Paris

Day 22: Monday 7 July 2014

P A R I S.

It's hard to play favorites when you've been to so many amazing cities in Europe, but Paris was my favorite. It may have been due to a combination of things. Our apartment was first class.  It was my favorite one. Especially after staying in the poorly situated Lyon apartment with the club downstairs. 

We left Lyon at 11:30am and arrived at 1:30pm and had no trouble finding our apartment.  Can I just say again that is is SO nice that Michael is fluent in French.  It really made our travels so much easier. The apartment was located in a more business district type of place, so it was a little more ritzy than most of our other apartments, and it was so much quieter! Very tranquil to leave the windows open and nap to the sound of rain falling. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The biggest downside and maybe the only downside to our stay in Paris was that it was cloudy, rainy, and cool during most of our stay.  We finally got to see the sun on our last day there.  So, that's why most of the pictures are kind of dark and gloomy! Paris is still beautiful in the rain though!

After settling into our apartment we went around the corner to a Monoprix store to get some groceries.  By now, if you've been keeping up with all of these posts, getting food was pretty much always the first thing we did everywhere we stayed. Priorities!! We got breakfast and dinner foods because we planned to eat out a lot more in Paris than we had in previous cities.  We really did our research and I can confidently report that everywhere we ate was uh-mazing! We didn't have one bad meal in Paris. Best food on our whole trip. Probably another reason why I loved it there so much, again, priorities!

We headed out in the cloudy weather and made our way to the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomph. It was so great to witness in person.  It actually seemed bigger than I had imagined, so that was a plus.

I spy...

Yes. I was standing in the middle of the busy road when I took this picture.

We walked down most of the Champs Elysees.  Funny side story - so I really needed to use the restroom while we were walking down the street.  We found a free street toilet, which is rare, because it usually costs money.  It was my first experience using one.  There were three people in front of me and I think we waited 20 minutes just for those three people to go! Those things take forever because after each use the automatic door shuts, then it sprays the whole thing down, and dries...the entire process takes at least 4 minutes. It was crazy! By the time it was my turn there were probably 10 more people behind me, and Michael had to go too, so we just went in together!! Ha! Sure we got some funny looks for that, but who cares! We were sparing them the extra wait!

Anyyyyway. Enough about the bathroom.  We kept walking and stopped for some pictures at the Place de le Concorde, then we toured through the garden of the Tuluries.

I spy....

It started to sprinkle so we decided it was time to turn in early, have some dinner, and get a good nights sleep so we could have a full day tomorrow. 

Day 23: Tuesday 8 July 2014

We walked past this everyday on our way to the metro. Very cool.

So for this day we set out a little bit late.  Our first destination was the Pantheon, which of course, is nothing compared to the one in Rome, but still very beautiful and cool to see. We walked across a bridge over the seine and got a nice view of the Eiffel tower from afar.  

By the time we'd made it to the Pantheon it was already about 11:30am, so we decided we'd just go ahead and find a place for lunch that we had planned and knew was nearby. Our first Paris meal was crepes and boy oh boy, they were SO GOOD.  This place is one of the most famous places to get them and has great reviews on trip adviser. I'd give it 5 stars!

After lunch we headed to the Luxembourg gardens and just chilled there for a while.  The sun came out a little bit for us and it made for a good post-lunch siesta...although, not sure siesta is the right term for a Paris nap! Ha!

Le Soleil!!!

We saw these groups of little kids all over Europe.  I thought this was a particularly cute sight.

We started walking again.  The picture directly below was taken because Michael thought it was a "cool looking building."  We looked up what is was and it's an architecture school, makes sense!
Our original itinerary had us going to the Catacombs this afternoon.  We made it to the entrance only to find that there was a two hour wait to get in - and it would be closing in just under 2 hours...so that was a no go. We decided we'd go back in the morning and try again and instead went over to the Musee d'Orsay. It was starting to rain again, so we thought a museum was a good idea. I really like the musee d'Orsay, it was probably one of my favorite museums we visited.  I just love how it used to be a train station, it just looks darn cool!

