Hey Friends and Family!
Okay, Paris post time! I can't lie, I absolutely, 100% fell in love with this city. It was everything the movies and stories made it out to be. You can't help but get caught up in the beauty and romance of this city.
We arrived here off the train early in the morning. It was gorgeous seeing the countryside, as well as arriving into the city. After locating our little hotel and getting settled in, we quickly went off to explore! We headed out to go buy some tickets for the Swan Lake Ballet for the next evening, and then we walked the streets. After some exploring, we excitedly headed off to finally see the Eiffel Tower.
Okay, the Eiffel Tower is more amazing than any picture or description that could be said. It's just incredible. The amazing thing about Paris is that even though there is a large, breathtaking monument at any one spot, there are tons of other, smaller, yet amazing pieces of art all around it as you're getting there.
So, we finally arrived to the base of the tower, and let me tell you, it is just so much bigger than you would think. LOVE IT. We bought passes to climb to the top - climb, not ride the elevator - and that was an adventure in itself. Tyler wasn't quite loving the fact that as we were climbing stories high into the air, he could feel the wind blowing all around him. I think that took away a bit of his security and didn't help the height issue. However, he did a great job! Love you, Ty!
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| View from the first landing of the Eiffel, looking down. (Those dots are the people on the ground) |
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| I'm standing out on the glass that looks over all the people below. Tyler was a no go for that idea. I think I caused him some anxiety. You're welcome, Ty! :) |
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| View of the city from the Eiffel |
After our descent from the tower, we went down to the gardens and just spent some time taking it all in. While we were there, we got into a good conversation with one of the locals who told us about an amazing restaurant to go and try.. so we did! Let me just say, he wasn't kidding. It was one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. I'm getting melancholy just thinking about that meal. I think the little mouse off of Ratatouille must have been in that kitchen designing that masterpiece.
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| Favorite picture from the entire trip! |
So after our busy first day, we started off the next day with some delicious breakfast on Rue Cler Walk. It's pretty much this adorable little street full of sidewalk restaurants and fruit stands. We ended up going back there three times a day, each day that we were in Paris. Afterwards, we headed out for one of our walking tours from our guide book. It took us around older Paris, including the Notre Dame Cathedral. That was an amazing little walk. We had fun snapping pictures by the Seine, buying some art from a street vendor, eating Parisian pastries, stopping by the Love Lock Bridge, touring Notre Dame and more. That day we even witnessed some pickpocketing on the metro, which heightened our tourist security radar even more. Oh, the experiences!
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| Rue Cler |
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| Inside the Notre Dame |
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| This is the most photographed Gargoyle at Notre Dame.. so I joined the club. :) |
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| Notre Dame |
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| This is one of the oldest bookstores in Paris. |
So there is this bridge in Paris called the Love Lock Bridge. Pretty much the tradition is that if you and your lover put your lock on this bridge, then as long as your lock is on the bridge, you will be happy together. So, naturally, we wanted to join in the romantic tradition! We bought a lock back in Arkansas and then, after putting on the bridge, threw our key in the river. It was cute to do, not to mention it was a gorgeous view. (You're welcome for that rhyme!).
That night we went and watched the Swan Lake Ballet. It was amazing. It was more amazing when we finally bought the book, during intermission, that explains the story line and what was going on. That makes a huge difference in the ballet world. The entire book was in french except for one page, which luckily had the storyline on it. It was a good lesson for us to learn for future plays.
The next day we hit up the Louvre as well as the Arc De Triomphe. We weren't able to go into the Louvre, since it was closed, but it was cool to see some of the monuments around it. We'll have to see Mona Lisa's smile next trip!
We also stopped by the Bastille Opera house, which is the one themed in the Phantom of the Opera. It was immaculate. All of the architecture and detail in Paris is breathtaking.
Outside of the opera house, this man was hanging out and surprising people. He definitely gave me a good scare though before I realized he was a person. Afterwards he pulled me up to make up for it and gave us both some good laughs.
Paris was amazing. I am already dying to go back and spend more time in that beautiful city. Everything from the food to the scenery was fabulous, not to mention it was the perfect couples vacation.
Thanks so much for following us on our journey! Our Spain trip is to follow! We love you all!
With Love,
