So I'm a little bit late here blogging about my trip to Paris last weekend, but it'll have to do.
Even though we only spent 2 mostly-full days and one night in Paris, it quickly became my favorite European city that I have visited this semester.
We arrived in Paris by plane on Saturday at about 9am (yes, a very early morning for me) and didn't waste any time after getting settled in our hotel to start our grande journée of sight-seeing and eating. Eating comes first, naturally. We had lunch at a cute cafe near our hotel and it was a very pleasant introduction to Parisian cooking! See below:
After our lovely meal, we set out to see the Notre Dame, the famous Shakespeare & Company bookstore, some of the Latin Quarter, and of course, the Eiffel Tower. A lot of time was spent waiting in lines, but it was a beautiful day and Paris is great for people watching. Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was definitely worth the wait; the view of the city on a clear day was unbelievable. Taking the elevator to the veryvery top was slightly nerve-racking -- it just kept going!
Now my favorite part of the trip!! In the evening, we took a boat tour along the Seine. It lasted about an hour and a half and it was so wonderful to see everything lit up. Most people were sitting inside the boat where there was a little restaurant and bar, but we decided to sit on the roof of the boat and sip on wine there! (a much better choice). The Seine was boppin'; there were parties all along the riverbank and so many other boats filled with tours and parties.
Day 2 in Paris was also pretty action-packed. After a short Starbucks run (I've gone 3 months without a Starbucks iced chai, Mon Dieu!) we set off to the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, the Champs Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe. Lots of walking! Once again, it was a beautiful day with only some clouds, so walking around a lot was not a problem at all.
More pictures!:
So I forget what this bridge is called, but people put locks on it to represent their love. My favorite was a couple who used a steering wheel lock. They obviously have the strongest bond.
Crepes for lunch! And apparently it is necessary to have hard cider with savory crepes. Who knew?
Street band (Billy Healy's future)
To return home to Nice, we took a train that cut through the countryside. It was only light for about half of the trip, but what I saw was very pretty. I'd love to return to Paris sometime soon! It was great for a weekend, but I feel like you really need to spend a few weeks there to see most of the important things. Hopefully I'll find a way to get back!