We are so lame, but I don't think (with the exception of our last night in Paris) we ever stayed out later than 6:00pm.  We're just a couple of old souls and like to retire to bed early! We went home and made a homemade quiche and were out! I guess after our restful week in Lyon our bodies forgot what a fast-paced day of touring felt like!

Day 24: Wednesday 9 July 2014

So, our original plan to leave our apartment early, as usual, was a flop.  Our goal was to arrive 30 minutes early before the Catacombs opened.  We didn't make it until right at opening...and you guessed it, the line had already formed! We had to wait two hours to get in.  We debated so many times whether to just leave, but both of us really wanted to see it! So we just waited it out.  My tip for anyone who wants to see the Catacombs is to just get there an hour or more before opening, because either way you're going to have to wait, but at least if you get to be one of the first to enter you won't have to waste more of your precious touring time waiting in the line during other site opening hours.  I really think it was worth the wait, I'm glad we got to see it, but it was definitely a once in a lifetime thing. If I go back to Paris, I won't go back to the Catacombs just because the waiting was too much.  They only let 160 people inside the Catacombs at a time, so that's why it takes so long. Once you're down there you spend about 45 minutes inside.  So that means when it opens and 160 people are admitted you have to wait 45 minutes for at least 4 people to come out...then they can only let 4 people in.  Crazy!!

I was freezing by the way wearing this dress! Especially while we were waiting outside! We went back to our apartment after this and I changed! Comfort comes before being fashionable for me!!

After my wardrobe change and a quick lunch we went to Pere Lachaise cemetary.  A lot of famous people are buried here, but it's also just a really beautiful place.  Grave yards have the potential to be creepy, but this one isn't.  It was very peaceful actually.  Walking hand in hand with the love of my life under an umbrella and listening to the peaceful sounds of the rain is something I wish I could do more often.

Paid tribute to good ol' Freddy Chopin.

It was totally sprinkling, but I didn't want the umbrella to ruin my swagger.

Took the funicular up to the Montemart hill and Sacre Coeur basilica. 

I REALLY wanted to have some French onion soup.  It was the perfect meal for a cold, rainy Parisian day.

Day 25: Thursday 10 July 2014

V E S A I L L E S

Okay, okay, okay. I think Versailles may be one of the main reasons I love Paris so much....okay. So it's not in Paris, but it is associated and it was totally my favorite day by far on our whole entire trip. Not even the extreme cold July rainy day could get me down.  I mean, it almost did, but we overcame it thanks to our little friends named credit card and new sweater. 

The train ride to Versailles from Paris is only about 30 minutes.  We actually made a little pit-stop on our way to Versailles to see the new sight for the Paris LDS temple. Here's a picture! Looks great, right?

Now, on to the beauty and wonder that is Versailles!

Waiting in lines....of course.

Hall of Mirrors tip: Don't try to take a picture when you first walk in - every one and their mother is also trying to take a picture. Wait until you get to the other end.  Everyone else will have already snapped a bunch of selfies at the entrance and the exit area will be all clear!! SEE!

Okay, so I know you can't tell by my smiling face, but I was FREEZING my tush off - in JULY. It was drizzling a little bit, too.  I was fine inside the palace, but I knew I could not make it through the rest of the day touring the gardens without extra coverage!

Soooo, we went shopping! We also stopped at a nice bakery and got almond croissants! Yum!

                                                                                           

Michael was chilly too! At least he had a hoodie on! He only packed one pair of pants for the whole trip and they were "nicer" slacks - he brought them for church...since it was raining he didn't want to risk getting them soggy...so he was stuck with shorts!! But, in his defense, we were traveling during June and July!! I mean, come on, we didn't expect to be dealing with 45 degree weather.

