MY TRIP TO PARIS

A few weeks ago I shared all about my trip to London, and today I'm posting some of my favorite pictures, experiences, and tips from Paris. A few months before leaving, I downloaded the Duolingo app to learn as much French as I could before visiting the country. This helped me a lot being able to read menus and signs, but I didn't learn to speak or understand the language very well. It didn't end up being a problem for me because we stayed mostly around tourist areas where a lot of the people speak English. Keep scrolling for more tips!

Day 1. To get to Paris we took the Eurostar from London. Transportation was a little bit sketchy in Paris because there was a strike going on by rail worker. Luckily none of the places we needed to get to were affected. We checked into our hotel and walked to Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre which has an incredible view of the entire city. Next we walked past the Moulin Rouge before eating dinner and getting a taxi to our hotel for the night.

Day 2. We spent a lot of time walking around Paris this day trying to find bathrooms and an ATM machine. A lot of the bathrooms in Paris are closed or require payment to use. There are some self cleaning bathrooms but they tend to be unreliable and break easily. Notre Dame was the first major stop off the day. We climbed all the way to the very top of the bell tower and saw some amazing views of the city. In order to get to the top you have to climb a crazy amount of narrow spiral staircases, but it's worth it to do at least once in your life. To avoid waiting in a long line to get inside the tower download the app jefille which allows you to hold a place in line early in the morning from your hotel room. After Notre Dame we walked to Sainte-Chapelle where beautiful purple stained glass is on every wall. Next we walked to Pierre Hermé which had the best macarons I've ever had. Then we stopped for dinner and went to Du Pain et des Idées to get pastries for breakfast the next morning. There was a long line of locals so we knew it was going to be delicious before we even took a bite. The exterior is also a pretty blue, and the hand painted ceiling dates back to 1860.

Day 3. You guys know how obsessed I am with anything gold, so the Palace of Versailles was probably my favorite thing to do in France. Everything was covered in gold and the gardens were beautiful. We rented a golf cart for an hour and drove around the gardens before touring the inside of the palace. In Versailles we also saw the Grande Trianon, King Louis XIV's retreat from the palace, and the Queens Hamlet, where Marie-Antoinette famously said "Let them eat cake." Next we went to the Eiffel Tower where we took elevators to the very top. Make sure you buy tickets ahead of time to avoid waiting in a long line. The Eiffel Tower was an amazing thing to experience but it is VERY crowded and you have to be careful of pick pockets. I'm glad I was able to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower in my life time, but it isn't something I would do again.

Tips for a Great Trip:

-Buy tickets for everything you can before you leave to avoid long lines.
-Dress in layers. The first two days were very cold but at Versailles it was warm enough to just wear a T-shirt.
-Cute sneakers or chelsea boots are a must for walking around the city.
-Learn basic phrases in French and how to read a menu. It's really true that French people are more friendly if you make an effort to communicate in their language.
-Try to go to busy attractions early in the morning to avoid crowds.

I loved being able to see a lot of incredible places in France, but Paris wasn't really my favorite city. It was dirty, stinky, loud, and crowded. If I were ever to go back to France I would want to see more of the countryside and less of the city. If you have any questions or want to know anything more about my trip leave a comment or send me an email!