Paris, France

Paris, France (Stop #5 on our Road Trip)


Paris!  I was very excited about this one.  I mean, most of the interior design elements and furniture that I admire is from France or French inspired.  I was so excited to visit, especially with my family.  We left our home-stay in Arlon, Belgium and drove about 4 hours away to get to our new apartment that we had rented outside of the city for one night.  




France is beautiful and I was the one that had to drive along the countryside to get there.  It was actually a pretty relaxing drive and a lot different looking than the Germany country side (and the speed limits are a lot slower).  To save money again, we booked an apartment with airbnb.com and we stayed a bit outside of the city.  Staying in the city center would have cost a lot more and we didn't want to drive in the city either.  We kind of got a late start and arrived at our apartment around 2 pm.  We had a bit of a problem with the parking situation.  Our host's website said "free parking", but when we got there they said that we had to reserve the free parking in advance and we had to find a place to park in the street!  This was very frustrating and it took us about two hours to find a good spot and then head to the metro line to get to the city.

We finally figured things out and thankfully Brandon had already visited Paris a few months previous to our trip so he was very good at helping us navigate the metro into the city.  A few line switches and by 4 pm we finally made it into the city.  This was  a very late start for us and getting into the city at 4 pm wasn't exactly what we had planned, but we had to roll with it.  There was so much to get to.  Straight out of the metro we turned the block and this is what we saw...




From what I had been hearing for a long time was the Eiffel Tower is so overrated and not a big deal.  I even heard this from Brandon so my expectations weren't too high. I'm sorry, but how jaded are you that the Eiffel Tower is "overrated"?  I thought it was beautiful.  It was so much bigger than I had thought and after all the hours of straight traveling it took to get there seeing the Tower was a relief and I was so excited.  Brandon and I even snuck a kiss under the Tower.

We thought about going up to the top.  We figured if we tried to go later on at night the line wouldn't be so long, but in the Summer I guess the line is always long.




With all the traveling, we were very hungry and needed dinner.  I was so excited to try French food as I'd already had some good food in Belgium.  We walked about a mile past the Eiffel Tower and sat down at a cafe style restaurant.  I wish I could remember the name of it but the food was on par.  I did take some pictures though.

I had duck confite with fries and one of the most amazing glasses of wine I've ever had.  And my brother an I split some escargot (snails) and fromage (cheese).  The escargot was good, but it wasn't as good as the escargot that I've also tried in Jamaica.  I'm a cheese lover and had to try the cheese in France.  It was a Camembert which is similar to Brie.  The cheese was great.





This was a good dinner.  Our waiter was very entertaining (and a little cocky).  He even popped in one of our pics (uninvited).  What a character.




We basically only had a half of day to hoof it around the city and see as much as possible.  I don't know how to stress this enough, but HALF A DAY IN PARIS IS NOT ENOUGH.  Even one day in Paris is not enough.  I don't know what I was thinking when I planned only one day in Paris.  This is a HUGE city and all of the attractions are spread about.  If you do go to Paris spend AT LEAST TWO NIGHTS there.  But we were determined to see the basics at least so we headed to the Louvre.






Of course it was closed on a Tuesday, but we just enjoyed the weather and taking pictures of the views outside.  Plus my brother (the chef) wanted to go to this chocolate restaurant he was raving about that was a few blocks away from the Louvre called, Angelina.  Randomly, that was closed too.  Tough break.  Haha, I should also mentioned that right after this we tried to make it to the Catacombs which Brandon was super excited to see.  Can you guess if it was open?  That's okay, this just gives me a reason to go back.








 Above, The Arc De Triomphe, built to commemorate Napoleon's military victories.  Below, the Seine River.




No time to check out the shopping district in Paris which is what every girl dreams of, so I took a window picture and we moved on.




This was a long day, though a short day actually in Paris and we did sooo much walking.  Brandon calculated that we must have done 10 + miles of walking in 7 hours which is how much time we actually spent in the city.  We made our way back on the metro and to our apartment for the night.

Like I mentioned above, Paris cannot be done in a day.  There is too much to see and it is too spread out.  I didn't get to show you another side of Paris, just the great time I had seeing the main attractions.  Save yourself the trouble and book an extra night.  It will be worth it.  If I had more time I would have loved to do so many more things, at the very least check out the shopping district, Paris fleas, Versailles, and The Catacombs.  Germany borders France so I'm not too far away.  I'll definitely be back.   Maybe for a girls trip.





Favorite Thing about Paris:
Sounds cliche but the Eiffel Tower.  It wasn't "overrated" for me.




Last Stop: Strasbourg, France





If you only had 7 hours in Paris, what would you do?  And, Go!













45 comments :

  1. Paris!! I love Paris! Really, what were you thinking just planning 1 day there? Just teasing ;). It looks like you got quite a bit squeezed into that one day, though. I am super excited to see your Strasbourg post because that's a stop we're making this winter, too, and I'd love to see what we mustn't miss!

