To Be or Not to Be (Scared)?
Translation: "They have weapons. F*ck them. We have Champagne!"
Click on each image to go to the original source.
It's likely you heard about the Parisian terror attacks that took place on November 13th, 2015. Prior to these attacks, we had planned a nine day trip to France to follow up on our visit to Florida for Thanksgiving with Ben's family. We were scheduled to arrive in Paris exactly two weeks after the attacks.
After the attacks happened, our families and friends attempted to convince us to alter our plans, to consider other destinations, or maybe just stay home. But this, dear reader, is not how we operate. The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize, and one of the main reasons we travel is to experience life from different perspectives, to view the world through different lenses. We figured if we stayed home, then that is how the terrorists would win - not with guns or with bombs, but through the fear of a million tiny "what-if's."
So exactly two weeks later, we set foot on French soil.
And for the nine days that followed, we met and talked with so many wonderful French people, people who thanked us for coming to visit them, for not being scared to come to their beautiful country, for updating them on the situation in Paris. It is through small acts of defiance that wars are won, not large acts of aggression. We were fortunate to bear witness to the French carrying on with their lives and refusing to be terrorized. And despite the fear of the many tiny "what-if's," what we experienced in these nine days in France will surely be considered some of the best days of our lives.
It's one thing to think you'll be safe, and to say to friends and family that we can't let the terrorists win. But it's another thing to actually get to Paris and then have to set foot in that very real place. We knew the probablity of anything bad happening to us was almost non-existant, but of course that little voice in the back of your head occasionally likes to whisper, "...but what if?"
Alas, there would be no "what if's."
Since I have returned back to the US, I have had several people say, "No offense, but when I heard you were going to Paris, I thought, are they f*cking crazy?" No. We are not (f*cking) crazy. To me, it's crazy to stay cooped up in your house and let the "what if's" consume you. There is a world out there that needs to be seen, that needs to be experienced. The world needs people to get out there and see it, for people to experience broad points of view. It needs people to get out of their comfort zones, to put on new lenses. This attack in Paris demonstrated not more reasons to stay home, but more reasons to GO. Yes, once we set foot in France, of course we were nervous - but we would not let that nervousness rule our lives, stop our travels, or fear an unending stream of invisible "what if's."
We wanted to see how life carried on in Paris, and we saw exactly that. We happened to meet up with a good friend of mine on our flight to CDG from JFK, and he and his coworker toured the city of Paris with us on this first day of our trip. There were differences on this trip to Paris than previous trips - the porte cochere at the hotel was baricaded off - they would not accept valet cars - due to the attacks. There were more places checking bags, such as at the mall across the street from our hotel. But the Metro was the same. Life felt the same - people still sat outside at cafés, watching people and the world go by. We did the same.
Yes, there was a bigger police and military presence. But as I just got back from touring NYC yesterday, there was not anymore police in Paris than there is around NYC on any given day.
Life goes on. Our first day in Paris taught us just that. It also taught us to forget those what if's and to carry on. It taught us, don't be terrorized! And when in doubt, do as the French do - live life, make love, drink Champagne. No matter how dire the circumstances are, those three facets of French life are sure to clear up a lot of what if's!
The beautifully stained glass windows of the Notre Dame are some of the most impressive in the world.
Our friends investigating the intricate details of the Notre Dame's façade.
The products of Parisian markets are some of the most tempting you'll ever see.
The Facts
All the activities below took place on the same day. We used the Metro to get around the city, with one taxi ride at the end of the day. We were busy, but not overwhelmed.
Paris is easily accessible from many cities in the United States. There are several airports in the Paris metro area to fly into, but we have always used (for better or worse) Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Flying in and out of CDG to go to the US is easy - it's when you use CDG to go within Europe that the issues arise.
But that, my friends, is a different story for a another day.
Flight: Air France flight #0023
Depart: JFK at 4:30PM
Arrive: CDG at 5:45AM
Seats: We sprang for business class on the way there, as the seats were only a few hundred dollars more than Premium Economy and were lay flat seats. At the price point that we paid, they were absolutely, positively 100% worth the splurge.
Hotel Le Méridian Etoile
Where: 81 Boulevard Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 75848 Cedex 17, Paris, 75017, France
Website: http://www.lemeridienetoile.com/
(For views of the interior and a pretty fair review of the hotel, go here).
The scoop: This hotel's location is incredibly convenient to the Metro's #1 line. This line will get you to most of the main tourist destinations, therefore, this makes this hotel's location incredibly handy.
