Paris (Exclamation Point)

As mentioned in this post a while back, Ryan and I had been planning a trip to Paris and Rome since January and we finally went last week! My brain is still a bit fuzzy and overwhelmed by the awesomeness that was Europe, so I'll just stick to the highlights and tips!

Tip #1
Get a Paris Visite Pass!! This entitles you to unlimited metro rides and you can get it for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. While it may seem expensive (We paid  43.20 in Euros for two 3 day passes as opposed to 1.50/per person/per ride) it is completely worth it! You will be walking so much in Paris because it's a huge city and a bit spread out, so save your feet when you can. Even in my most comfortable flats (I bought a pair of Sperry flats for the trip because they are super comfy and adorable) I was still hurting!

When we arrived to our friend's apartment via the metro, they had an elaborate and delicious meal waiting for us! By far the best hosts of all time. I would make that tip #2, having awesome friends, but I don't think that's really fair...especially since I don't know that anyone can top these two :)

Our first night there, France elected a new president, Francois Hollande. From inside of our friend's apartment we could hear people cheering on the streets. We were very near Place de la Bastille where people had gathered to wait for the results and then celebrated until the wee hours of morning once Hollande had been declared the new president. We walked down there around 9 or 10 and it was beautiful madness! (I'll get video up of it later!) People were chugging from champagne and beer bottles, honking their horns, chanting, singing and at least one person was cursing out Sarkozy in Arabic. The happy energy was intoxicating, even when we were being squished by the masses all trying to make it to a stage that had been set up for Hollande to give a speech later in the evening. Before we were trampled, we decided that we had had enough celebration for one evening and made our way to a little bar called Le China for one of the most delicious/hilariously named/expensive cocktails I've ever had! It was called the "Old Money Lady"...I thought it was weird that many of their drinks were in English since the rest of the menu was in French...I was told that it could be that they were trying to seem more exotic. Like when I order a "cwa sont" because I'm trying to sound worldly when we all know I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Tip #2
If you're only in Paris for a few days, pick a few "must-see" sights and take your time enjoying those...don't try to see everything in just a few days! Unless you enjoy running from place to place during your vacation, of course. The time you spend aimlessly wandering, people watching in the park, and nibbling on street crepes will be much more relaxing and will help you to fully absorb Paris, it's people and it's culture.

Ryan and I did our best to balance aimless wandering with structured sight seeing with his family and I think we did a pretty good job! There were a few hunger/pain/exhaustion induced mental break downs on my part but that's mostly because I'm a baby and I tried to get over it pretty quickly :)

Tip #3
Stay hydrated, rested and well fed! Even if this means just having some trail mix and a bottle of water in your bag and stopping to sit on a bench every few hours. If you decide to ignore my advice about leisurely taking in the sights, you need to remember to take care of yourself because hunger/thirst/exhaustion only leads to the mental breakdowns mentioned above. You don't want to spend your precious vacation time cranky and yelling at your husband...not that I would ever do that....

My favorite things in Paris:

*Velib Bike Rentals! <---As stated in this article, if you're coming from the US your credit card/debit card will not work in their machines because it is missing a micro chip that EU cards have. According to this site though, you can purchase tickets on the web to use this service which is similar to ZipCar in the US. Our friends have an account with Velib and so we were able to use their account to get bikes for all of us to cycle around Paris like locals. It was by far one of the coolest things we did, if not a little scary when having to mix in with cars at roundabouts! They have designated bike lanes that are usually shared with taxi's but you have plenty of room and drivers seemed to be paying a bit more attention in Paris than they do in the US. If you're cautious, you will have a great and safe time!

*Our host's cooking...seriously, I felt bad for Ryan because as soon as we got home, he had to eat my crappy food. As soon as I get the recipes (and permission to post them) for the tomato and mustard tart and the Moroccan meatballs, I'll get them up here!

*Chateau de Versailles, which was absolutely breathtaking.... I hate to use that word because it's so douchey but it's true. The palace itself is gorgeous and then you enter the gardens....and holy crap they're massive. Marie Antoinette's estate is back there and so is the Grand Trianon which is basically a fancy house that wasn't quite as fancy as the main palace and where Louis XIV could get it on with his mistress. You can rent a boat to row around the Grand Canal or rent a bike to see the grounds in style. There is a lovely place by Marie Antoinette's estate where you can get an overpriced latte that is worth every penny because it gives you a chance to relax and enjoy the view.

*The smell of crepes....the taste is wonderful as well but the smell just makes you happy. Oh and looking in the windows of Parisian boulangeries-patisseries. Such beautiful little desserts and bread and oh wait, I'm drooling and now I have to buy something because of the shame.




*Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg: these are the places to sit, watch children race sailboats in a fountain, watch the ducks, finches and pigeons, and best of all: watch the people! Bring a picnic and you may never leave :)

*Finches eating bread out of my hand at Notre Dame. They're already my favorite birds because so they're so tiny and wonderful but now they also perch on my hand to delicately nibble at a baguette?!!?! Thank you tiny finches for making me feel like Snow White and like you actually wanted to be my friend.

*Putting a lock on Pont des Arts with Ryan. The story goes that if you put your initials on a lock and lock it to the bridge and throw the key into the Seine River below, the only way to break the seal of your love is to find the key and unlock the lock. Since there are many keys thrown into that river, it seems that many heartbroken people come back with bolt cutters to remove the lock! There is another lock bridge in Paris, but that one is for lovers while the Pont des Arts is for committed love.

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