Ici c'est Paris!!!!!

Paris was amazing! We were both afraid we would be let down because the city has so much hype around it, and we kept hearing from people how rude the French would be and that the city is really dirty. But we didn't experience any of that!!! We stayed in a little studio outside the city and got to experience "real" Paris, where not everyone knew English, and we got our morning baguettes with other locals at the corner cafe, we rode the subway in each morning and got to see and experience the average business man, teenagers, etc. It felt so alive there to have everyone out and amongst each other,  but always with somewhere to go or something to do. Everyone dressed very classy and were just so friendly and helpful. I even got to use some of my HS French, and was surprised there was still some there to use! Well enough about that, you came here to see pictures, and pictures you will see!!! 

This is our cute little studio with a little balcony. Also, we got to sleep in a loft!!! I am probably a lot more excited about that then I should be, but that was my favorite part of the apartment. Well, actually it is a tie between the loft and the doorknob that is in the very middle of the door. :) Those things alone cancelled out the fact that we had to climb 6 floors of spiral stairs. 

DAY 1

Our first day we saw Notre Dame and got to climb to the top to pay the gargoyles a visit. The whole time all I could think of was The Hunchback of Notre Dame when they say "pour the wine and cut the cheese!!" and it reminded me of Alicia and Zoe, because they both LOVED that movie, and especially that part. So these next two pictures are dedicated to you two! 

I remember studying this building in college, and it was amazing to see it up close and in person. The detail is magnificent!

 After the Cathedral, we headed over to Musee d'Orsay, which like most museums was humungous!!! It is in an old train station, which gave it such an amazing atmosphere.

DAY 2

The next day we hit up the big sites. We started with sir Eiffel's tower. And it did NOT disappoint! We zoomed to the top for a cloudy but thrilling view of the city.

After enjoying a crepe and wandering across the street to oogle to Tower some more, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe! Where, guess what we did? Climbed to the top!! Apparently we really like to climb things. :) We also enjoyed a lovely lunch beneath the vast arches. 

 Below is a view of modern/business Paris from the top of the arc. 

We also got a great view all 7 lanes of this crazy round about that the arc is right in the middle of! Sometimes you would have cars completely perpendicular to each other! Glad we didn't rent a car here, yikes!

A few more views from the top:

We then hit up the Luxembourg Gardens, which were magic with their white gravel paths, potted urns, statues, ponds, statues, etc. There were also tennis and basketball courts, etc. and several chairs around the fountain for lounging, relaxing or socializing. 

Then it was off to the Louvre, where we were again, completely overwhelmed! Then dinner and a small Jazz club/dance hall. Amazing!

DAY 3

 We hit up the Pompidou Museum (which can I say, is probably the best name I have ever heard for a museum!!!). It was an amazing modern art museum that was so refreshing and fun! 

We then zoomed over to Versailles, and again, it was amazing to see this in real life after studying it in college. There is SO much gold!!!! I guess it makes sense if you want to be known as the "Sun King".  We also rented bikes and rode through the vast gardens.

Then we rushed back to Paris for the PSG game!!! Ici c'est Paris!!!!! It was an awesome game to attend, a 3-1 victory, full house, last game of the season, and Beckham's last game of his career. There was a huge victory show after the game as the players got their trophies, etc. 

DAY 4

Our last day in Paris we spent most of the day exploring the outskirts of the city. We saw the Sacre Coeur cathedral, visited the bustling market right next door, and saw a man juggling a soccer ball on top of a wall. Check it out. We were all mesmerized!!! We also visited the Saint Chapelle cathedral, and took a city tour. 

Then it was off on a night bus through the Chunnel to the next stop of our adventure. 

As a congratulations for making it through this ridiculously long post, I will leave you with these gems: 

 Above: an advertisement for the movie Hangover 3. Notice how the title is still in English, but they "translated" it to "Very Bad Trip 3". Haha, this cracked us up. And it was at almost every subway stop.

And me with a nutella/banana crepe. Yummy! 

Thank you Paris for being so good to us. Why could we not stay longer?!