Last-Minute Post #2 - Paris

Ah, Paris. Where do I begin?
I actually specifically booked the flight to Paris, unlike most of my other trips, because I decided it would be a real shame to come to Europe and not go to Paris, honestly.
I was fortunate in that, because I was able to check into my hostel about an hour earlier than I expected, I got to go on the New Europe free walking tour (paid only in tips) on 4pm on the day I arrived (Friday), which was the last tour of the day. The tour is about 3 1/2 hours (it's Paris, what do you expect?), so it provides a pretty good overview of the city and a basic run-down on the majority of the major sights. (This is the same company whose tour I went on in Hamburg; they are great)
I say this was very fortunate because, not only did I get a basic overview of the city before diving in on my own the next day, but also got an excellent tip: our guide tipped us off to the fact that, that particular evening from 6-10, people under age 26 got into the Louvre FOR FREE. So immediately after the tour ended at 7:30 I hustled back over to the Louvre and spent about 2 hours looking at some very famous works of art (including the Mona Lisa, Venus of Milo, Nike, and the Code of Hammurabi). And to think, if I hadn't been able to check in early, I would have missed out on this entirely!
Well, after wearing myself out the day before walking around, I decided to get up on Saturday and go--what else?--walk around some more! There was another (start-up) company doing a free tour, but this one was of Montmatre, the artistic district of Paris where Van Gogh, Picasso, etc. lived, and which was actually quite close to where I was staying. It used to be a village outside Paris but was eventually incorporated into the city, so it has a slightly different look, and it is also the highest hill in Paris. The tour included things like Moulin Rouge, the cafe from the movie Amelie, and Sacre Couer, Paris' newest cathedral (built in the 20th century). It wasn't quite as good as the New Europe tour, but was still a nice overview. After the tour I wandered a bit and had a crepe for lunch. :D
Of course I eventually went to check out the more famous sites more closely. I went to the Arc de Triomphe--fun fact, the "Star of Charles de Gaulle" around the arc is considered the most dangerous roundabout in the world and insurance will not cover accidents there: 12 lanes, unmarked, yeah--and also saw Paris' Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (for WWI) and the eternal flame that goes with it. Then, of course, the Eiffel Tower. On Sunday I went to Notre Dame (under the assumption that they wouldn't let tourists in unless services were over) and awkwardly discovered that Notre Dame does, in fact, let huge lines of tourists in DURING the services, and simply has the area where people sit roped off. Yeah. I felt kind of like a jerk for disturbing their service (haha, as if I was any more than the hundreds of other people around me), but tried to be as quiet and discrete as possible. On the other hand, it was nice to have the organ music playing while touring the church! But I was kind of shocked and disappointed that the church would allow that. It was, however, quite lovely.
I also visited Versailles, which is actually about a 20-minute train ride outside of the city. It was pretty much the only thing I paid to get into in Paris (not bad, eh?). While it was pretty, I have to say I was a little disappointed. I thought we would see more of the palace than it felt like we did, and the gardens were closed because there was some sort of show there that you had to buy an extra ticket for (though they are normally included in the basic ticket, grrr). Mostly, though, I think it was the fact that being crammed in crowds of tourists (literally, there were times we were all pretty shoulder-to-shoulder) kind of put a damper on the ambiance and grandeur of Versailles. Something about fighting one's way past a dozen other tourists to get a decent picture of a bedchamber just isn't quite as magical as one might imagine. ;)
Speaking of magical, though... The Eiffel Tower is, especially at night. I'm not going to lie, I pretty much fell in love with the Eiffel Tower. Gorgeous. Mesmerizing. I made a point of going to see it at night as well, and I am SOOOOO glad I did. Not only is it lit up at night (which is beautiful in its own right), but the first 10 minutes of every hour it sparkles! Even without that, though, I just sat in the grass staring at it for a very long time, utterly caught up in its spell, and practically had to tear myself away so I could go back to the hostel and sleep. It is that incredible.
In fact, pretty a city as Paris is, it is even more lovely at night. I wish I had learned this earlier, but it's called the City of Lights for a reason. When I go back to Paris someday, I'm pretty sure I will do half of my sightseeing at night! At least!

In conclusion:
Paris totally deserves its reputation. I think there was a point where I was skeptical, but it really is every bit as magical and beautiful and romantic as they say. Good greif, I was there by myself and it was STILL palpably romantic! How on earth does that work?!?? Anyway, Paris pretty much is all it's cracked up to be. Paris, je t'aime!! <3