Sipping on some hot coco! I really can't express how much I love the gardens of Versailles.  I have dreamed of visiting my whole life.  I've always had a fascination with royalty and how people used to live in general during the 18th and 19th centuries...when I see a place like Versailles in all its vastness I can't help but try to put myself in their shoes.  It's just incredible.  It's the reason I loved studying art history!  Just puts all of history and life into a different perspective!

Inside one of Marie Antoinette's homes.

Marie Antoinette's gardens

We did a lot of walking this day!! Was glad that my chaco's were finally well broken in!

At the end of the day we were exhausted, but all the walking and tush-freezing was so worth it! I cannot WAIT to go back to Versailles again on a more pleasant day.  Will be even more amazing. If you plan to travel Europe make sure you dedicate a whole day to going to Versailles, please. You will not be disappointed.

Day 26: Friday 11 July 2014

Our last day in Paris was very relaxing, but we also managed to see a lot as well.  First thing we did was go to the Pont des Arts, the famous love lock bridge where lovers can come put on a lock and throw the key in the Seine. We didn't have a lock, but it was still fun to walk across it with Michael and look at all of the different locks.

Notre Dame! 

For lunch we ate at Chez Hanna, a really delicious falafel place we also found through trip adviser.  It was SO SO good. I HIGHLY recommend eating there if you visit Paris.

Next stop, Louvre.  A tip I'd give for the Louvre is don't try to enter via the pyramid. Enter from one of the underground metros, we got in so quickly this way.  We exited through the pyramid and saw a huge line of people trying to get in. Save yourself some time and go a different way. If you enter through the pyramid you're just going into a place where you buy tickets, you're not getting into the actual museum, so the quicker you get in to the lobby, the faster you'll get your ticket and can start viewing all of the amazing art!

Code of Hammurabi

Ramesses II

Venus de Milo

Do I even need to caption this gal?

Oath of the Horatii

How awesome would it be to have your wedding photos taken here??

So I'll admit, we hit all the big famous art works in the Louvre, but to be honest I was really feeling exhausted and just wanted to go back to our apartment and rest.  So, that's what we did.  We decided we'd go rest then stay out a little bit later that night; since it was our last night in Paris.

After a nap, we went to the Eiffel tower - and voila, the sun came out for one of the first times all week! Glad we saved the tower for our last night. These pictures are kind of dark, but trust me, the sun was out. :)

Oo la la! I love my husband!

Can I just give a shout out to my hair on this entire trip! Particularly in this picture.  So, when I packed my bags I did not pack a blow dryer or flat iron! I was prepared to "rough it." I was so lucky (and SO glad) that every apartment we stayed in had a complimentary blow dryer!!!! Some heat to tame my crazy hair.  But what's even more surprising is that blow drying was enough.  Normally in humid Arkansas I have to blow dry it then tame is further with a flat iron to get it to sit properly. Thank you, European air and sun for loving my mane.

After smooching in front of and walking around the Eiffel tower we headed to Cafe Constant, another highly recommended restaurant to eat at near the tower.  It was delicieux!! I was really worried about eating something weird because the menu was all in French. Of course Michael can read it, but the translation was a little iffy! We lucked out and had a fantastic (and expensive) meal. It was totally worth the splurge and it was the only time we had a fancy dinner on our entire trip. We even ordered dessert and fancy cheese!

Day 27: Saturday 12 July 2014

We stayed out pretty late Friday night, so we slept in a bit this morning and packed our things.  We didn't have to check out until 11:00am, so that was nice.  After we checked out we actually just sort of hung out in the lobby area of our apartment.  We didn't have to catch our train until 2pm or so, and we could still get internet from waiting in this area! We knew our flat in London wouldn't have internet so we decided to utilize the time to do some last minute researching for places to see and eat.

We left about 11:30am and went to get sandwiches at a really yummy place that I can't remember the name of, but trust me, they were good. Once I find out I will come back here and type the name! We also got some gelato, you know, just because it sounded good. We made it to the train station and we were off to London! 

Merci, Paris! I will be back, someday!