TOUR OF EUROPE: Bonjour Paris

Next we took the Eurostar to Paris and began another adventure in another city! We had a boat cruise on the Seine River at sunset and then went onto the Eiffel Tower, or Effie as we nicknamed her. We explored and rode the metro to the Latin Quarter where we had our first french meal then called it a night.  The next day we went to the Louvre and Notre Dame.  P.S. If you ever walk into Notre Dame for the first time and you are somewhat religious I promise you, you will feel this presence just come over you and it is magical.  Definitely one of my FAVORITE places I visited on this whole trip. (And that's because we saw visited A LOT of historical and beautiful basilicas.) Love Lock bridge, check. Burlesque show in Paris, check.  Eat Escargot and REAL french cuisine, check check.  Hear "La Vie en Rose", check (aka my anthem for Paris, every time I hear it it takes me back). Eat as many street crepes as humanly possible in three days, CHECK! Shop on Champs de Elysee, check. Along with all of these awesome things that we did we also visited the Palace of Versailles.  Oh la la! Being in a palace and the insane gardens that the same kings and queens once roamed through was kind of surreal. Definitely not the last palace we visited either.

Eiffel Tower AKA Effie

Seine River

La Louvre

Notre Dame

Hanging outside of Notre Dame

Love Lock Bridge

Macarons from La Duree

Palace of Versailles Hall of Mirrors

On top of the Arc de Triomphe

Tips:

• Keep an eye out for gypsies, if someone tries to hand you a clipboard walk away and do not grab it.  They will MAKE you give them money.
• This goes for anywhere in Europe or foreign country, don't put your phone or anything else in your back pocket.
• Grab sandwiches on the go from street venders, it's affordable and you don't have to waste an hour or more in a restaurant when you can be exploring.
• Get lost. You'll thank yourself later. 
• At least buy one thing from Champs de Elysee. It's a must.
• Do the touristy things. Effie, Arc de Triomphe,  Louvre, Notre Dame. Sometimes just seeing the outside isn't enough. Get the full experience!
• Eat a crouqe mansieur. You WILL thank me later. 
• Download the Paris Metro app! It works without wi-fi and is a life saver. 
• Try escargot. It's NOT that bad.

Hotel:

• Pros: 
• Probably the best hotel on this whole trip. 
• It had a refrigerator, and awesome restroom.
• Great breakfast! (Coffee, juice, milk, water, eggs, bread, nutella, cereal, and more!)
• Like a 2 minute walk to the metro.
• Cons:
• It wasn't in the iconic "Paris" area, a little farther in the business area. (But a 5 minute metro ride from the center of it all so hey! not too bad!)