I'm very glad I had the opportunity to fulfill one of my dreams and bucket list items of traveling to Paris!
After getting confirmation from CCSA about my stay in London, traveling to Paris was the first additional trip I planned.
We stayed right across the street from the Jardins du Luxembourg and a metro station. The first night we explored nearby looking around and walking through the gardens on the way to the Eiffel Tower. The gardens were beautiful surrounding the palace and even somewhat tropical (yes there were palm trees). It was quite a trek to the Eiffel Tower, but it was worth it to see so much of the city on the way there. Just getting to see the tower was exciting and very impressive, although just relaxing and waiting for the sparkling light show was well worth the trip. There are hundreds of people across the lawn and all conversations just stop for plenty of awes and gasps. Definitely an atmosphere I will never forget filled with so many happy, excited people talking, taking photos, riding lit up buggies, and trying traditional French snacks. Nutella crepes have to be the favorite food I've had on this trip so far, just saying.
The next morning we met up at breakfast and ventured to the Shakespeare and Co, bookstore. They had plenty of books dedicated to Paris and art so it was cool to see the various styles of art as well as books themselves. After, we visited Notre Dame cathedral, which was full of beautiful arches and amazing stained glass windows.
We then journeyed to the Louvre Museum, which we first saw without the associated pyramid entrance and realized how vast it truly was. After getting in, luckily through a fairly short line, we set off to see some of the main focal points. First up was, of course, the Mona Lisa. The number of people surrounding the painting and taking photos made the area very crowded, but it goes to show how much an artist can influence the world, especially over time.
I enjoyed also seeing some Egyptian displays as I love seeing hieroglyphs and thinking about how the arts and writings played a role in the culture.
My favorite part was probably the Napoleon Apartments because the rooms are simply stunning. There are elegant patterns everywhere with incredibly ornate chandeliers.
The last stop of the night was walking down Champs d' Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. There were quite a few diversions along the way because barricades and posters were being set up for the Tour de France. On the main street, even though many of the stores on the way were out of out budget, it was still amazing to be surrounded by such interesting and fancy stores. We may or may not have been quite amused with a 2 floor Disney Store that had a purple light up Eiffel Tour replica. After seeing the arc around sunset, which I hadn't noticed how detailed of engravings were on it until now, ventured back through the Metro to the hostel.
We spent our final day in Paris shopping and getting some last minute photos. It was fun to meet up with another friend from home and explore the city. First stop was Moulin Rouge, which was very interesting even just seeing the exterior. After we ventured up the street we got the metro to a neat shopping center. There were plenty of popular stores and new ones we got to explore. It was time to head back and catch the train after. Making sure to visit the terrace for one final look over the city and Eiffel Tower was definitely worth it.
Event though getting around the city was hectic, the sites themselves were absolutely amazing. It's been my dream for years to visit Paris and I still don't think it's processed that I have. It was a great time and there is still so much to see, even just in the Louvre. I hope to visit again someday!
Au revoir pour maintenant :)