Bonsoir from Paris!

Richie and I are currently in Paris and having a fabulous time. :-) It truly is a city of romance, relaxation, rich in culture, high fashion, and great food! Tomorrow is our last day and then we head off to Rome. I hope it will be as enjoyable there as it has been for us here. Paris' weather has been perfect, which has played a BIG role in our stay here. DAY 1 (Saturday, June 30, 2012) It was definitely a rough start to our trip. We arrived at 6:30AM with over 24 hours of no sleep and nonstop travel. We were exhausted, but we had to stay awake and take advantage of our first day in the city to adjust to the time difference. We arrived at our hotel, (Hotel Waldorf-Trocadero) over five hours ahead of check-in, so we were stuck waiting around in the lobby, but that was fine because we met some of the guests and swapped ideas for our stay here. --The hotel is a PERFECT location...less than 10 minutes away walking distance from the most *gorgeous* view of the Eiffel Tower, 15-20 minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, less than 5 minutes from the metro, across the street from a great boulangerie...sigh...we lucked out in location. We met up with our friends Hazel and Cameron for lunch and took a bunch of photos in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Later that evening we all met up with my friend Sidsel for dinner and to stop by the Louis Vuitton shop on the Champs-Élysées (not the original store, but the 2nd oldest in history!) Great group to travel with, yay friends! :-) DAY 2: Sidsel, Richie and I went to mass at the Notre Dame! Nope, didn't see Quasimodo, but the Gregorian Chant mass was a blessing in itself, totally set the positive vibes for our trip. We did a fun photo-op around the gardens of Notre Dame, grabbed yummy crepes from a street vendor, grabbed sandwiches and baguettes and ate them at Jardin du Luxemborg, where children rent little boats and poke them with sticks to make them move in their giant fountain. Then we had a little snack of fromage and wine...very Parisian. ;-) lol...then!!! EUROCUP FINALS MADNESS!!! True, it was Italy versus Spain, but that didn't stop the French from going crrrrazy over it! We briefly went to the Trocadero to join in the madness, but it was above and beyond insane...everyone trying to peer at the live feed they were showing on a projector screen in front of the Eiffel Tower...we decided to head out and find a bar to watch futbol, but no such luck. Every restaurant and bar was overflowed with people. So we ended up getting pizza and watching the game from the hotel room. Spain kicked Italy's butt! DAY 3 (Monday July 2nd) Sidsel, Richie, and I spent a gorgeous morning at the Jardin des Tuileries, the garden surrounding the amazing museums such as the Louvre, Orsay...etc. Then...VERSAILLES! Well, before that: CHRISTIAN LOUBUTIN!!! Lol...I just had to. Sidsel, Richie and I went to the very first Christian Loubutin boutique just in time before the line started to form outside. NO, I didn't buy anything, but I did try on a fabulous pair of $1200+ pair of shoes! The palace in Versailles isn't open on Mondays, but their garden takes a day in itself to walk through, and even then we didn't get to view everything! It sure was worth it, though. It's such an easy day-trip away from the city, and it was so peaceful easy to appreciate because none of the tourists were there, it was alllll ours to indulge in! (btw, we had sushi here. France makes awesome sushi!) At the end of the day we all had to part ways and say our goodbyes. :-(. Hazel and Cam headed off to Euro-Disney for the 20th anniversary of their park, and Sidsel had to go back to Denmark. --She and I ALWAYS cry when we part ways because we never know when we're going to see each other again because of the distance! But we've been blessed to see each other a lot in these past 4 years, so hopefully we'll have the opportunity again soon. Day 4: Our first day in Paris without our friends, we survived! We ventured out to see the Sacré Cœur, I went to confession with a French priest who didn't understand what I was saying, but anyway! Lol...the view from the Sacré Cœur is breathtaking...definitely worth taking the million flights of stairs to the top (420+ feet to be more exact.) Then we walked through Montemartre...then took the train back to Notre Dame where we waited for our romantic dinner boat tour through the Seine River. While we ate poisson and such, we cruised through to see... 1: Notre-Dame 2: Ile Saint-Louis 3: Conciergerie 4: Pont neuf 5: Passerelle des Arts 6: Musée du Louvre 7: Musée d'Orsay 8: Assemblée Nationale/Concorde 9: Pont Alexandre III 10: Pont de l'Alma 11: Musée Branly 12: Tour Eiffel ...whew! Can you imagine we had time for more?! Once the boat tour was over, we booked it back to the Trocadero to view the Eiffel Tower sparkle its evening lights. Cheesy romance at its best. ;-) Day 5: Museums museums museums. 1: Musée des Arts Decoratifs (History of Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs, Babar, Madeleine, Absinthe...etc) 2: Musée d'Orsay (Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and more!!) 3: Musée de l'Orangerie (Monet's Water Lilies...sigh...BREATHTAKING...Renoir, Rousseau, Picasso...etc...whew!) Then...Café Angelina! I swear to you, the richest hot chocolate milk I have EVER tasted in my entire life! If we were to head back to the states now, I would have bought a bulk, but we're headed to Rome soon, so it would have been a challenge. But wow...worth the trip! And their pastries, ohmywow! On our way home we ran into a family from the Philippines who was COMPLETELY lost...thanks to Sidsel, Richie was able to help them find their way to the Arc de Triomphe. Lol they thought we were from Paris. Funny times! Tomorrow: the LOUVRE! About to do my research tonight so that I can indulge in tomorrow. :-)