I’m back folks! I’ve been in Europe just over a month and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. We last left off with the red grapes needing to be harvested. I ‘m happy to announce that they have been successfully picked, pressed and barreled!
Since the red grapes were done Austin and I headed to Paris for four days packed with amazing sites, history, and crepes with speculoos (thank Belgium) and in true Austin fashion we did not skip a beat!
The Arrival: We reached our Airbnb after sundown and as soon as we were settled in Austin and I went for a night run. The first place we stopped at was Notre Dame. It was magnificent all lit up in the misty night sky (see picture below). It went perfectly with the opening song of The Hunchback of Notre Dame – “The Bells of Notre Dame” that instantaneously started in my head as I looked at it. My childhood self would be very proud!
The First Day: We started bright eyed and bushy tailed! We went to Sainte Chappelle and Conciergerie, where they had imprisoned Marie-Antoinette before her trial. It was fascinating to see how each sell was a little different based on how much the imprisoned person could pay. Next, we stopped at Shakespeare & Company which lead to us finding a street that we named, Couscous Alley. It’s a street with multiple couscousries (I think I made that word up) from Indian to Moroccan cuisine and they have a person outside trying to get anyone and everyone to eat at their restaurant. It’s like bartering for food. We decided not to eat there and got THE BEST Gyro I’ve ever had. It was full of fries, thinly cut meat, lettuce, tomato and tahini. It was a delicious!
The First Day Continued: We went to Napoleon’s tomb (it’s HUGE – refer to your right) and the museum of armor. Napoleon’s tomb is quite large and to put his height in perspective he was only an inch taller than me, which is short. The museum was fun to visit because it has one of the largest collections of military art and history in the world. Starting in the Middle Ages. It was so fascinating to see the evolution of it all. I thought of my brother the whole time because he loves history and knows so much about Napoleon and the like. Next, we saw Le Louvre where I got to see the Mona Lisa! I thought of all my art people while I was there (you know who you are), and ended the day on the roof of the arc with a great view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up! 
The Second Day: We walked until we dropped and I’m not exaggerating! Today was the day we spent at Versailles. You could stay here for two days and not see it all! We saw the hall of mirrors, Austin ran 10 miles and I got some exploring in at Marie-Antoinette’s gardens. It was so surreal! My childhood friend and I watched that movie quite a bit when it came out and it sparked an intrigue of her life for me and now I got to actually see it! Austin and I did have to resort to pep talks by the end of the day to make it all the way back to the castle through the town to the train station… luckily, we made it! Don’t feel discouraged to go, they offer golf carts to be rented for those who want/need it! *A little information for anyone wanting to go to Versailles from Paris – you need a ticket that’s different from the the one you use one the metro. If you don’t it’s a 35 Euro fine each person. 
The Third and Final day: This has been one of my favorite days thus far. Why? It was the day we went to the Eiffel Tower and it was Austin’s 25th Birthday! We started the festivities at a breakfast nook called, Kozy Bosquet. If you are ever in Paris, go there – http://www.kozy.fr! They make fresh orange juice to serve, all the baked goods are made the morning of and always changing with friendly service and a great cup of coffee! It’s with in walking distance of the metro and the Eiffel Tower with decent prices. I got a Caramel Cortado to go and we headed to the Eiffel Tower!
The weather was perfect so we walked up the stairs and the view was worth it. Once we had descended from the tower we made our way to the Musee Marmottan Monet and headed to the Musee de Orsay! The Orsay museum had some paintings that just make you stare in wonder. It was quite an experience and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates art, even if it’s just a little.
The Birthday Dinner: Couscous Alley is where we decided to have dinner for Austin’s birthday. We chose the Moroccan one and they were so happy they sat us by the outside window so people would see us eating and they would come in. The staff was so fun! We shared a pailla, it’s a sweet and savory appetizer and just hits the spot (see picture below)! Then we each had huge plates of food and couscous with a bottle of wine. As we were finishing there were three tourist groups that walked by and people stopped and took pictures of us. They didn’t even try to hide it which, I thought was hilarious. We started posing for them, haha! The waiter came by and gave us yummy mint tea to get us to stay as long as possible. Once we let our tummies settle we decided to go for a walk and find Moulin Rouge. It was so crazy to see it in person! It was a great day with the one I love and I loved celebrating his day!
As always, thanks for stopping by and next time I’ll be talking about the apple orchard we are staying at! Let me know if you have any questions about my travels or travel in general – I’ll answer to the best of my ability!
“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life” – Thomas Jefferson
PS – for those going to travel to Paris get the Paris Museum Pass, it gets you into almost everything and it’s 100% worth it! Just go to the tourism office and ask about it. They will help you! During high tourist season to try to buy them online the day before it will be faster.
The H 