Paris

The City of Lights, the City of Romance, the City That Steals Your Heart…PARIS! Yes, I spent the first half of my second spring break in this wonderful city and I loved every minute of it, despite the clouds, rain, hail and serious wind.

We got to Paris Wednesday afternoon and came to find that our hostel was smack in the middle of the Red Light District! The streets were lined with strip clubs, X-rated shops and plenty of creepy people, but it was a funny way to start the trip. We exited the metro and right in front of us was Moulin Rouge…how cool. 

Moulin Rouge by day

 And by night

Thursday we went on a three- hour free walking tour of Paris (HIGHLY recommend doing it, there are organizations all over Europe that provide free tours of major cities like the one we took, so worth it) and we saw all of the major landmarks in the city. Our tour guide was British and had a great sense of humor; needless to say he got a nice tip.

 Tour guide with Locks of Love lining the bridge

 Louvre Pyramids

After our tour ended we found the nearest grocery store and bought baguettes, cheese, salami and wine and had a lovely picnic lunch under the Eiffle Tower.  I can definitely say that our picnics are one of my favorite things that we do when we travel. 

 We grabbed some crepes on our way home from the city, after all we were in Paris! I had a banana and Nutella crepe…YUM!

 Friday we did some more touring of the city and climbed the Eiffle Tower, in the wind and rain. Once we got to the top it actually started hailing! I took a video of it, but I can’t seem to get it to upload…but it was pretty crazy. After taking about 5 more laps around the tower, we went to the Louvre to see the ever-so-famous Mona Lisa painting. I had more fun watching the crazy tourists crowding around the painting taking upwards of 100 pictures than I had actually seeing the painting itself. I guess you can say it was a little anti-climactic for me, but at least I saw it.

 After some more rain we decided to treat ourselves to one of Paris’ bests…Longchamps! It was surprisingly cheaper to buy it in Paris than in the U.S., so we went for it.

Friday night we went to a fondue place recommended by my friend Elizabeth. It was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served meats, breads, cheeses, olives, etc. paired with a cheese and oil fondue dip. But the best part was the wine in baby bottles! We came to the conclusion that they do that so you don’t spill your wine while reaching for the fondue dip, but either way we loved it. You also had to climb over the table to get to your seat, which was entertaining.

 We made our way back to the tower for the third time to see the lights. Every hour (on the hour) after dark, the tower sparkles for five minutes. We sat on the grass and counted it down while watching couples kiss beneath the stars. Paris truly is the city of romance, although I definitely see more public displays of affection in Spain…

Saturday morning we left bright and early for Switzerland, which was another great trip, but I definitely liked Paris better. See next post!