Our last stop of our journey was beautiful Paris! This was by far my favorite city. It was absolutely beautiful, and I felt so comfortable and relaxed here even though they spoke a different language and had different customs. We arrived in Paris on Saturday morning and had to kill a few hours before we were able to check in to our studio apartment. We were staying in the neighborhood of Montmartre, which had a very hip Parisian vibe. We found our apartment first, and then wandered down the street until we found a cute little bakery. We got pain au chocolat and espresso there, which were insanely delicious. Around the corner from our apartment was the beautiful Sacre Coeur, a basilica perched up on a large hill. There was a beautiful square at the base of the church that we rested in until we were able to get to our apartment.
Our studio apartment was tiny, but super cute. It was one room with a kitchenette, bathroom, and murphy bed. It was decorated in a lot of purple, but it was perfect and made me feel like I was really in the city :) We spent some time hanging around the apartment, and then ventured out into Montmartre and did a little exploring. We got our first crepes in Paris for a late lunch, then went up and saw the beautiful Sacre Coeur. In the streets surrounding the church their were cute markets and shops, which we explored afterwards. It was a wonderful afternoon.
The next morning we got breakfast at the bakery near our apartment and then set out for the Palace of Versailles. We knew this would be a pretty long trip, so we set out early in hopes of beating the crowd. It took about an hour to get there with the metro, and when we got there we ended up waiting two and a half hours in line just to get in to the palace. When we got in we were kind of worn out, but we did the best we could to enjoy the experience. It was a beautiful palace. After seeing the insides of the palace, we left for Paris again. We decided to see Notre Dame while we were out. Before this we grabbed a nutella crepe from a nearby stand and ate it down by the river. Afterwards, we headed to the church and took in the beautiful sights.
That night we decided to have a light picnic dinner in front of the Eiffel Tower. We walked around Montmartre and picked up fruit, wine, and baguettes from our bakery. After getting our supplies, we took the train to the Eiffel Tower and picked a spot near the base. We ate dinner and relaxed, watching the people around us and enjoying the beautiful place we were in. Eventually it got dark and the tower lit up for the night. A secret that not a lot of people know is that every hour the tower sparkles for five minutes. We knew this and planned to wait until it put on this beautiful show. At 10 o'clock it finally sparkled, and was an absolutely beautiful sight.
Monday was our last day in Paris and also the last day of our entire trip. We woke up and headed to the Arc de Triomphe, which we planned on climbing that morning. We got breakfast first, and then headed to the beautiful landmark. After getting tickets, we hiked the 200+ stairs to the top. Its an absolutely gorgeous view. All of the main roads in Paris branch out from this place, so you can see down every road from the top.
After this we walked down the beautiful Champs Elysees, and then went in search of a lunch. We wanted to try escargot before we left, so we found a restaurant that served three courses for a decent price, one of them being escargot. It was actually pretty good, even though you literally have to dig the meat out of the shells in order to eat it. A little unsettling, but still yummy. They are drenched in butter and garlic so the only thing you have to get past is the chewy texture and the presentation.
Next we headed to the Louvre, where we spent a few hours exploring and trying to see the Mona Lisa. That night we repeated our plan from the night before, but this time we bought french macarons as a special treat. We parked in front of the Eiffel Tower again, feeling a bit bittersweet. We were very excited to be home, but the trip had been so wonderful. It was sad to see it end, but I am so glad that we ended in Paris. It was an absolutely beautiful city, and it was so nice to be able to relax in front of the Eiffel Tower, reflect on our trip, and think about all the beautiful memories we made in our seven weeks abroad.
