I have dreamt about visiting Paris since I was a little girl. Studying the French language in middle school and high school didn’t help my quickly growing obsession with all things Paris.
As I’m walking through the streets of Paris, I imagined myself as a college student living in one of the adorable, quaint apartment buildings that towered over the streets below. How I wish I would have done that- Just once. Just to see what it would have been like to live, eat, and breathe Paris. Then, I look down and I see the warm, gentle hand that is caressing mine. How wonderful my God is that he let my husband and I have this opportunity to be together in this beautiful city. It’s evident that He didn’t want me to experience this city alone and I think, deep down, I always knew that. I knew that Vincent and I were going to experience Paris together.
I had been overseas a few times before, but it was always with family. This trip was different because this was JUST Vincent and I…my HUSBAND and I. I’ve dreamt about going to Paris with my husband and there I was, living the dream. I was kind of scared (not sure why because Vincent would protect me and take care of me- no doubt!!) but I was so thrilled at the same time.
Our adventure began by getting lost. Anyone that knows me knows that I H.A.T.E. getting lost! My frugal husband refused to spend money on a taxi, so we asked several pedestrians if they knew where our hotel was. Neither of us are fluent in French and since I hadn’t had French class since 11th grade… Needless to say, I was a little rusty. We eventually found our way (thanks to the taxi driver! ha) 2.5 hours later and discovered a local burger joint on the same street as our hotel. It was 11pm and we hadn’t eaten dinner yet so we were starved! Nothing was open, except for a local grocery store where I spoke a little bit of French to the old man and bought some bread and Nutella for the morning, and the burger place. We had the hardest time ordering because I didn’t know the word for lettuce…or tomato…or oh heck, I only knew the word for cheese- fromage. Despite our lack of knowledge for French cuisine words, our “Monster Burger” was the best thing we’d tasted all day. Sitting in our hotel robes on the balcony of our room, we ate our burgers and listened to the neighbors speaking French and playing music.
The next morning, all I wanted to do was go see the Eiffel Tower. I couldn’t wait! Sure, it’s the tourist thing to do, but I WAS a tourist! I didn’t care. We hopped on the nearest underground subway train and after getting out of the Trocadero train station, I saw it. That magnificent 1,063 foot tower didn’t disappoint. It was beautiful.
(Taken on another day from the view of The Arc de Triomphe, I believe)
Later that night, after we ate dinner at the famous Pasco’s restaurant, we went back to the Champ de Mars where we sat on the green with everyone else to watch the hourly light show where the tower is known to “twinkle.”
(This shot was taken from Montparnasse on another night during the light show)
Of course we visited museums like Le Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, amazing restaurants, and local “patisserie’s” like Pierre Herme (has delicious macrons!) and Amorino (as many ice cream flavors as you’d like- shaped like a rose!).
The Louvre
Pierre Herme
Amorino Ice Cream
Two buildings we were very excited about visiting were the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Pantheon (and the Crypt below where Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, and other famous French persons were buried).
Notre Dame
The Pantheon
Famous landmarks that we visited:
The Arc de Triomphe
Pont Neuf
Pont des Arts