Rain or Shine...Paris in 36 Hours

Tuesday morning, my mom, dad, and I (Jeff stayed home and worked) grabbed some lunch and hopped on a train to London.  We got to London and then jumped on the Eurostar and traveled to Paris.  We were able to go in the Chunnel (a tunnel going under the Channel) to get to Paris within 3 hours.  It was a really enjoyable ride and went very quickly.  We got into Paris, walked to our hotel, and got ready to go hit the town.

We went on a fairly lengthy walk to see the Eiffel Tower at night.  We stopped and ate a great dinner where we tried the local pints, wines, and crepes.  We got to the Eiffel Tower, and I really enjoyed seeing my parents reaction to how large and beautiful the tower is, especially at night.  We were able to get a few photos, watch the light show that happens every hour for a few hours, and then walk back to the hotel.  We had a late night, and didn't get back until around 1:00. We were tired, sore, and ready for bed.

Despite our lack of sleep, we got up early to head straight to the Louve.  Although the weather was not cooperating at all.  After being completely soaked, we hopped on the packed metro to ride to the Louve. Funny story, because the metro was so packed, I got on and the doors closed...my parents didn't make it on with me.  Luckily, we communicated our next stop well, and they just met me there on the next available metro.  We finally made it to the Louve, hopped in line for a few minutes and explored the museum.  We were able to see the majority of the museum, and even places I had not been when Jeff and I went there in May.  I think we all enjoyed the museum, and I was amazed at how much more packed it was in August than in May.  We went and grabbed a quiet lunch and then headed to the Love Lock Bridge in hopes to find Jeff and I's lock.  You may or may not have heard, but in June part of the Love Lock Bridge broke and fell into the river.  They took extreme caution as they boarded the majority of the bridge up.  Needless to say, we did not find Jeff and I's lock.  After the bridge, we headed to the Eiffel Tower.  We stood in line for quite a while, but it was nice to just stand in line and talk. The three of us traveled to the top level and back down again.

 All the buildings surrounding the pyramid are part of the museum. It is huge!

 Mom & Dad

Some of my favorite pieces from the Louve.  

 

Pretty sad to see all the beautiful locks covered up. 

 Hold on tight...we're up on the highest level of the Eiffel Tower!

Beautiful city! 

After a few more pictures with the Eiffel Tower in the background, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe, which my dad taught me that it was the final location of the Tour de France.  That made the arch much more memorable than the first time we saw it.  The arch was at the top of the street of some great (and expensive) shopping. My mom and I went into a few stores to look around, dream about buying something, and then leave.  Not very eventful, right? We stopped by a bakery to grab a few chocolate macaroons, and to bring a few home to Jeff.  We slowly finished our day by finding an even fancier shopping street.  You know the guards at the doors, guarding the five items they have on display to sell.  On our walk towards our hotel we found a spot for dinner.  We found a fantastic place and definitely enjoyed one another's company.  We sat for a long time talking about our day's adventures.  We made it back to the hotel to rest up for another day of traveling...back to England.

Great shot of the Eiffel Tower in the background. One of the best spots to take a picture with it. 

We were able to see a lot in our short amount of time in Paris, although there are some things we didn't have time for. I'm glad my parents were able to experience a city that did not speak our same language.  They did a great job adjusting to that and the culture.  We got back at a reasonable time on Thursday, and were able to eat dinner with Jeff to tell him all our stories.

Onto the next adventure...