My Trip to Paris

 

Heidi's been living in Paris for 18 months and my friend Megan has always wanted to go to Europe. So when we found cheap airline tickets last winter we jumped at the chance to visit and Heidi and have a fun girls trip to Paris! Heidi is the best host and her cute apartment is right in the middle of Paris, surrounded by amazing bakeries, restaurants and shops. She's an easy walk from the Louvre and so many pretty sights. We had a wonderful time!

Notre Dame is still closed from the fire several years ago, but we got to see the outside. We also visited Saint Chapelle and just sat and took in it's beauty for quite awhile. I forgot just how stunning this place is!

We arrived in the morning, after traveling for 20 hours and being completely exhausted (I cannot sleep on planes!). We took a short nap, and since we needed to stay awake to get on Paris time and clear out of Heidi's apartment while she was working, Megan and I decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower.  It was over 5 miles round trip, but totally worth it! We walked right along the Seine and saw so many beautiful sights on our way. The whole time we were in Paris it was cloudy and a little drizzly. The leaves were starting to change colors. Overall, it was this really cool, moody feel and I just loved it! Seeing the Eiffel tower (or the Paris Castle, as Lila calls it) surrounded by fall color was just incredible!

We had to go back on another night to see the tower lit up and sparkling. It was definitely worth the trek (we did take the metro that time though!)

We went to three different art museums. The Louvre (you kind of have to, right?). The highlight for me was our visit to the Orsay. They had a Van Gogh exhibit with all his work from the last 70 days of his life. We got to see around 50 van Gogh paintings! He's my favorite artist, I was in heaven! They were truly so beautiful and I felt so lucky that we got to see it!

Another major highlight for me was visiting the L'Orangerie and seeing Monet's Waterlilies! They are absolutely stunning! There are two whole rooms dedicated to them, and they ask that you remain silent as Monet intended them to be viewed in a state of meditation. I sat in front of these paintings for a good long while and took in the beauty. I took a selfie in front of this one in particular because the first thought that came to my mind was "This one catches my eye!" (A phrase Lila often uses when she wants something). I can't believe it took me three trips to Paris to see them!

We visited the Arc de Triomphe. I have seen it from a distance, and from the top of the Eiffel Tower, but never up close. It is majestic! It's huge! Then we climbed to the top, which is the most amazing view of Paris! It was beautiful to look down at all these tree lined streets, with fall color leaves and this beautiful city!

We ate at the most delicious restaurants! Heidi took us to a new place every night. All of them are a 5 minute walk from her front door. This place was my absolute favorite- Lebanese food! When we got there, the cute waiter guy said "Heidi! We have your usual table ready!"

The one day Heidi had to work, Megan and I went out to Versailles. The grounds were especially charming to me with fall colors and moody gray skies. It was a little chilly, so although we did wander a good amount we didn't linger too long. And the Hall of Mirrors is always cool to see, both for it's beauty and historical significance.

After the Palace, we wandered over to the temple! It would be easy to miss from the road, but once you are inside the grounds it's beautiful! We learned about the cool symbolism and motifs of Paris they used ini the construction and decoration. Totally worth the extra couple of miles of walking.

This was a trip of a lifetime! To get to explore Paris with my sister and one of my closest friends was such a dream! But just like when we went to Spain, I missed my kids a lot and I was very happy to get home to them!