro or approximately 1.6k/person/day) for a hop-on-hop-off tour of the city. 10 prominent stops (Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, Opera Garnier, Louvre Pyramid, Louvre Pont des Arts, Notre Dame, Musee d’Orsay, Champs Elysees, Grand Palais, and Tocadero ), 3 lang ang kinaya namin hehe.. I really suggest you just buy a regular bus hop-on-hop-off doubled with unlimited for a day metro ride, mas makakatipid.

—

The Big Bus Day Tour ticket allows you to hop-off and hop-on at any one of the conveniently located bus stops to visit top Paris tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre. Buses come every 5 – 30 minutes, so once you have finished exploring, resuming the tour is easy. The Big Bus map of Paris also highlights the first and last bus times at each of the stops and lists the landmarks and tourist attractions around each stop.

Because the sun was too hot for al fresco on the second floor of the double decker, half of our Big Bus tour we sat downstairs. The bus, however, is not air-conditioned so we were drenched in sweat by mid-afternoon. We tried going up.. but whew! The smell!!! I can’t even. Hinog na hinog. Hindi yata uso sa mga turista ang maligo. @_@

—

First stop, Notre Dame Cathedral (and Point Zero).

Notre-Dame Cathedral is a historic Catholic cathedral widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and it is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world.

—

The cathedral is open every day of the year from 8:00 am to 6:45 pm (7:15 pm on Saturdays and Sundays). Access to the cathedral is open and free of charge every day of the year, during the opening hours.

Most of the buildings around Paris are beautiful, but this one is exceptionally breathtaking. Just look at the architecture & design. Le sigh.

—

Find the Point Zero of Paris by looking for the bronze star set into the cobblestones in the Place du Parvis. In front of Notre Dame is ‘Point Zero’, the exact spot from which all distances are measured in Paris (the equivalent in London is the Eleanor Cross outside Charing Cross station). It is just outside the Cathedral entrance. Stand on top of it, and make a wish.

—

Wishing for long life, great health & unlimited protection for my loved ones. <3 Nothing more, nothing less.

Such friendly pigeons.

—

On our way to the next stop, we stumbled accidentally at the famous Paris Ice Cream shop this side of town, Berthillon, yay!

—

Berthillon is a French manufacturer and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, with its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France. The ice cream shop became famous in 1961 when a French restaurant guide Gault Millau wrote about an astonishing ice cream shop hidden in a bistro on the Ile Saint-Louis.

—

Next stop, L’Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It should not be confused with a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre.

The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

And this is what you call a very supportive family hehe! The mowdel, the photographer (camera), the other photographer (phone camera), the director-cum-payonger, and me.. the bag minder. Yan ang pamilya #GOppets

—

Grand Palais (Open to public if no Chanel fashion show)

The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées. Construction of the Grand Palais began in 1897 and was built in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture as taught by the École des Beaux-Arts of Paris.

The building reflects the movement’s taste for ornate decoration through its stone facades, the formality of its floor planning and the use of techniques that were innovative at the time, such as its glass vault, its structure made of iron and light steel framing, and its use of reinforced concrete. FREE ADMISSION, open daily from 10am-8pm.

—

It was closed for an event when we went, too bad. :'( Peechur-peechur nalang outside! 😛

Everywhere we go, beauty is what we see. Impressive architecture. You can just stand, soak everything in & be so happy already. <3

I hope we can all come back again someday. Maybe with the spouses? In the diiiiiiistant future! Lagot ka Kap, mag-ipon ka na now palang hehe. from 3 kids to 6 na yan sa susunod!

Petit Palais

The Petit Palais (small palace) is an art museum built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (universal exhibition) & now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des beaux-arts de la ville de Paris).

The Petit Palais is one of the 14 museums of the City of Paris, that have been incorporated since January 1, 2013 in the public corporation Paris Musées.

—

—

And finally our last stop,the beloved Eiffel Tower. (Best view is from Place du Trocadero)

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world.

* Lift entrance ticket (valid to 2nd floor): Adults €11,00 | 12-24 years €8,50 | 4-11 years €4,00
* Lift entrance ticket to top:  Adults €17,00 | 12-24 years €14,50 | 4-11 years €8,00
* Stairs entrance ticket (valid to 2nd floor): Adults €7,00 | 12-24 years €5,50 | 4-11 years €3,00

BUY ENTRANCE TICKETS HERE.

When Ate first laid eyes on the Eiffel Tower the first day, she got teary. She just realised her dream to see Europe came earlier than she actually planned. Glad to have made at least one of your wishes come true my sweetness. :-*

It’s so hard to take nice family photos. Too bad we forgot to bring the tripod, huhu.

—

Dapat mag-Louvre pa kami, but the girls complained. Paulit-ulit na daw ang peechur in their ootd, gasgas na raw sobra. Bukas na uli. Being daddy’s girls, kamot ulo nalang si Kap. Bulong-bulong, kwenta-kwenta.. 33 euro x 52 pesos each hindi pa tinapos ang tour! Wahaha, kawawang Kap! ;))

Half of our Paris stay almost over. How time flies when you’re having fun.. and dead tired, trololol. Sya, pahinga na muna ako. To be continued. 🙂