The Eiffel Tower, Escargot, Frogs legs, Notre Dame, the Louvre, a nice glass of Bordeaux! These are all things I had on my list of must sees and dos when in Paris, and aside from the frogs legs, I checked them all off of the list. I'll order the frogs legs next time ;)
Everyone always says that you should visit Paris once in your life. The wine, the food, the culture, the shopping... it's the type of city where you find yourself intoxicated by the beauty as soon as your step off the plane. When I was planning my trip to France, I had 3 areas in mind - Paris, Champagne, and Burgundy. We had 9 days and wanted to make sure we gave ourselves enough time in each spot to fully enjoy it. The biggest mistake I've made while traveling is trying to power see everything in a short amount of time. You end up rushing through everything and barely remembering what you just saw. With the 9 days that we had it was still going to be a little rushed, but it allowed us to spend more than just a quick day in these places and relax a little.
Paris was first. We flew in and, like any tourist, headed straight to see the Eiffel Tower. We were staying in an airbnb only a few blocks away and if I hung my body half way out the window, I could just barely see the Eiffel Tower. As small and cramped as our airbnb was (that's a whole other story!), the view made it worth it.
We unpacked a bit and headed out to explore. Now when you're exploring Paris it is so incredibly easy to get distracted! An art stand selling small oil paintings, a cafe that smells of espresso, a cute little cheese shop, these types of things are literally around every corner. When you're trying to get from point A to point B, keep your head down and you'll get there quickly. If not, just make sure you give yourself a little extra distraction time :)
We took about 1000 photos of the Eiffel Tower - looking up at it, a cute coupley looking one, one from across the river, etc. When it's your first time seeing it, don't be ashamed of being those people. You are never going to see these people again and more than likely they are probably doing the same thing...
The Louvre was the next 'must see' on our list. This museum would be worth spending a couple days in to fully enjoy every aspect of it, but even just the couple of hours we spent there were amazing! The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Michelangelo's Dying Slave, the Winged Victory of Samothrace - these are just some of the incredible pieces that the Louvre houses. As exciting as it is to see the Eiffel Tower, make sure you put the Louvre at the top of your list as well!
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Next thing on my list? Sit in a sidewalk cafe and enjoy a glass of wine. That was it! So simple. We found a cafe and checked it off the list...
I now understand why people fall in love with this city! Next time I go it will be for a least a week so we can kick back and relax a little more. And will probably include a lot more moments like these...