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    1. Yea, like I said, I don't know what I was thinking lol. I loved Strasbourg!

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  2. I'm actually quite impressed by how much you covered in 1 day. Those places are no where near each other. I also didn't get much of a chance to go shopping which would have been absolutely divine. As you said, it's an excuse to return. We actually took the stairs up the Eiffel Tower since that line for tickets was only 25 minutes long.

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    1. Michele, we thought about taking the stair but the line for that was just as long :(

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  3. Haha, your Paris trip sounds like ours. We took the train from Germany into Paris. Unfortunately we exited out of the "wrong" side and my first impression of the city was not a good one. We all (me, husband, mother in law, son, daughter and grandson plus luggage)tried to pile into one cab at which point the driver said in very irritated English "NOT A BUS". haha We took the cab and our son took another. Husband was worried about him being alone while we waited for him at the hotel. I said he just spent a year and a half driving around Baghdad, I am sure he'll be fine. ;) When he got there we took our things to our tiny room on the 5th floor. I made the mistake of getting in the TEENY TINY elevator with my grandson in his stroller. When I realized that I had to tilt the stroller to get the door to close it was already too late to back out and we both were ready to freak out as it took much creaking, groaning and stopping before we finally made it up. We only had a room for the night and tickets for the train back the next afternoon so we headed to the Metro down the street and came out at the Arc De Triumph. We walked to the Eiffel Tower and although I am terrified of heights I went up. It was amazing. Everything I thought it would be and more. Getting to the top and back down was a story in itself. We then spent the rest of the evening walking all the way back to the hotel. Miles. But it was in Paris after all!!!
    The only place we could find to eat was McDonalds!!! lol Definitely French style.
    The next day we walked to the train station and finally got to eat at a little café. Overall I liked Paris. Husband didn't like getting ripped off by cabbie, small hotel room with paper thin walls, too small coffees ;), rude people, and overrated Eiffel Tower (his opinion). He did however get a kick out of seeing the police arrest a couple of pickpockets while he was waiting at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower for us. He can be a bit of a party pooper at times. He loved Germany though!!!!

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    1. My goodness Nancy your story is too funny because it sounds so much like mine. Haha McDonald's French style. I could just imagine you guys running around (like us) trying to get a lot of stuff packed in to one day. OMG and our elevator was small too. I try to avoid them at all costs because I start freaking out and getting claustrophobic. Anyways, when I was saying the waiter was cocky, I did mean rude, but I want to try to have faith that the myth of the rude Frenchman isn't true... He even held up the dressing for the salad up to my step fathers mouth after he said he didn't want any. And at one point my brother wanted a crepe but couldn't decide what kind he wanted and the crepe maker was basically getting fed up with waiting for him to decide. And my mom and stepfather were complaining about the small coffees all over Europe.

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  4. You managed to fit in so much, with a HUGE amount of walking! Well done!
    I'm going to Paris in Sept for two nights... we considered only going for one, so after reading this I'm glad we booked for two! As much as there is always the 'other side' of cities to show, I totally love the touristy, romantic side too :)

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  5. Oh, I just love Paris. Did you get to walk around the Tuileries Gardens? They are fab.

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  6. I only get to see Paris in pictures of blogs like yours
    My daughter has been and loved the Louvre and was there a day it was open


    I have never had escargo and you said it was good in Jamaica, I just returned from there however wasn't checking out our menus for I didn't see it on it,however there was one restaurant we didn't try at our all inclusive resort maybe they had escargo?

    janice

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    1. Which resort did you go to? We did Sandals Montego Bay Jamaica. We had escargo at the French Restaurant, if that's the one you didn't go to? lol go figure the French restaurant did escargo better than the actual French restaurant.

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  7. When I was in Paris I went to the Eiffel Towers, Le Louvre, had a romantic cruise down La Seine, did the Da Vinci Tour. All in three days. It was so fantastic!!

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  8. What a trip of a life time Brittany! I dream of somebody going to France. Thanx for taking us along on THT!

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  9. What a beautiful city. At least from your photos. I'd love to visit Paris, and of course I'd also want to do a bit of antique shopping. It would be hard to resist that temptation.

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    1. Tonya,
      If it were up to me soley, I would have done a flea market in every place we went to. There are good fleas in Paris, Strasbourg, and Trier. But we only did Tongeren, Belgium. Even though they had a great time in Tongeren, they would have hated me if I made them go flea and antique shopping everywhere we stopped lol.

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  10. Well you certainly saw the highlights in a brief day, it would have been difficult to do that alone in the Louvre, but shopping and eating is right up there :)

    I’m inviting you to come and link up with us for Travel Photo Mondays also for a photo carnival starting on Monday for the whole week!

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  11. Love Paris and yes it is just not possible to do it justice in just one day! Sounds like you gave it a good try and being so close you can always come back again and again. I'm with you, the Eiffel Tower is not overrated!

