Paris, France: Day 1

Ah Paris. It was a total dream.

I wasn't sure what to expect because I had heard so many mixed opinions- The people are rude, It's dirty, or It's so romantic, My favorite place I've ever been. Well, my opinion fell into the latter category; I loved every little charming thing about it (except for the subway stations, which all reek of human urine- disgusting!) But I was even willing to look past the vile subway stations because the rest of Paris was amazing!

Rusty and I were there for six days and like all of our trips, our days were booked from sunrise to way past sunset. We started off every day with a [Parisian] continental breakfast- fresh squeezed orange juice, cereal, fruit, toast and jam, baguettes filled with ham and cheese, and loads of croissants....I don't even want to know how many croissants I consumed while on our trip- but when in Paris right?

When we arrived at the airport we met up with a friend who we had met in Finland, but had moved to Paris. He met us at the airport, and we all took the subway to a nearby train station where we were able to buy a week long pass for the trains and buses for a lot cheaper than the airport offered. From there he took us straight to the Eiffel Tower. I was so excited to see it, I felt almost giddy. By this time, it was dark out, so it was all lit up and even started sparkling (which it does every hour). I think I could watch it sparkle every night for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. 

Our first day there, we knocked out Notre Dame, Sainte Chappelle, the Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens, and Sacre Coeur and Montmatre area.

Notre Dame was exciting because it was one of the Paris icons I had been waiting to see. While I loved finally going through the famous Notre Dame, Sainte Chappelle was my favorite church we went through. I hadn't seen pictures of Sainte Chappelle and I didn't know what to expect. When we first walked in, I thought the entrance area was what we came to see with its pretty, decorative ceilings and thick gold trimming. Then we noticed there was an entrance leading to another area, so we followed it and walked into a chapel lined with stained glass from the ceiling almost down to the floor. I was awe-struck! The stained glass was beautiful and so colorful!

The Pantheon was neat to walk through. One of my favorite parts was the view of the Eiffel Tower from the front steps, classic tourist haha. The Luxembourg Gardens were peaceful and they weren't very crowded to it was nice to escape all the busy tourist spots. The grounds would have probably been a lot more green if it wasn't still jacket weather, but they were pretty none the less. 

We ended our busy day with a visit to the Montmartre area and Sacre Coeur, which is a famous Roman Catholic church. I love that it sits on the highest point of the city and that it's bright white exterior stood out against the blue sky. The street performers were entertaining, but the view was the best part. 



Notre Dame

Sainte Chapelle

Pantheon

Luxembourg Gardens  

Sacre Coeur