It's in a quieter neighborhood with modest restaurants - there's a mall and convention center right across the street, and the marché within the mall, Galeries Gourmandes, is always a fun stop.
For this stay, we were upgraded to an Urban Room, which has the strange (to us Americans) toilet in a separate room from the shower/sink. The size, as always, is small but the room does the job. The bed is comfy, the room is clean and there's always just enough space for all of our ridiculous amounts of luggage. The front desk was friendly and helpful, as was the concierge, so we like this hotel. It should be noted that we get these rooms for a discount, due to Ben's job, therefore we don't mind the size of the rooms. If the price was 3x higher than what we paid, we might feel differently.
Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris
Where: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 6 Parvis Notre Dame - Place Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France
Website: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/rubrique2.html
Hours and Cost: "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." (Per the website).
The Scoop: Notre Dame is one of the most famous places of worship in Europe, if not all of the world. Started in 1163, this Gothic masterpiece took nearly 200 years to complete, and after one glance, it's not hard to figure out why. With its towering rafters, intricately decorated façade covered with lifelike scupltures, the world famous gargoyles guarding the structure, and even the sturdy flying buttresses around back, this former home of the fictional Quasimodo is an absolute must-see in Paris.
Café du Rendez Vous
Where: 2 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 75014 Paris, France
Website: http://cafedurendezvous.fr/en
The Scoop: Ben and Joe both claimed they were served some of the best French Onion Soup of all time. I can neither confirm or deny this claim, but Ben did talk about this soup for the rest of the trip.
For my part, I had a "croque jeune homme," which was basically a Croque Monsieur but with only one slice of bread. Best one ever? No, but it was tasty enough.
This café is directly adjacent from the Paris catacombs, and though that wasn't our destination on this day, this café would make for a great pre- or post catacomb jaunt.
Rue Daguerre
Where: Rue Daguerre, on the border of the Montparnasse and Petit-Rouge neighborhoods, in the 14th Arrondissement.
The Scoop: Rue Daguerre is a street right near the Catacombs that has fine foods and wine vendors lined up and down the street. For those looking to purchase a diverse range of food options, or those who simply want to oogle delicious French delicacies, this is the street for you. From fromageries (cheese stalls), or boucheries (butchers), to wine merchants and almost everything in between, this is a great street to wander, dreaming of the delicious meals that these products will soon turn into.
Our purpose for being here? Chocolate was calling. We answered.
Eiffel Tower
Where: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
Website: http://www.toureiffel.paris/en.html
The Scoop: Does the Tour Eiffel really need an introduction? This is the most recognizable icon of Paris, and after the terror attacks, images of the Tower making up a peace sign were ubiquitous all over social media. The Eiffel Tower is Paris, and Paris is the Eiffel Tower.
Of course, this wasn't always the case, for when the Tower was first erected by Monsieur Eiffel in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, it was only intended to last for 20 years. However, the tower became an icon of the city, and thankfully for contemporary visitors, the tower remains as beautiful and charming as it ever was.
Though this was our third trip to Paris, this was our first trip to the top of Tower. I had wanted to go up at sunset, and we happened to (accidentally) time it so that we were at the top as the city darkened and the lights turned on. Paris is truly a magical city at night.
The crowds were modest, and we probably spent a few hours between queueing and sight-seeing. But after the terror that had recently faced this city, being on top of the Eiffel Tower and watching as the lights twinkled around the city of Paris felt illicit and exihilarating.
The Eiffel Tower endurered even when it shouldn't have. What a perfect symbol for the French and for the city of Paris.
Le Grand Bistro Maillot St. Ferdinand
(aka Bistro St. Ferdinand)
Where: Bistro Maillot Saint Ferdinand 275 boulevard Pereire 75 017 PARIS
Tel : +33(0)1 45 74 33 32
The Scoop: We always go to this restaurant. Is it the best restaurant in Paris? Probably not. But is it convenient to our hotel? Does it serve delicious French food for a price that won't break the bank? Yes and yes. We like this place because they always offer a really diverse range of options each time we come, none of which have been the same. We feel that for the money, we get a very satisfying meal in a nicely decorated space with service that is always polite and knowledagble. This trip, however, our server was experiencing some issues, perhaps because he was new, or perhaps something else altogether. Regardless, the food (when each person got what they ordered), lived up to expectations.
Their prix fixe menu includes an appertif, 3 courses and a bottle of wine to share for €44 a person. As I already mentioned, each course has nearly 10-15 options to choose from. Honestly, it's hard to beat that kind of deal, so we don't really even bother.
Ben and Joe enjoyed their seats.
Both images are borrowed from here.
Image from here.
Image from here.