I posted many of our pictures on facebook, but here is a rundown on what we did.
Oct. 1: Our plane left at 1pm for Paris. We went with Duane and Joy, with whom we also went to Rome. Joy is 21 weeks pregnant and was a trooper with all the walking we did!
Oct. 2: We arrived in Paris at 9:40am. We rented an apartment from Slim (who was excellent!!) and he met us outside of the apartment at noon. We were on the second floor of a windy staircase. The apartment was cozy and we were living alongside real Parisians. That was amazing. Our apartment was next to an open air market on Rue Cler. Here you can find anything you need (cheese, bread, fish, vegetables, fruit). We went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs Elysees the first evening.
Oct. 3: Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle. Saint Chappelle has 1100 stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible - beautiful. That evening we went on a night bike ride through Paris that included a cruise on the River Seine. The bike ride was the highlight. I loved it! I'm looking at all the cities that Fat Tire Bike tours offers bike rides to pick my next vacation.
Oct 4: Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. This area seemed less safe since there were several thieves and pickpockets but the church was beautiful. Next was the Louvre and the Orsay Museum.
Oct. 5: Happy Birthday Duane. We celebrated by going to Versailles. We packed a picnic and Duane packed a bottle of wine. While we were eating crepes a buckeye fell on Duane's head. We were sitting under a buckeye tree at Versailles!! So we got someone to take a picture of the four of us doing OHIO. This evening was Nuit Blanche in Paris. That meant parties until 7am. We walked around and saw people dancing and art displays then we got home around 1:30am. No all night parties for us!
Oct. 6: Mass at St. Sulpice then we took a stroll around Luxembourg gardens. We ate some macarons, went to a book store and just had a relaxing time. At 5pm we rode the Eiffel tower to the top for spectacular views. Then we went to the Latin Quarter for dinner. This was a lively place with lots of shops, creperies, and good French food.
Oct. 7: Au Revoir Pairs!
My thoughts on Paris, France.
I love this city. I could live here. Erik and I talked about renting an apartment for a month and just living here with the kids. I wish the kids could have experienced this culture too. We actually felt pretty safe except for the Sacre Coeur/ Montmartre area. I loved walking around and seeing the city and the people. Paris is clean, easy to navigate (the metro system was straightforward), and so much delicious food!
My thoughts on the people.
They were much nicer than their reputation. We tried (terribly) to speak French but so many people spoke English. Everyone was friendly.
My thoughts on the food.
We had a lot of picnics (or take away food) since it is easy and we can go wherever we want to eat. We also ate at several outdoor cafes. These are all over in Paris and I loved them. We could sit at one for hours. I think the locals do this!
Escargot - Much yummier than I thought. Duane is always daring (he ordered foie gras while we were there). He ordered snails which horrified Erik and Joy. I actually thought they were delicious! Erik and Joy did try them reluctantly.
Fromage - I thought the cheese would be amazing but it was all stinky. Even muenster which I really like was stinky. I was disappointed in the stinky cheese
Pain au chocolat - Chocolate croissants. They were buttery and perfect. This is normal breakfast for Parisians. A croissant and a hot drink like coffee, tea, or chocolate.
Crepes - My favorite! I loved the nutella crepes and would stuff myself with them after I was already full. Yes they were that good.
Macarons - light yet somehow rich. They came in a variety of flavors and were so beautiful.
Chocolat Viennoise - This makes starbucks look like gas station hot chocolate. I have no idea how they made this hot chocolate but it was unbelievable.
We had an amazing trip and I'm ready to go back. I love Paris every moment. Every moment of the year!
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