Bonjour Paris!

This whole European trip began with the idea that Sarah, Jennifer, and myself would pick a European location and go to it :) Paris was Sarah's pick, Madrid was my pick, and Rome was Jen's pick. This was Jennifer's and Sarah's first time to Europe, and I know that they fell in love with it as much as I did during my first trip (way back in 2001! haha) #iamold.

Our first stop? FOOD! Haha We arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and hopped the first train into Paris, where we were able to meet up with my amazingly talented friend Sofia! Sofia is an architect in the city, and is currently a part of the team building "Losserand" in Paris. Sofia invited us to this amazing cafe called Les Philosophes, and we sat outside, chatted for hours, had great food, and then she gave us a tour around the area called Le Marais ("The Marsh"), which is an historic district in Paris - with an amazing atmosphere, food, and shops! It was a great night!

We woke up early the next day and hit the ground running! Our first stop was a stroll by Notre Dame, and then it was off to the Eiffel Tower (of course!) - we experienced great views of Paris with a fun tour guide, then we did a tour of the city by boat on Seine River, and then we explored the Louvre Museum.

Next, it was the boat ride up The Seine - #ActionShot!

Then we were off to the Louvre! We were very excited! haha

The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal pyramid designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre - It was completed in 1989, it has become a landmark of the city of Paris.

This is a favorite of mine - The Winged Victory of Samothrace - it is a marble Hellenistic sculpture of Nike (the Greek goddess of victory), that was created about the 2nd century BC.

The Mona Lisa - The painting was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world.

I think Mona and I could be twins! haha

Another important piece of art in the Louvre is the Venus de Milo - absolutely stunning up close.

*Side note - I think I would have made an awesome model during the 1700's! haha

Our final stop of the evening... The Catacombs of Paris, which holds the remains of more than six million people...

I think our faces say it all... haha

The sign below states: "Stop! Here is the empire of the dead."

"Where is death? Always in the future and the past. Barely present, as she (death) is already no longer..." #Whoa...

So after that exciting (and LONG walk down and then back up!) we found an amazing little French Bistro called "Le Vaudesir" - with epic food that was super cheap!

Then it was time to rest! Therefore, we went back to our hotel, and took a "disco nap" - haha, but whereas I stayed asleep, the girls woke up and went to the Champs-Élysées to see the Arch De Triumph (and also snagged me some Ladurée Macarons! Haha). I needed the beauty sleep, because the next day we were off to the Palace of Versailles, and then off to catch our plan to Madrid, Spain.

The best part about the palace is the Hall of Mirrors - As the principal and most remarkable feature of King Louis XIV of France's third building campaign of the Palace of Versailles (1678–1684), construction of the Hall of Mirrors began in 1678. The reason why this room is so extravagant is that in the 17th century, mirrors were among the most expensive items to possess at the time; the Venetian Republic held the monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors.

However, we were the best looking people in that room! haha

Au Revoir Paris! Until next time!