Packed Paris Day- Tour Montparnasse, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame, Moulin Rouge: Trip to France 8/28

We had a full Paris day with absolutely gorgeous weather. We slept in a bit, which was needed after getting in late from (our) château. It was Sunday, so fewer things were open but SMS found a bakery nearby. We had croissants and café. Yea, quintessential meal, check!

Tour Montparnasse

A friend had recommended Tour Montparnasse for the excellent views, so we headed there after breakfast. There are two levels to view from, interior behind very clean glass and on the rooftop through plexiglass, some with eye-height cutouts. It was absolutely fantastic.

Not only did we take in the views, but we also took in the sun. But hunger called and we left after about 30 minutes. We decided to do laundry before our afternoon tourist activities, so we grabbed our bag from the hotel and went around the block. Other than mixing up a washer for a dryer and paying for an extra load, it was really straightforward with good quality machines.

Lunch at Hando!

While we waited for our laundry, we ate lunch at Hando. It was so delicious!!! We each ordered four rolls- I got the set and SMS ordered à la carte. The toro and bluefin were so good, but the roll that made me instantly happy was the shrimp. It was a diced shrimp salad that tasted exactly like a high-end version of a Japanese 7-11 tuna onigiri. I don’t think I’ve ever had food that triggered such an amygdala insta-memory lane reaction. It was amazing and put me in such a good mood.

I had to leave a few minutes before SMS to get the laundry in the dryer, but that worked out fine. I’m hoping they didn’t think we were doing a dine-and-dash, but SMS was good for the bill.

Saint Chapelle

Then, it was off to Saint Chapelle. I don’t know if I mentioned this in the Mont St Michel day, but I had bought the National Monument passion pass where for 70 Euros, I and a companion can get gratis tickets to any of the monuments under the commission for 1 year. It’s a great deal, but a slightly tricky website to navigate in terms of how to use it so I didn’t find a lot of tourist-friendly write-ups regarding this pass.

Anyway, I had booked tickets for the 1500 Saint Chapelle timeslot and it was great. We went into the expedited line for screening, which was a bonus! The chapel was crowded, but not terribly so. The sunny day and mid-afternoon light really enhanced some of the side windows. It was really a great visit and SMS was very impressed. He hadn’t been before and was glad we went.

Notre Dame

Then we headed across the Île de Cite to Notre Dame. We had a 1700 reservation that I thought about not using since we had already seen Paris from an aerial view. But I am so glad we went. It turns out that it was a towers only ticket that are limited in number. After going through security, we walked up stone-wood-stone staircases in the South tower. We had to wait about 5 minutes before ascending the narrow stone staircase to the top of the South tower. Wow wow wow. It is an amazing view and experience. I could still hear the sounds from the square from below so “real-life” was still present, but the view was insane. The security is pretty strict without being overbearing. We were allowed to stay on the landing for ~10’minutes before being asked to descend to give others their turn. The two limitations seem to be number of people allowed on the landing and that the staircase is narrow enough that it is really one-way at a time.

Even though the South tower is the highlight, the descent is also remarkable. We took a pause at the landing between the two towers and saw several grotesques at a fairly close range. We peaked inside Le foret, which are oak beam supports rebuilt after the fire. And finally, we walked through the North tower belfry before heading down stone stairs. I think it would be possible to be inside during the bell ringing, which I think would be inadvisable for good hearing. But I’m not sure.

[A note: if you’re reading this and thinking I want to do what she did (and really, who wouldn’t lol), definitely make reservations in advance. The Saint Chapelle was complet for the entire following week and the tower tour was full for the next couple of days. The tower tour had also just opened on 25 Sept so it may become more popular as word gets out. It may be possible to get day of tickets, especially through a third party, but we did see people turned away at Notre Dame.]

For dinner, we went to Le Plumb du Cantal, which specializes in Auvergne cuisine, which is very hearty. Think meat accompanied by classic cheesy potato dishes. The ichiban recommended dish is aligot, which is essentially mashed potatoes thickened with a lot of cheese. It was scooped out of a sauce pan that is held high above the plate to show the long, stretched-out lines of the dish. It kind of reminded me of a Dairy Queen blizzard that is flipped upside down before being given to you to show how thick it is. Our fromage guide Jennifer (day 9!) said that there are competitions for the longest strands of aligot. It was pretty tasty- what’s not to like about garlic salted cheesy mashed potatoes?

But we had decided to try two things so I ordered the truffade, which is basically a very cheesy potato gratin. I preferred it slightly more than the aligot. Don’t tell my friends who recommended the place! Speaking of those two, I will say this place definitely seems like it would be endorsed by men in their 20s/30s with healthy appetites and good metabolisms, haha.

The meat was good- I got the onglet steak while SMS got cabbage wrapped saucisse.

Moulin Rouge

So, where did we go after a stick-to-your-ribs, heavy dinner? The Moulin Rouge with all their skinny gorgeous dancers! When planning the trip, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go but two different friends with good taste recommended it so I decided we should go. Not that the Moulin Rouge is in good taste, but more that these friends give solid recommendations in general so I decided to trust in the delightful campiness of the Moulin Rouge.

We were not disappointed! The entrance was a little bit of a cattle call and if I had known that the seating was already designated and not first come, first served, I would have come closer to showtime to avoid the tension and the slight crush.

And we had great seats! We were at the end of a 8-seater table right next to the stage. It was awesome to see all the dancers, their expressions, and their boobs. So.many.boobs. I had no idea until I booked the tickets. I sort of wish I hadn’t known at all and been surprised, but it’s all over the internet so I don’t feel this is too much of a spoiler.

There were also a few Cirque de Soliel-style acts with a man/woman pair with a very gymnastic/contortion/ballet pas de deux, four men who I swear to goodness are going to have severe cervical spinal stenosis in the future, and a man/woman death-defying stunt duo with knives and other weapons. I swear, I thought we were going to see maiming on stage. I couldn’t even watch the whole thing. But she was fine! And everyone cheered!

We had a great time and I do recommend. The metro was closed by the time we were heading to the hotel so we caught an uber.

All in all, a great and busy day!