We quickly realized upon arrival that Paris is not a small city filled with quaint streets lined with pastry filled shops. It is huge! And that means there are more pastry shops and cafes than you could ever imagine. Seriously. Paris is the largest city we have ever been to by far, with a population of over 12 million people. However, there is so much to do, see, explore and experience.
It's hard to believe that we have only been here a week. We have seen so many things that we have only read about in history books or seen on the travel channel. We have taken metros, high speed trains, buses, boats, taxi's and plain old cars to get around.
Our friends, Jenny and Brandon, were blessed with the entire country of Belgium going on strike on Monday. What does this mean? It means that ALL transportation is shut down in the entire country.... including flights in and out. Talk about making a statement! The blessing? They got stuck in Brussels two extra days with Anne! FUN!
The Eiffel tower is the least overrated tourist attraction we have ever seen. It is simply fantastic. It's nice to look at but the magic happens as you climb the tower and the view of the city come in focus. As we descended the clock struck 6pm and we were surrounded by sparkling lights. Apparently every hour the tower lights up with a dazzling display of white lights. You can't help but be awestruck.
We made a Master card slogan while we were there... it goes something like this.
Tickets to the Eiffel Tower- $12
A glass of Champagne at the top of the Eiffel tower- $12
Your camera battery dying at the top of the Eiffel tower,
while drinking champagne- PRICELESS
Lucky for us, Jenny brought her iPhone that day, even though it didn't work,because her camera died too! Good old iPhone saved the day!
After we bid are friends farewell, we met up with Daniel and Helene, who we had first met 2 1/2 years ago in Bali... for just one afternoon. You might be asking yourself, what? You only met one time, 2 1/2 years ago and now you're going to stay with them? Well, one of the best things about traveling is getting the opportunity to meet people you never would have otherwise, and you find that you have a common bond with people no matter where they live in the world. It really was a great experience seeing how real Parisian's live. :) They invited us to stay with them in their flat and they were wonderful hosts. They met Anne, Jenny, and Brandon one afternoon and we met their friends over wine and cheese in the evening. Two worlds combined... how fun! We can't wait to see where in the world we will see them next.
Favorite things about Paris:
1.The Eiffel Tower.(We love the sparkles at night)
2.The Food (Seriously Fantastic!)Okay, you hear how wonderful the food is in France, but you don't know how amazing it really is until you eat the mouthwatering butter goodness. From chocolate filled croissants, tiramisu, creme brulee, duck, fois gras, mosaics of cheeses, breads that can be smelled from down the street, filet Mignon with caviar, crepes smothered in Nutella.... where was this going? Oh yes, the food is incredible.
3.Getting to experience it with awesome friends.
4.The wide choice of toilets. (Every single toilet we used was completely different)
As we write this we are riding in a train through the snow covered country side filled with people speaking the beautiful language of Italy, headed to Florence. We just left Milan to be exact. There is snow everywhere, the ride through the Alps was breath taking. We are looking forward to spending more time with friends and family and Heather's sister Tiffany and her gracious roommates are hosting us in there apartment for the next 10 days. Bring on the pasta... we're hungry! Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment