Unfortunately I am going to have to cut this short and let the pictures do the talking because finishing this post is keeping me from updating in real-time about all of the crazy fun stuff I've been up to!
Right away after getting to Paris, Paul and I bought metro tickets and headed downtown to the Eiffel Tower so we were able to go on a Thursday instead of Friday evening. It was dusk so we went walking around by the tower and strolled past the tunnel were Princess Diana passed away in the car accident.
We had an amazing night climbing the Eiffel Tower! There were 669 steps to the second level, and we were watching the brave and rich souls go all the way to the tip-top in the elevator. You can see the top swaying, so they say it's not for those with weak stomachs.
Our next day began with the included bus tour of the city. We went downtown and drove past the Louvre and other Paris attractions including the Eiffel Tower again. We stopped at Notre Dam and walked across the bridge to go inside. The line moved fast, so we were inside in no time looking around and observing a service.
After our run in and out of Notre Dam, we went back to the bus to hop on quickly. Apparently it's illegal for coach buses to drop off by Notre Dam, so when we got off, we had to run quickly. In addition, we also had to be by the meeting point, pronto so we could get on the bus as fast as possible. Paul and I were there first and most of the group was trailing behind significantly. Our driver also showed up early, so it was just Paul and I on the bus. The plan backfired, as the tour lady was waving her hands like mad trying to get the group to run to the bus and get back on. We of course were stopped by the Paris po-po and had to watch them rant back and forth in french for a half hour. Surprisingly enough, this was another time were our group walked away without a fine.
We stopped for pictures of the Eiffel Tower from the park and then they dropped us off downtown. Paul and I didn't sign up for any optional excursions, so we had the afternoon to ourselves to do Museums! We quick went in and got our 2 day Museum pass at a small gallery and then went to a larger one before going to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and other bigger attractions!
After the Museums we headed to the church of stained glass, and it was beautiful! The glass was all pictures that depicted biblical stories. It was a narrow church, but the walls of glass were impressively tall!
After a long day of museums, Paul and I wondering for a while until we stumbled upon a restaurant with outdoor seating. We ordered the special with included a drink, salad, main dish and dessert. It was delicious, and it felt really good to get off our feet finally!
After dinner I believe we made our way to the Arch de Triumph! It was included in our museum pass so we were able to go up to the top and see the Eiffel Tower light up at night. It was so neat to see it from a distance rather than underneath it! We took a lot of pictures and then decided to call it a night. Paul and I went quickly to the Arch, so we thought we could use our same ticket to get onto the metro and head back home. Of course, the first time we decided to brave it, we were stopped by the metro cops and pulled aside to check our tickets. Luckily we skirted through and our tickets were valid. The fine is steep, so we're glad we made it through that one.
The next day was our last breakfast with the group because our tour was over, ahhhh. We said our goodbyes and took pictures with the group. It was a bittersweet ending.
Paul and I checked our bags at the hotel and headed off to the Palace of Versailles. It was a long train ride there, and then another painfully long wait in line. Our museum pass didn't give us any priority, so we had to wait in like with the rest of the crew. It took an hour or two before we got to the doors. The gold was beautiful and it's hard to imagine this was made purely for the royal family. That king was obviously not as frugal and Paul and I. We had the classic scenario of a baby screaming behind us in line for a while. It was so hot that i was using my umbrella for shade, and the kid must have been roasting and dehydrated.
After a warm day away from the city, we stopped back at the hotel, grabbed our backpacks and headed out to a hotel by the airport. It was late Saturday evening that we arrived, a shuttle bus took us directly from the airport to the hotel. Haha, instantly we realized why people only stay one evening in this hotel, specifically before flying out the next morning. When we said we were staying for three nights, I bet the reception staff was confused!
The hotel was in the middle of nowhere, there was a tiny village down the road, but unfortunately our first full day in the hotel was Easter Sunday so there wasn't a soul for miles. We walked into town to find a church. The church bells were ringing every hour, but there was definitely no service on Easter which gives me the impression there's not longer a parish for that church. We tried twice to get in, and then we finally gave up, went for a stroll, found a graveyard, and headed back to the hotel.
The worst part about it was the challenge that we were almost out of food at this point and surviving off of very little. Paul decided to go for a 19 mile run with minor food and minor water supply so that was a bit difficult. After he got back, our only choice was to go to the airport to try to find some food. Once we went down the escalators and saw a lonely open coffee shop we hugged and screamed, never so happy to see overpriced airport food!
We at a restaurant and loved the dinner; so much that we came back the second night! The next morning we went for a morning stroll to see if anything was open in the village, and to our surprise we found a cute, family bakery. Paul had a large roll, and then went back in for seconds to store away for lunch. It was a great find!
We flew out the next day, exhausted and ready to be home. It was an amazing trip, and it went by very quickly! I'm so excited that we had this wonderful opportunity to explore Europe. It made us very appreciative of all that we have here to explore within our expansive borders. We surely take for granted public toilets, healthy food, spacious hotels and luxury living! I hope we'll be able to go abroad sometime soon as Paul begins his residency training. UPMC has hospitals in Europe and it would be an impressive opportunity to fly overseas and rotate there. We will see in due time I guess!
Now that my blogging of our trip is coming to an end, I will be more prompt in keeping the blog updated on some of most recent and exciting adventures!
