Paris
'The City of Light.' Paris was all I imagined it to be (but hotter). After the flight from Barcelona, I wasted no time getting my hands on some classic French food (shocker) that seems to be the talk of the culinary world. After indulging on some duck confit on an outdoor seat at a perfectly French restaurant it was time to figure out the metro and see some sights.
First up was Notre Dame and finding macaroons. Anyone who knows me, knows that macaroons would have been close to the top of my food list for the entire trip. Instead of being boring and get a normal sized macaroon, I opted for one the size of my hand :).
After smiling for an hour after eating that, I finally arrived at the viewing balcony for the Eiffel tower, and what a view it was!
Paris is built around the river Seine and so to see Paris from the water, I grabbed a bottle of wine and enjoyed a sunset river cruise through Paris. On the banks of the Seine are walkways and it is a very Parisian thing to go sit on the bank in the evening with a bottle of wine, cheese, and a baguette and just enjoy life. The river was lined with these people enjoying the perfect go-to date night.
Since the sun was down by the end of the cruise, I ran over to the Eiffel tower to go up it while it was lit up in all its glory at night.
Day 2, I saw some more classic sights in the morning such as the Arc de Triomphe, before taking a day trip to see the Palace of Versailles, the king of France's royal palace from 1682-1789. Although the inside of the palace was gorgeous as most royal palaces are, the best part for me was the huge gardens outside. There are acres and acres of fountains, flowers, perfectly manicured forests made into mazes, statues, and the occasional random person on a horse.
After enjoying a crêpe in Versailles and returning to Paris, it was time for some more local Parisian culture so I had a dinner of foie gras, terrine, steak tartare, and more champagne before seeing a can-can show. Dancing isn't really my cup of tea but hey, when in Rome! ('When in Rome' is definitely my motto while travelling).
My final day in Paris was the art day. Any trip to Paris must of course include a trip to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Actually it doesn't, it's a little underwhelming in my opinion, but I guess now I can say I've done it! After wandering around the countless exhibits I went to the second museum of the day, Musée d'Orsay, to see my favorite painting - Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over the Rhône." Capped the night off with a dinner of escargot, beef bourguignon, creme caramel, and a whole bunch of wine while listening to live French music.
I loved my time in Paris and I feel like I barely scratched the surface of French culture. I was very impressed with how incredibly nice and welcoming (although opinionated) the people of France were, especially after hearing many rumors of them being not so nice.
Au revoir Paris, see you again soon.
