With Love, Paris

Paris, France is a gorgeous city full of bucket list sights, awe-striking scenes, and sweet foods.

We were here for five days, but it still wasn’t enough to see it all. Being here in May, it was a little bit chilly, but overall pretty comfortable. The only downfall to the weather in May was that it was a bit rainy, but a little water never hurt anyone.

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Towering over 1,000 feet, there are elevators that take visitors up to the top of the tower. There are three different stops; the lower level, the middle level, and the tip. As the elevator in front of ours went up the leg of the tower, it quit moving and all I could think was that I feel bad for those poor souls who were probably freaking out. Don’t worry, all the passengers turned out alright. I was a little bit scared going up after that, but it was so amazing to see the city and knew that I was in the Eiffel Tower! The city of Paris was gorgeous from the top of that massive structure. That scene from the top of the tower was something truly astounding. I even bought a miniature model of the Eiffel Tower at the bottom of the actual Eiffel Tower! To be honest, I believe that the rainy weather had a bit of an effect on how we saw the Eiffel Tower and Paris overall.

               

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is a huge arch in the middle of Paris dedicated to the “Grand Armee.” Under the thick walls of the arch, there is an enormous British flag, hundreds of blue, red, and white flowers, and an eternal flame with the plaque of the unknown soldier. All of the soldier’s names on the walls truly moved me in so many ways. Surrounded by a circular road full of traffic, we almost “got dead” just trying to cross the miniature highway. Anyone up for playing some Frogger?

The Louvre

The Louvre is the second largest museum in the world. The architecture and treasures this museum contains is endless. There are over 35,000 works of art exhibited in this place and it would take about two full days to walk through it and see it all. Greek sculptures here ranged from 200 to 5,000 years old. Thinking about the Mona Lisa, you would probably expect it to be some immaculate and huge piece of art right? Well, it was 30 in x 21 in! There were about 400 people or more gathered around it trying to see the famous painting. Nevertheless, the Mona Lisa was my favorite piece of art in the entire museum. Such a piece of classical and beautiful art with a deep and interesting meaning behind it.

          

Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a 17 acre large royal mansion in Versailles. We spent one day and took a train to this astonishing location to experience life as a royal. Designed by Louis XIV, it has been the place of political power for the Kingdom of France. The mansion is overlaid with stunning gold and giant medieval gates guarding it. Walking down the road, I could see this massive piece of architecture from a half of a mile away. I had never seen anything so big and important before. I was at a loss of words. Unfortunately, I did not get to see inside the mansion, but I did have the pleasure of witnessing its beauty from the outside.

     

Disneyland Paris

Also known as EuroDisney, Disneyland Paris is the most visited theme park in Europe. The rides here were all awesome, but one really stood out to me; the Ratatouille ride. Being a 4D ride made it even better. Well, I’m not going to spoil it, but I am just going to say that it was a bit “cheesy”.  As a surprise to me from my wonderful parents, they took me to the restaurant that I had been wanting to go to for a while; Ratatouille. As you walk in, the atmosphere makes you feel a bit “small” to say the least. Every morning at our hotel, we got a giant buffet breakfast. I will never forget the omelets and cream puffs and the many different pastries stretched out in front of me. Sleeping Beauty’s castle was also a sight to behold. In front of the castle, we asked a cast member to take our picture, but it turns out that he loved selfies, so he took his picture AND ours! Going in May made the experience that much better because all of the Easter decor was out and the flowers were beautiful at this time of year. There were character Easter eggs, a flower festival, a flower parade, different statues, and many other “springy” decorations scattered about the park. The whole experience was just truly “magical”.

Sweet Dishes to Try in Paris

• Macarons: A macaron is a small round cookie filled with cream and a thin crisp shell with a meringue-like consistency. I tried my first macaron at a specialty shop outside of Downtown Disney. I liked these so much that I am actually going to try to make some for my family!

• Chocolate croissant: A chocolate croissant is a flaky roll with a bunch of chocolate in the middle. The first one that I have ever tried was from an airport…very professional food. I found these on our Disney buffet every morning and I had more than my fair share of them.

• Crepes: Crepes are tortillas with your choice of fillings. Don’t judge me but I chose whipped cream, strawberry juice, chocolate, and sprinkles…shaking my head.

• Euclair au chocolat: Euclairs are thin spiral donuts with hazelnut spread in the middle and on the top.

• Chocolate mousse: Whipped chocolate deliciousness in a bowl. The chocolate mousse in Ratatouille is very, very good.

• Meringues: Meringues are little pieces of hard whipped cream, simple, but they taste SO good!

• Bigne di San Giuseppe: Little pieces of bread with cold cream in the middle. We call them cream puffs.

Truthfully, going to Europe, I expected Paris to be my favorite place, and it did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed France and would definitely go back to discover somewhere new. You can always forget something that you have never seen, but seeing something new in the world is truly unforgettable.