If you guys follow me on Instagram, you may know that I went to Europe for the first time this past February. Now I'm finally ready to write about it!
Up until this point, my trips and vacations had always been in Southeast Asia (Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Thailand). I always wanted to travel to Europe but I never had any reason or excuse to go to that part of the world. To be honest, that part of the world seemed less interesting to me than Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc. I wonder if it's the fact that English is spoken in a lot of those countries that made them seem less attractive to me. When I think of adventure, I always think of going somewhere where I can fully immerse myself in the culture and the language. Let me say one thing, though, before you get upset with me: my view of European countries changed after this trip and now I want more!
Alright, let's start off with why I went there. This trip was a family trip for me, Justin, and his family. His sister, who lives in Switzerland, was getting married in Andermatt in the Swiss Alps (blog post to come ๐). I was so excited when I first found out that I got to go to Europe. Even though the wedding was in Switzerland, Justin and I wanted to stop by a few places before our final destination. When we were planning, I told Justin that I wanted to stop by Milan and Paris--Can you guys guess why I wanted to go there? As the planning progressed we realized we didn't have any time to spare in Italy since the bulk of our time would be in Switzerland. We still wanted to squeeze Paris in and save Italy for a later trip--possibly our honeymoon, since we haven't had one yet..
We flew from Dulles International Airport to France, had an 8-hour layover in France, and took a train to Switzerland. We got to Paris around 7:30 am, then caught a bus to the downtown train station where we stashed our luggage. We walked around for a bit to look for the closest place from which to rent bikes. I was really surprised at how many bike rentals they had. Washington, D.C., has many bike rental places too, but Paris has10 times more. We got our bikes and then we explored Paris like the natives do. Instead of going on the main street we decided to ride along the riverbank on the old stone road and work our way up the river, making pits stop along the way. Prior to the trip, we went on Sygic Trip Planner and mapped out our itinerary in Paris. We had about 20 places on our list but we only got to go to a few of them, the Eiffel tower being one of them. Renting bikes was the best decision for us. We get to explore Paris and blend in with the Parisians doing their everyday activities instead of taking taxis and going the touristy avenue. The air in Paris is so refreshing and the architecture is beyond this world. I was really fascinated with all the intricate designs on each and every building we went to.
The first place that we rode by was the Notre-Dame Cathedral (picture 1). We were not able to go inside because of our schedule, but we admired the beautiful architecture from afar. We didn't have to be inside the Cathedral to appreciate its beauty. The picture was taken from across the riverbank. As we were riding around, we came across many couples that were in Paris to take wedding pictures. They were all wearing their beautiful wedding clothes. I did not take any pictures because I didn't want to intrude. Our next stop was the Louvre Museum. Again, we were not able to go in because of the long line and time restraints. I really fell in love with the big open court and all the surrounding buildings. I noticed security was high due to the recent attacks in France. There were many military convoys around the perimeter. We then went through the cool looking gate (picture 2) and worked our way to the Eiffel Tower, only stopping a few times along the way. The line to get into the tower was ridiculous and there was no way we would have been able to make it up there in time to bike back to the train station. Instead we got some Nutella crepes (which are huge in Paris and Europe) and sat on a bench to people watch. I liked to observe all the people who traveled from many different places to visit Paris. After 15 minutes we got back on our bikes and returned to the station to take the train to Switzerland.
In the past, when someone mentioned Paris to me I immediately thought of the Eiffel Tower, but now I know there is so much more to Paris than that. Since the trip, I look at Paris in a different light. I see all the friendly faces, the beautiful architecture, the fresh air, and the freedom of letting your pets run around without leashes (yes, they totally do that over there). I enjoyed this trip more than I thought I would, and because of this really great experience I plan on visiting more countries in Europe. For now I can check France off my list.
Have you guys been to Paris? If so, what was your favorite part the trip?
What a dreamy trip! I went to Paris when I was in my teens (whew, long time ago!) and would love love love to go back someday! Thanks for sharing your travels my love!
ReplyDeletexo,
Abby @clothesandpizza
Thank you for reading my post :) this is the most I've ever wrote on here. I only got to spend a few hours there, so I definitely would love to go back someday!
DeleteGreat pics I love Paris
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