Paris is one of the most overly romanticized cities on Earth. It is mentioned in television, films, and the media as the home of passion and love. People's adoration of this city's culture, art, food, and architecture is nauseating. I just do not share this extreme sentiment, and if I wanted to be in a city of this type of grandeur I would rather be in Vienna.
That being said, Paris provides enormous opportunities for a traveler. The sites in the city are scattered across a large area, so it is easy to find yourself walking all day. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame are probably the most recognizable and famous sites in the city.
The Louvre is one thing in Paris that is most definitely NOT overrated. I could spend days exploring the exhibits in this vast and diverse museum. Of course there are the immensely well known pieces like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, but beyond that there are rooms and rooms filled with beautiful, amazing, and educational exhibits.
Spending time outside the Louvre can be just as fun. You can walk through the adjacent park on your way to the Eiffel tower, watch Roma children splashing around in the fountains, and even cool your own tired feet.
The Eiffel Tower is an interesting bit of architecture, but that is really where my fascination ends. Being that it was only erected as an extravagant entrance to the World's Fair in 1889, it really serves no purpose other than unique aesthetics and a marvelous tourist trap.
The park behind the tower is filled with picnicking tourists. Attempting to have a "genuine" Parisian experience, they bring their baguettes, their cheeses, and their bottles of wine. For us there is really only so long you can look at a large lattice style tower.
On your way along the Seine you can even see the "beaches of Paris". This is all rather comical, considering it is really more about getting a tan than actually enjoying any sort of real beach experience.
Notre Dame is a church. You are probably thinking, "Wow. Yes that is obvious and nondescript." But, let me be honest here - churches are churches. They vary in their styles depending on denomination and region, but this particular church is not so different from hundreds of other Cathedrals in western Europe.
When you see places like this - places which are venerated world wide - you realize that you should be awestruck and humbled to be there. Some people may convince themselves that they are impressed by these sites, but when I am standing there all I can think is, "Yup, that's a nice building."
Part of why these places have such a high profile is because we associate them with some famous occurrence or person. Hollywood, literature, and history have made these places seem almost to fantastic to be true. Take the tombstone of Jim Morrison; people travel from all over the world to Paris with the idea that they will visit his precious final resting place. People take photos of their babies and small children in front of the tombstone, in a macabre demonstration of their undying love for a man they never knew.
The tombstone itself is really unspectacular; it is squeezed between larger more extravagant mausoleums. When you come around the corner of the surrounding stones, it is really unimpressive to see this small and simple grave. The site really doesn't reflect all of the fuss that people make about Morrison.
Outside of Paris is the Palace of Versailles. We have been to many many palaces, and although this one is not on the top of my list, it is definitely near the top. We visited Versailles twice: a first time to saunter through the gardens, and a second time to take a tour of the palace.
The gardens are vast. I have seen other palace gardens that could rival the extravagance of these, but none quite so large. There were many hidden places to explore. Dozens of fountains hidden behind hedges (none of which were turned on unfortunately). The Grand Canal that extends out behind the palace goes on for ages and was dotted with swans. Unfortunately, there was no maze in these gardens. If there had been, these would be my favorite gardens rather than the gardens at La Granja in Spain.
The lush interior of the palace was interesting, but overall not so different from many other palaces. The Hall of Mirrors was quite impressive, but is really hard to appreciate when you are herded along with so many photo taking tourists. Probably my favorite tidbit during our tour was when we entered Marie Antoinette's room and they pointed out the hidden door she would have escaped through when the Parisian mobs descended upon Versailles. It is these kind of historical facts that give life to otherwise cold stone halls.
