bon jour!

Paris is a beautiful city.  on our first day, we went to see Notre Dame, the Pantheon, Arch de Triomphe, the Jardin du Luxembourg,  and the Eiffel Tower.  The last two were my favorites. 

Notre Dame

Pantheon

 

Arc de triomphe

 

Jardin du Luxembourg

Eiffel Tower

at night

with the pretty lights on

 on our second day we went to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa.  tip:  buy your tickets in advance (while in the US) to avoid the loooooooooooooooooooooong line to get tickets and get into the museum.  we went early (soon after it opened) and went to see the mona lisa immediately because we knew this is going to be very crowded.  my cousin was in paris the week before we were and she went in the late afternoon and she had the mona lisa mostly to herself.  when we went, the crowd wasn't too bad but we didn't get a chance to really appreciate the painting because we wanted to see it, take a photo and get out of there before the madness sets in. 

the louvre is huge!  we knew we wouldn't be able to see all of it so we chose to see the mona lisa, the Egyptian and greek exhibit.  we spent about half the day at the louvre and then we went to Champs Elysees to buy a purse from Louis Vuitton.  unfortunately, the purse isn't mine but for a friend.  paul gave me the greenlight to buy a purse for myself but I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.  I don't know what's wrong with me!  he also said I could purchase a prada bag when we were in Italy two years ago and again I declined. i told him, i haven't found THE ONE purse that will make me go against reason and buy it despite the price tag.   i feel like I'd rather spend the money on a vacation (Jackson hole, Wyoming has been on my mind constantly lately) than on a purse. 

after purse shopping, we went to sacre couer and climb up it's many many steps.  we didn't take photos inside the church (probited)it was a beautiful church and it was over looking the city. 

on our last full day in paris we went to Versailles. this is the highlight of my trip to paris.  we bought tickets in advance for the Palace of Versailles but the line was still long to get in. it was so crowded inside the palace so we just skipped most of the rooms and made our way outside to one of the largest and most beautiful garden you'll ever see.  it was just breathtaking!  we walked around the garden for a little bit and decided that if we wanted to see most of it, we'll need to rent bicycles.  it was the loveliest bike ride and really one of the most memorable things I've experienced.  renting the bikes were a little bit expensive..i can't remember the exact price but it would be around 50 euro for 1 hour for 3 bikes.  one hour should be enough time if you don't plan on making many stops.  rent the bike the whole day if plan on riding for longer than an hour.  i wish we had stayed longer and rented a boat to ride on the canal.  there's a lot to see and do in Versailles so if you ever find yourself in paris, do not miss this!

 

were not able to go to the top of the Eiffel tower because they were already sold out weeks before our trip.  you can stand in line to buy tickets for the same day but as you have probably already surmised, i do not like standing in line when on vacation (except at Disneyland where you really have no choice!). 

here's a summary of my Paris tips:
buy your admission tickets in advance especially to the Eiffel tower and the Louvre
do not miss your chance to the Versailles.  absolutely beautiful!

notice i didn't mention anything about the food.  it's because it deserves an entry all its own!