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    1. Yes, I will most definitely have to go back. Followed you on Bloglovin. Looks like we like to visit a lot of the same places!

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  12. You've captured this city so well in your photos. I am eager to return; more so after reading this post, Brittany.

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  13. Oh man I have been there a couple times and it is fabulous, I think I would do exactly what you did, you hit the high points and the Eiffel tower can't be beat!! Thanks for sharing your 1/2 Day!

    Carol

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  14. We did the same in Milan, but in Milan a lot of the sights are close together. Good on you for making the most of what time you did have in Paris. Making a note not to go to Paris on a Tuesday :)

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  15. Your pictures are so fabulous. There is nothing like the Eiffel tower. Keep the pics coming.

    Paula

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  16. Paris is so beautiful!!

    Visiting from Fresh Face Friday!

    Chantal
    www.scatteredseashells.com

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  17. We had 3 days last summer in Paris and it wasn't long enough!!
    Also love the Eiffel Tower, we took a tour so we didn't have to wait in line, definitely worth it.
    And the food, OMG!

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  18. It's amazing how much you covered in a day. I know, one day in Paris is definitely not enough. At least you got to see the main highlights. I stayed 5 days the last time I was in the city and I could have stayed for another five. IT's a city I like to linger around and take my time soakling in every sights and experience. Thanks for sharing your photos. They definitely bring back fond memories.

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    1. Well it looks live you've been to quite a bit of places yourself Marisol! What has been your favorite so far?

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  19. I agree, you did a lot of Paris in one day! Wish I had gone to the Louvre on a Tuesday -- so many people were there when I went, I never had such clear shots.
    Where in Jamaica did you have escargot?

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    1. I had escargot when I went to Montego Bay Jamaica.

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  20. Lovely photos of one of my favorite cities in the world :). I go to Paris every year almost and I can definitely say that 2 days are not enough... I'd double that :).

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  21. Lovely photos -- and what were you thinking that you could possibly see Paris in one day? :) I've been there two times for a total of eleven days and feel like we've barely scratched the surface. Can't wait to go back again.

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  22. It was fun hearing about your Paris adventure. I know you will get back again, just plan at least four days. We have been to the south of France a couple of times and finally made it to Paris a couple of years ago. I did a lot of research ahead of time and planned five days. I repurchased tours, transportation and tickets for the on and off shuttles and boats. We were ready!! We checked into our hotel room which was what we were expecting. It was two blocks from the Eiffel Tour and we could see it from our window. We got checked in, rested a bit and walked to the tour. It was evening, so we decided to come back the next am to go up. Walking back to our hotel we were checking out restaurants for dinner. On block from the hotel, Bob took a misstep, fell and hit his head. The next three day were spent in two different hospitals and lots of testing. When he was released we had one day left. We took cabs to the main sights and he mostly rested while I ventured inside most and did a quick look.
    Glad to say he was check out when we got home and is fine. He won't go back but I will.
    Thanks for sharing your story, it helps me feel not so lonely about our experience.
    Have a blessed weekend, Ginger

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    1. Wow Savannah, what an unfortunate mishap on your trip, but glad everything turned out okay and you at least got one day like me. I don't blame him for not going back, he probably now associates Paris with disaster. Make a girls trip and thanks for sharing!

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  23. Love Paris! Your photos show it well. Happy travelling.

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  24. I can't imagine any one planning only 1 day in Paris. I would be very glad to have someone be my navigator though.

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  25. I would love to go to Paris! And I can't imagine not absolutely loving the Eiffel Tower, so glad you were able to kiss under it...great memories! Thanks so much for sharing at Amaze Me Monday!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  26. Oh, Paris! Such a magical city (though the parking is totally ridiculous). I'm glad you are not jaded and enjoyed the Eiffel Tower. I was there during Chinese New Year a few years ago and at night it sparkled this deep gorgeous red. Your post is making me a bit homesick for France!

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  27. oh my goodness - I lived in Paris for eight months and even that wasn't enough! you covered a TON. but it's great to have an excuse to go back :)

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    1. Theres always a good reason to go to France! Thanks for reading Betsy!

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  28. I feel like I need to live in Paris for a few years to see, do and experience all I want to do that I have not yet. You certainly did experience much. I love that you had escargot, something I have not tried yet. But would love too. What was it like in comparison to the one you said you had in Jamaica? Thank you for linking up with Belinda and I for Travel Tuesday!

    Bonnie Rose | A Compass Rose

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    1. Well the escargot I had ton Jamaica melted in your mouth. This escargot was in pesto sauce and it kind of tasted like dirt still lol. I feel like I didnt' even touch the surface of Paris! I wish it wasn't so far away, expensive, and crowded though because it really feels like a hassle to go to Paris.

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  29. That is a picture of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel not the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, right?

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I love to hear from readers! Questions and comments welcome. I try to respond to everyone (I respond back to your comments on the comments page so check back for a response). Thanks for reading!

-Brittany Ruth