Paris (July 2013)

I arrived in Paris in the morning after a early-morning train from Bruges. At this point in the trip I was exhausted 24/7. Every time I picked up my backpack, it felt heavier than the time before, even though I had mailed home some clothes as well as the tiny souvenirs I’d bought. I felt like I could never get enough sleep, and my back was killing me all day. But, I was in Paris, so I was happy.

First, I headed to the Orsay Museum to look at the Impressionist paintings. I think Impressionism is probably my favorite style of painting.

For lunch I had salmon tartar, with lots of dill, and it was delicious!

After a much needed siesta, I had dinner, then headed to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs d’Elysses. The best way to look like an absolute idiot is to run 60 feet across the chaotic traffic circle. I wonder how many people get hit by cars there every week. I couldn’t stand there for 5 minutes without seeing some idiot try to make a dash for it. Psst, braindead idiots, there is a pedestrian walkway underground!

The following day, I took some time to wander around and see lots of things. Here’s a few shots of the cool metro entrances:

Parisian architecture is really beautiful, a lot of it reminded me of Madrid.

A cheese shop that almost made me drool:

Notre Dame church:

Sainte Chapelle church:

I finally had had enough of my backache, and went to a pharmacy and got some pills and some topical cream. It worked wonders and I felt so much better after!

On my third day, I went to Versailles to see the most extravagant palace in Europe:

I loved Versailles, it was so massive! I felt like a queen strolling through the gardens, listening to string quartets that seemed to be playing just for my benefit. In reality there were speakers in the bushes, but it made me feel like royalty. 🙂

Later that evening, I went to Trocadero Plaza for a great view of the Eiffel Tower. I was able to take a few daytime pictures and nighttime pictures.

I love how this one turned out! Slow shutter speed pointing at a lit up object = really cool effect.

My fourth day in Paris was my last. It was so nice to be in one place for four whole nights in a row! That was nice. I spent my last morning on Montmartre:

After lunch I saw the Eiffel Tower up close, though I didn’t go up:

Later that evening I took a Seine cruise. During the cruise I had my first taste of rain in several weeks! So I wasn’t able to take many pictures.

Finally, I went to the Montparnasse Tower, which has a great view of the Eiffel Tower at sunset, but there was some cloud cover so the view wasn’t the best. Next time I’ll come on a clear evening.