Je t'aime, Paris

Oh, how I wish I could go back. The weather was perfect. Everything we saw was gorgeous, and all of the people were so sweet. We took the Eurostar train early in the morning and after a short 2 hour trip (Modesto to Napa!) we were in PARIS, FRANCE. Instantly I could feel the different culture. There was suddenly a language barrier that wasn't there before, and a romantic aura about the city that is so unique to this "city of love".

The first day Kennedy, Tiffany, and I bonded. We made our first stop at the Lauderee pastry shop and each tried a famous French macaroon. So rich and delicious!  
Check out Paris on Pinterest...you'll see the brand.
Then we walked on to the Arc de Triomphe, which is the center of the city. It looked like it would be SO tall, but we hiked to the top!

After that, we headed to the Eiffel. Paris food on the first day was not that great. For the record, the food places by the Eiffel Tower are just expensive and not very good. Super touristy. But the climb to the Tower was incredible. It is just as perfect as you have always imagined, and Paris is beautiful. I always heard it was dirty and smelly, but that was not my experience at all! We went on a cute boat ride at dusk on the Seine river. At 10:00 pm every night, the majestic tower lights up and flashes in the night...just like the fireworks I hoped (unrealistically, of course) to see. This light show wasn't even expected so it was a lovely surprise! Dreams do come true.

Hanging on the Eiffel..nbd

FIREWORKS

Day 2: One of the best days I've ever had in my life. and that is not a joke. It was warm, started off early with a tour of the St. Chapelle church (most stunning stained glass walls you will ever see) and the Notre Dame cathedral, then turned into an adventure of happy accidents. Natalie and I stumbled upon the lock bridge, a romantic place where couples write their names on a lock, lock it on the bridge, then throw the key away into the river. Right next to it was a sweet old man playing the guitar softly, and a group of locals just chillin. One of the boys was so adorable! He saw how excited we were and started dancing, holding out his hands. I couldn't resist, of course, so I began dancing with this cute French boy (probably about 15..haha) as Natalie recorded it. Luckily I didn't get pick-pocketed or anything!

The lock bridge! All shapes and sizes. So adorable.

Then we ate real, delicious crepes at a little crepe restaurant we found. Unreal. The Shakespeare and Co. bookstore was so cute. It was quaint, old, owned by a family that adores reading, and even had a little piano inside that people could play on. There were typewriters everywhere and many people wrote notes, hanging them up on the walls with their favorite quotes, messages, etc. Loved it.

Spencer, Kate, Kristen, Evan, Trent and I at Shakespeare and Co. 

 

 After a 2 hour excursion trying to find a place to eat (not the most perfect part of the day), we found FOOD. andddd...escargot. Scratch that off the bucket list...

Hey little guy...

 Day 3: Versailles and the Louvre Museum. The Louvre was very, very crowded, but each piece was beautiful. And to see the Mona Lisa in real life?! Who gets to actually do that? The lady is smaller than most people would think, but she's quite somethin...

Mona Lisa at the Louvre

 Versailles was the ultimate adventure. Natalie and I really wanted to go, but it wasn't technically on the schedule, so we went by ourselves. We had to budget our time, and luckily we figured out the Metro without getting lost! I am so glad we decided to go. These ceilings: exactly like Anastasia. It was a dream.

Once upon a December....

Then, on the way home I saw the sun was starting to set. Except it was setting on the side of the train that I wasn't sitting on! Call me crazy, but I said a little prayer that we would make a turn or something so I would be able to see it as we rode away from Paris. Prayer: answered. The Church is true.

Saying goodbye to Paris :(