Paris|France

City of love: Sept. 12-16



Stop 1 of 7
We couldn't believe that we finally made it to Europe!  First off, Paris- the city Smalls had dreamed of visiting since she was a little girl. With 2.5 days to spare before the tour, we had plenty of time to rest, explore, and eat! We made our way to our cozy hotel (Ĥotel Royal Phare) to drop off our bags. And so it began, Tom and Smalls exploring Paris!
The rain cleared just in time to see down the Champs-Élysées from the top of the Arc.

Pre-tour Sightseeing

Time to explore the city of love (with Rick's guidebook, of course)! It all started at the Eiffel Tower. We were amazed at just how large it was. Rue Cler and the lock bridge were up next. To save some euros, we took a lock off of our suitcase and locked it on the bridge. I hope we can find our lock next time we visit Paris! A walk down the Champs-Élysées brought us to the famous Arc de Triomphe. A short little metro ride took us to Trocadéro to get an epic view of the Eiffel from the other side.       
The iconic shot

Rue Cler

This quaint Parisian neighborhood was tucked around the corner from our hotel. We visited Rue Cler multiple times and felt like Parisians as we bought a baguette from the patisserie, cheese from the fromagerie, and grabbed a street side table at L'Eclair for an omelette, cafe, and people watching. After a long day of exploring this magnificent city of love, we stopped here for a late night nutella crepe from Crêperie Ulysée en Gaule- one of Rick's recommendations!  
Amazing street side Cafe Du Marche
Tasty Nutella crepes and an evening stroll.

Breakfast on Rue Cler- yum!

Fresh fruit, cheese, and bread on Rue Cler 
Living the Parisian life- we could get used to this.

Tour Day 1

We started off the tour with a group meet and greet at La Terrasse; a great spot to have some wine and espresso. As the rain came down, we headed around the corner for a brief tour of Rue Cler. We snuck into Le Bosquet for a fabulous Parisian dinner and grabbed a table with Aleem and Chantez- our new travel buddies. The first official group dinner with our new travel friends was a blast! A night cruise on the River Seine was the cherry on top of our first day on the tour. A perfect rainy and romantic evening in the city of love.
Eiffel from our room!
Tom started with escargot and I devoured a bowl of French onion soup. That was course 1? Ok, bring it on! As the rain came down and with full bellies, we enjoyed all the sights from the cruise. 

Tour Day 2

Our group hopped on the metro for a quick ride to the Latin Quarter and Roman Paris. An ancient arena, Hemingway’s tiny Parisian apartment at No. 74, the University of Paris, and the road to Rome were some of the mesmerizing sites we saw on this morning walk. A couple of hours in the Orsay Museum that afternoon were necessary in order to enjoy the many works of Monet, Degas, and Cézanne.

Île de la Cité

After the Latin Quarter, we meandered to the Île de la Cité- the center of Paris. This natural island in the Seine River housed the world famous Notre-Dame Cathedral and the beautiful Sainte-Chapelle. We have never seen such detailed architecture and stained glass. We could have stayed inside for hours.

Shakespeare and Co.

Just off the island was the delightful Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Legend has it that well-known authors like Hemingway would rent rooms above this splendid store.
View of the Notre Dame from the front of Shakespeare and Co.
While looking around in the bookstore, I wondered what it was like to be a writer in Paris. 
Our tour guide Dave said he had this filming scheduled for us.

Tour Day 3

The day started with a quick bus ride to the Louvre through Monday morning Parisian traffic (thanks Philippe).  The Louvre was spectacular; we hope to return and spend days exploring the vast art.  Leaving the city, we had the opportunity to watch a movie filming!
Proof we ate in a Museum!