Paris 2019
Stop two on our anniversary trip was PARIS! We saw beautiful buildings and gardens, ate delicious food, and went to Disneyland. Paris was great!
We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris, which was really nice. Train travel in Europe is pretty much one of our favorite things we’ve ever done, and this train trip was one of the nicest. We had a fancy lunch with real plates and flatware, and the cutest little can of coke ever.
On our first night in Paris, we visited the Eiffel Tower, because it’s basically a requirement. We got to the Eiffel Tower a little before sunset, so we were able to admire the tower from the ground and then see all the beautiful views while it was still light out. Then once it got dark, we were there to enjoy the tower lit up and glittering, and the city of lights from up high.
We stayed at the Eiffel Tower pretty late, so we ended up just getting an Uber back to the hotel and ordering room service pizza for dinner.
Our second day in Paris was pretty rainy, so we decided to hang out in the hotel concierge lounge to read and rest our feet. There were snacks and drinks all day, and a view of the Eiffel Tower, so it was pretty awesome. Lounge access is one of the fun perks of Christopher traveling so much for work, and I finally got to be there to use it!
The Paris metro and commuter rail system were pretty easy to use, and we were only a block from a decent station, so we got travel passes so we could take the metro everywhere. Christopher really loved the bunny character in the warning signs.
One of our favorite meals was at Le Moulin de la Galette. To start, Christopher had some kind of fish situation and I had french onion soup, because I was in France, so duh. Then we shared a filet and beef bourguignon as our main dishes and had profiterole and a berry, cream, pastry tower for dessert. It was a great meal and the restaurant had such a cozy, homey, vibe.
You pretty much can’t visit Paris without a trip to the Arc de Triomphe. It’s such an incredible monument, with breathtaking details. We could have walked around staring up at all there is to see all day, but we kept it to a reasonable hour of gawking.
We saw this dude near the Arc de Triomphe with his hella colorful tuk tuk, and now I’m pretty sure Christopher is plotting to build one behind my back.
One of our days in Paris we took a trip to see the Palace of Versailles. You could spend weeks here and still not see it all. I visited Versailles with my Grandma Marty when she took me to Europe for High School graduation, so I knew how amazing the place was, but getting to experience it again and seeing Christopher experience it for the first time was magical. There is nothing like being in the presence of such an historic place to help you feel just your size, small.
We spent a couple of hours with the audio walking tours inside the palace, and then another few hours exploring the gardens and other buildings on the property. We stayed until it started to storm, and then decided to head back to Paris. The day we visited Versailles the Yellow Vests Movement protesters were out protesting, so we took an Uber to and from Versailles, which was expensive, but at least we didn’t have to worry about the train station closures and being in the middle of a protest in another country.
We took a stroll through the Tuileries Garden from Place de la Concorde to the Louvre. We didn’t go inside the Louvre, but we did admire the building and the pyramids.
As I’m sure you know, Notre Dame caught fire while undergoing renovations, so the area is pretty blocked off. This was as close as we could get while we were there. Even damaged, Notre Dame is hauntingly beautiful. The architecture, intricate windows, and gargoyles make you feel like you’re in a fairy tale. I hope if/when we visit Paris again, we can go inside and really take in all the history of this cathedral.
Near Notre Dame, we walked by the Paris City Hall and wandered around some picture perfect streets. Paris is such a lovely city and I’m glad I got to explore a little with Christopher.
And for the finale, DISNEYLAND PARIS! I mean, we had to go to Disneyland Paris right?!
The rides that are Disneyland Paris exclusive (at least for now) were amazing. We LOVED Crush’s Coaster and Ratatouille. Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain kicks regular space mountain’s ass so far into space it’s unbelievable. They have a dragon under their castle, which is super fun. Phantom Manor (or Maison de Spook as Christopher calls it) was similar enough to Haunted Mansion, but with a little extra creepiness. And their Pirates of the Caribbean, so much longer, and so much better. Basically, we’d come back just to go to Disneyland again. Disneyland Park was about the same size as Magic Kingdom with like 1/5 the crowds. We only waited in 3 or 4 lines with waits over 20 minutes and the longest wait was for Crush’s Coaster, which was about an hour. Walt Disney Studios was similar to Hollywood Studios and again, short lines, not super crowded. The food at Disneyland Paris wasn’t great, more of what you would consider typical theme park food, but we didn’t starve or die. It was magical.
P.S. Here is a picture of a French fire extinguisher.
