Paris: Day 1

Stop number two on our trip was Paris! Oui oui! We got up super early in London thinking we could catch the Tube to St. Pancras Station and hop on the Chunnel. However, we did not check how early the Tube started running in the mornings. After waiting about 25 minutes at our stop (I think we were the only ones there) we  decided to catch a cab instead. The cab driver was really nice but had a very thick English accent. So thick, it sounded almost like a foreign language! We made it just in time to catch the Chunnel and three hours later we were in Paris!

We got to our hotel about 11am but couldn't check in, so we went down the street to have lunch at a little place called Creperie de Cluny. We both had crepes with fromage (cheese), ham, and mushrooms. It was the best meal we had on our trip at that point! The cheese was amazing. Zach ordered the whole meal in French and I was very impressed! After lunch, we had to wait back at the hotel until we could check in. But, they had Internet!

We checked in and were so glad to have our own bathroom in the room. Ah, the luxury! We took a two hour nap and then decided to venture out and walk around the city. We saw almost all the big sites on the first day (from the outside at least). Notre Dame, The Louvre, the Jardin de Toulieries, the Arc de Triumph, and even the Eiffel Tower. We stayed in the Latin Quarter near Saint Michel and the Isle of the City. Such a great location with Notre Dame and the Seine River nearby. We were close to the Metro and the Musee de Cluny too.

We went to Notre Dame quite a few times to hang out after grabbing gelato or crepes. There was always a crowd and the first day we even saw a couple taking wedding pictures with all the birds.

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

Pont Neuf (New Bridge) is actually the oldest bridge in Paris.

The Isle of the City - there is a little island in the middle of the river where you can find Notre Dame and the Conciergerie (one of the original palaces of Paris). You can also find the center of Paris!

The Louvre - we took some outside picture of the Pyramids on day one so we could focus on the inside on day two. The pyramids weren't really my style - seemed kind of out of place with all the amazing old architecture. The Louvre did have these beautiful gardens outside with statues poking up between the shrubs and a little pond for mini sailboats.

We made it all the way to the Eiffel Tower (and then walked back home) in the rain. It started raining about half way through and we weren't about to stop then. Zach wouldn't buy an umbrella, so we were soaked! The only shots we got (this day) of the Eiffel Tower were from the underneath, which was still awesome!

I still can't believe we trekked all the way home in the rain, but we did! We couldn't wait to get a nice hot shower (in a bathroom we didn't share) and go to bed early so we'd be fresh the next day.

Next up... The Louvre!