Paris, je t'aime

There seems to be a trend in these last few posts...

I spent 48 hours in Paris this past weekend and cannot even begin to describe the amazing time I had. The coach ride was rough- I don't sleep well upright and on the way back we were stuck in Calais waiting to get on a ferry for over 2 hours- but the travel was well worth it. The Eiffel Tower is more incredible than I expected; you go in thinking it won't be as great as everyone made it sound, but that view from the top is absolutely breathtaking! The view from Sacre-Couer over the city isn't so bad either. I had dinner up there on Sunday night listening to some French buskers sing La Bamba and Maroon 5. I went to mass at Notre Dame, saw the Moulin Rouge, went to the Louvre (the Mona Lisa is overrated...), Musee D'Orsay, Champs Elysees, Arch de Triumphe, the Bastille, Latin Quarter, Saint Sulpice, through 4 different gardens, through the hills of Montemartre... the list is so long. Having this access to all these beautiful and completely unique European cities is wonderful and I'm already planning trips back and haven't even left yet!

One tip: if you're going to Paris, go the first weekend in the month. So many tourist attractions are free on the first Sunday- the Louvre, Musee Picasso, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle etc etc. The lines move fast since it's just a security check, not a ticket line, and obviously, free is always good!... especially in this economy!

The weekend coming up includes the group day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon and then I'm off to Paderborn, Germany to visit an exchange student that went to high school with me for a year. I can't wait to explore more of this continent...