Paris
One of the things I was truly thrilled by was our Airbnb. We rented a room in a quintessential Parisian apartment. We had a spectacular view of Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and the Louvre. We stayed in the lively Latin Quarter near a Metro stop, so it was easy to travel around the city. We had this picturesque kitchen. It is worth doing your research to find a great Airbnb in a great location.
I did not turn on my phone service/data during my visit. I relied on free public wifi and wifi at the Airbnb. I did any research I needed and took screenshots of google maps directions of how to get from place to place every night. Staying near a metro stop made it easy to navigate. I downloaded maps of the city I was in on google maps, and I even downloaded entire languages on google translate. I was able to slightly plan ahead to have accessible information when I needed it, but I wasn’t distracted by my phone while we were out. I used it as a reference and to take photos, and that was it. It helped me really enjoy where I was and get lost a little.
I recommend visiting the Eiffel Tower during golden hour because you can see it glowing in the sun. Enjoy a crepe until dusk when you can see those magical, twinkly lights. I liked taking my time and seeing the tower in different lighting from different angles.
When you have lived most of your life in America, where most of the oldest surviving historic sites are only ~300 years old, it is breathtaking to see the architecture in Europe. Everything in Paris looks like a palace, so when we took the train to Versailles, I found myself wondering, “How can you tell what’s a palace and what’s a government office building?” Oh. That’s how…
Versailles is dripping in gold. I get it now. The palace was beautiful, but it was the most crowded place we visited on this trip. (That includes the Louvre, Buckingham Palace and Brugge on the day of their marathon.) We downloaded the auto tour on the Versailles app, which was nice to have, but we went through the palace quickly.
The best part of Versailles was the gardens. Please don’t skip it! It was one of my favorite parts of the trip as a whole because we spent hours wandering and exploring the different fountains and courtyards hidden around every turn. Every opening felt like a magical discovery. Plus, the gardens are so vast, nothing is crowded.
We were lucky to be there during musical fountains. It costs a couple of extra euros, but it was well worth it to see water running through these spectacular fountains and hear the calming white noise of water rushing.
Back in Paris, we stumbled upon these adorable French food trucks in front of Grand Palais and Petit Palais. I love turning a corner and being pleasantly surprised by unique finds. We enjoyed a glass of champagne on the street.
Turns out, I love escargot. It tastes like buttery shellfish. We paired it with French wine and cheese for a delicious dinner. We also enjoyed many creme brûlées on this trip.
I loved my time in Paris. There are carousels everywhere, and everything looks like a palace. The wine and cheese and pastries are unmatched. What’s not to like?
What do you love in Paris? I can’t wait to be back!