Springtime in Paris

I was faced with a dilemma: meet up with some girlfriends in Paris or stay in Bristol and work on my final papers....

What is a girl to do?

Hmm, well (judging by the title of this post!) I threw caution to the wind and found myself amongst blossoming trees, lovers walking hand in hand, and on top of the Eiffel Tower. The weather while I was there was fabulous - with the exception of the last day, there was not even a need for a jacket.

I met up with Molly and Kara, my friends from Redlands, and although we only had a few (3 ish) days in the City of Lights we were still able to see quite a lot!

We stayed at a hotel near Champs - Elysees so it was fun to wander up and down the promenade.

One day we spent the early morning in the Luxembourg Gardens and I am pretty sure that I could have spent the entire day there. It was absolutely beautiful. Maybe it was the time of day that we went but hardly any tourists were around. Fountains were bubbling, birds were chirping, lounge chairs calling our names! Just divine.

We also went to the French Senate and watched, what I guess you could call, a 'hearing'. It was sort of an unexpected stop and I felt majorly underdressed. I was wearing shorts and the looks that I got from some of the French workers... Embarassing. Well I tried to not take it personally and I figured that even if they did say something to me the likelihood that I would be able to respond was pretty slim (considering that the extent of my French begins and stops at 'Merci') - Je ne sais pas. Note to self: wear something a bit classy the next time you go to the French Senate.

We also climbed a lot of monuments. (My two cents is that Paris should be renamed the City of Stairs!) We conquered the Eiffel Tower (obvs! we went to the very, very top. I think I prefer being on the solid ground though); Notre Dame; Montmarte (Sacre - Coeur Basilica); and Arc de Triumph. I figured that for every 500 stairs I climbed I could reward myself with a nutella and banana crepe. Needless to say I earned myself a few....

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower 'twinkles' at night? It was gorgeeeeoussss. I wanted to just bottle up the magic and take it home with me.

We also went to Montmarte and had a picnic dinner. I don't know what it is about being abroad but picnics have turned into my new favorite past time. I love them. I like going to a market and picking out tasty bread, cheese and fruit and then finding a cozy spot on the grass away from the tourists and just sprawling out. We should go on a picnic when I get back, k?

We also went to the Louvre and following the Rick Steve's Paris Travel Guide we hit the major paintings / sculptures / etc. The museum is absolutely massive; I am glad that we had some sort of a guide because it would have been very overwhelming otherwise.

We also saw a Moulin Rouge - like show which was fun (not at The Moulin Rouge - they were sold out - but at a venue just down the road). We also brought our dancing shoes so you know what that means!!!! You can bet your bottom dollar that we painted the town Red.

And before I knew it I was back in Bristol! All in all a nice mini trip. There was still a lot that I wish I could have seen (Orsay Museum, Versailles, the catacombs) but it was still lovely to see Paris in the spring with my friends.