Well, I can’t believe it, but we have now survived our first 5 weeks in Europe and just completed our first long week of travel. What a week it has been! Now time for some rest, relaxation, and…studying? :)
We began the week off in Paris. I absolutely fell in love with Paris. I had pretty high expectations going in, but they were exceeded. We had heard from previous travelers that you need a good 3-4 days, so we took their advice, and planned accordingly.
Going into Paris we had our hearts set on doing a bike tour around the city. We had heard it was a great way to see and learn about the city. Although this is a wonderful way to see the city, and I would completely recommend the company we used, I would not recommend it when it is 20 degrees outside. It was cold. Super cold. As we began, we were saying to each other, “Oh, it’s not that bad! This is awesome!” and by the end (middle) of it we were saying, “We’ve got to go. I can’t feel my face or feet.” Needless to say, we cut the bike tour early along with some other girls that were feeling the same way, using the Eiffel tower as our reference to return the bikes.
After the cold bike tour, we knew of one thing that could quickly warm our bodies and spirits…Starbucks. Most of you reading this probably know of Megan and I’s obsession with Starbucks. I must inform you that Italy doesn’t have a single Starbucks and as we were planning the trip, we were looking so forward to the sip of our first latte after leaving the states. It was great. Latte in hand, we spent the afternoon exploring shops and stores before heading back to our hostel for a shower and dinner.
Day two of Paris was packed full of history.
First, the Sacred Heart Cathedral...
Then, the Phantom of the Opera Theatre...
To conclude the night, we set out to the Eiffel Tower. The light show was beautiful and going up in the tower was well worth it. It was fun to see the lights of the city in the place known as the “City of Lights.” Sadly, there was a bit of a fog over the city.
But, my favorite part was the replica set up of Napolean’s apartment. The colors were so rich and I found this part of the museum particularly fascinating. Let me tell you, he had many, many, chandeliers.
After lunch we headed to the big shopping street that we had walked by on our way to the arc the day before. Paris has great shopping as you can imagine, but due to our light packing restrictions, by bag could only take about one more article of clothing. I settled on a shirt that I loved from Zara. I mean, you’ve got to buy something in Paris, right? J
It was a girl in our group’s birthday, so, to celebrate we decided to splurge on a fun meal from Le Refuge des Fodues. This was by far the best night of the trip. The atmosphere of this place is exactly what you would expect from a Paris restaurant. It is the definition of a “hole-in-the-wall” and the perfect way to end our trip and spend her birthday. They serve wine from baby bottles, you have to literally climb over the table if you are sitting against the wall, and the walls are covered in signatures. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone. Get there early though, and make reservations, because as we were leaving there was a long line out the door.
Paris was great. Hopefully, someday, I will be able to go back!
One final note...Eat all the crepes you possibly can!! They are AMAZING!
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