Paris avec ma mere

After we left Scotland, we headed to Paris. I was so excited to show this city to my mom. I spent a week there when I traveled with Rachel and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible for us. Cold, rainy, cloudy, and windy. Not exactly the same Paris I visited in June. We had a good time, but my mom isn't quite sold on the city yet. YET. I'm planning to take her in the spring sometime in the future so she can see it in all its glory.

Our hotel was in Montmarte a few streets down from Moulin Rouge. I missed this landmark last time I was here, so it was a nice surprise to come across. We walked to Sacré Cœur, which was also close to our hotel. A quick stop in Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, some shopping, Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, and some coffee about rounded up our trip. The rain really put a damper on things. We actually went to the movie theater one afternoon because it was so miserable. Sometimes you have to relax, right?

Because the weather was so bad, I have a total of 20 pictures from this part of our trip. Bummer. If you want to see more, I posted A LOT of pictures here.

Bakeries and Fruit Stands

One of my favorite things about Paris was the pastries. Carbs are my favorite.

It didn't hurt that we had an adorable bakery right on the corner by our hostel. We stopped there each morning.

There was also a fruit stand around the corner. Rach and I made a habit of stopping on our way to the metro each morning. The man was so nice and would always speak to us. Too bad we couldn't understand anything he was saying. We would just smile, nod, and say "merci" as we left. He fondly became known as the fruit stand man. Original, right?

On our last day we were pretty upset. Plus I had to sneak a picture of the Fruit Stand Man. He kind of looks like Mario or Luigi, right?!

Tour Eiffel

I was not prepared for how big the Eiffel Tower is in real life. I mean, I knew it was big. But when you're standing under it for the first time, it's incredible. I know some people think it's just a huge, ugly, metal structure, but I thought it was awesome.

The light show at night is supposed to be great. Unfortunately we never saw it. Did you know it stays light outside until after 11 during the summer? Because we sure didn't. I felt like it was always light in Paris. I would wake up at 6 in the morning and the sun would be shining. Crazy. Anyways, we attempted to watch the show three times (each picture is from a different day). But each time, we were too exhausted to stay. When I go back with my mom, we will definitely stay to watch. Especially since it will be dark much earlier (praise the Lord).

Sacre Coeur and Saint Chapelle

Everyone told us we needed to go to Sacre Coeur and climb the duomo. So we took their word for it. And I'm so glad we did! It has an incredible view of Paris. It was definitely a workout climbing up the hill to the basilica and then up 300 stairs to the top of the dome, but it was worth it.

On our way back down the hill, we were met by two African men who asked us if they could show us something. They came toward us and started reaching for our wrists. Thankfully, my brother had told me about this trick so we were prepared. These men tie a string around your wrist and then steal your bag while you're distracted. We told them no and kept walking away. They were bold enough to grab my arm which was a mistake. I yelled at him, "Don't touch me!" and he thankfully let go. It was really the only time we ever felt uncomfortable (other than in Brussels) the entire time we were traveling. Every adventure needs a good story, right?

After we escaped from the con artists, we went to Saint Chapelle. Words can't even describe how beautiful it is. The stained glass is just stunning. Breathtaking, even. My pictures don't come anywhere near doing it justice.

I can't wait to go back here with my mom. 43 days til she's here!!

Notre Dame and Macarons

Rachel and I traveled very well together. We planned out our days the night before and really maximized our time. We also walked pretty fast which allowed us to a) get to a lot of places, b) avoid taking public transportation, and c) save money. We split up Paris into areas we wanted to explore. Day two's plan was Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, Notre Dame (which is just beautiful), Place de Vosges, and then we ended our day eating chocolate and macarons at Luxembourg Gardens.

I felt like I had to try macarons here and they were okay. I only tried two so maybe I just haven't found my favorite flavor yet.

That night for dinner, we ate at a creperie. Best decision ever. I wrote about that here if you're interested! I will be taking my mom to this place when we go to Paris. She's coming in just over a month! So excited!!

Luxembourg, Museums, and Pureed Soup

I haven't posted anything about our days in Paris so here we go! This will be broken into a lot of posts because we did so much.

We stumbled upon a market that morning and decided to get a little picnic. We ate in Luxembourg Gardens and it was just perfect.

Our first day in Paris was the first Sunday of the month. Which meant the museums were free! We hit the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. They were extremely crowded but we were still able to see a lot.

After the museums, we walked along the Seine River toward the Eiffel Tower. We found a restaurant on a side street for dinner. It was chilly so when I saw vegetable soup on the menu, I was so excited. Chunks of vegetables was just what I wanted. Little did I know, vegetable soup in Europe is much different than in America. It's pureed. Can you say gross?! It really wasn't that bad but it was definitely not what I expected.

We ended the day at the Eiffel Tower. We were going to stay to watch the light show, but we had walked over six miles during the day and we were tired. So we headed back to our hostel and promptly fell asleep. Day one was a success!

Yummy Crapes

These days are just flying by! We have been so busy every day that it's hard to have time to get on the computer. And who would want to when you could be out living life in Europe?!

We have been in Paris for a few days now. Tomorrow is sadly our last day.

The good news is we're going on a day trip to Versailles.

So excited.

Last night, we had dinner at a creperie recommended to us by a local. 

Oh. My. Word. Delicious.

So good, in fact, that we're going back tomorrow night.

I tried to upload a picture of the actual crepes but this hostel internet system isn't agreeing with me. You'll have to wait for more later.

Funny story:

We asked the local for the best place in town for crepes. We pronounced it like crapes (that's how we've always heard it). She replied, "I don't know what you are talking about." To which we replied with, "Ummm you're famous for them...???"

We actually had to spell it out on a sheet of paper because she couldn't understand what we were saying. Southern accent at work right there, folks.

Thursday we are headed to Italy! We are so excited to finally be in one place for an extended amount of time. And we're excited for the food. Obviously.

Prayers for safe travel would be greatly appreciated!