Eiffel Tower
I'll admit that it was not love at first site when I first saw the iconic Eiffel. The top right picture is me right after I first saw it... majorly jet lagged, sleep deprived, and fresh off an 11 hour flight... My love affair with the Eiffel Tower grew over our time together. I saw the Eiffel up close my third day in Paris when my class went down to the River Seine for a dinner cruise. The Eiffel is breathtaking and huge from up close! I fell even harder when we returned from our dinner cruise just in time to catch the start of the eiffel light show and watch in awe as the tower was engulfed in sparkling lights. Day 6 in Paris I climbed nearly 1,800 steps to the top and fell hard for the panoramic view of Paris. After that the tower and I made things official and from there we flirted with passing views of each other throughout the remainder of my trip ♥
Notre Dame
Oh how I loved Notre Dame! This incredible building is currently celebrating 850 years! Every angle of Notre Dame is different and the architecture is mind blowing! I also fell head over heels for the Gargoyles.. ahhh.. I could stare at this building all day! I ended up visiting Notre Dame several times and on separate occasions I saw the roman baths underneath, every view of the outside, the inside, and finally I climbed the twisting stairs to the top. I loved the view of the Latin Quarter from the top and being up close and personal with the Gargoyles.
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is gigantic and in the middle of a huge traffic circle. The view from the top is one of the best in the city and it's only about 250 stairs to the top. I saw the Arc my first day in Paris and we got there just in time to see a parade celebrating the end of WWII- which was just one of many serendipitous moments I had on this trip.
Sacre Coeur
Sacre Coeur or the Sacred Heart Basilica is so beautiful. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but it was simply gorgeous inside with murals, mosaics, statues, and amazing high domed ceilings. We got there just in time for a mass (serendipity again) and the singing from the nuns was possibly the most pure sound I've ever heard.
Garnier Opera House
The opera house was one of the unexpected highlights of the trip for me. Everything from the grand staircase to the grand hall was so ornate and detailed and amazing.
Moulin Rouge
I had to see the Moulin Rouge because of the movie... It was pretty surreal to see the actual Moulin Rouge, but I really only stayed long enough to snap a few quick pictures.
Palace of Versailles
The palace of Versailles was beautiful but I couldn't help but think about how maybe the royals kind of deserved the French revolution after I saw what lavish digs they had..
Panthéon
I learned that the Panthéon is dedicated to the patron saint of Paris, Saint Genevieve. I loved the Greco-Roman architecture, the swirling domed ceilings, and the crypt below the Panthéon was really interesting and filled with famous French citizens like Marie Curie.
Château de Vincennes
My travel buddy Whitney and I decided to take metro line 1 all the way to the end to discover this hidden gem. The Château de Vincennes was built in the 14th century by Henry V and is one of France's most well preserved castles. We arrived in the middle of a downpour but we didn't mind because we always traveled prepared with umbrellas and I finally got to see Gargoyles in the rain.
Grand Arche
Our hotel was in La Défense (pronounced La De-Fonce) just outside of the city limits of Paris. The bottom left picture is the skyline of La Défense from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, the large open square in the skyline is the Grand Arche and it was designed to frame the perspective of the Arc de Triomphe- everything in Paris was built with a designer's eye. I passed the Grand Arche everyday as I walked to and from the metro station and I grew quite fond of it.
