My Dream Come True: Paris! Paris! Paris!

   I was honestly a little anxious going to Paris.  I’ve been looking forward for this moment for 8 years and when something gets so build up you’re usually disappointed.  My friends also kept telling me Paris is dirty and the people are mean and I wouldn’t like it.  Luckily, they were wrong.  I loved, LOVED, loooooooooooved Paris!
   After being built up for eights years it was even better than I imagined.  Every street looked like an architecture masterpiece.   The food was incredible.  I’ve never eaten so slow in my life because I wanted it to never end. I kept saying these sentences in my head while I was in Paris. "I can't believe I'm looking at the Eiffel Tower." "I am so happy, I'm so happy, I'm so happy" "I'm in Paris" "I can't believe this"" "I'm eating a crepe in Paris." "I can't believe I'm staring at the (insert all the famous buildings in Paris) right now" " I'm a very lucky girl"
   I was worried about getting around Paris with the metro but we were fine. It was just us two girls in a huge city but we were fine. I kept getting all of Beyonce independent women songs stuck in my head. Who needs a man?? I was so proud I figured it all out and never got lost.

Eiffel Tower:

I will never forget the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower. We were outside the Louvre and I turned around and unexpectedly saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I gasped and my jaw dropped and I stood frozen. It was an overwhelming moment. It was then I realized I made my dream come true. I’m in Paris! After all these years of wanting to come it had finally come true. It made me realize you can do anything if you want it enough. We went to the Eiffel Tower several times while we were there. I loved laying on the lawn and just staring at the tower. We climbed the 690 to the second floor of the tower at night. We then took the elevator to the very top. It was gorgeous lit up at night. It was amazing. The view of Paris from the tower at night was breathtaking. It was miles and miles of beautiful buildings. I LOVE the Eiffel Tower.

Louvre:

We spent five hours at the Louvre and it was exhausting! The Louvre is massive and filled with priceless artwork. I would stand in front of painting and sculptures and constantly say, “ I can’t believe I’m standing in front of ______________right now, it’s right in front of me..” I was shocked at the size of some of the paintings. They were almost as large as a screen in a movie theatre. Some of my favorite art pieces in the Louvre were: Winged Victory of Samothrace, Cupid’s Kiss, The Coronation of Napoleon, and the Impressionist paintings. I loved all the artwork there. The Louvre is a beautiful building.

Palace of Versailles:

I cannot even describe how big this place was. Every room was ridiculously elaborate. Every room had large paintings, painted ceilings, and sculptures all over. I loved the golden fence and roofing on the palace. Very beautiful.

Notre Dame:

Ever section on the outside of the cathedral was sculpted. If you look at just one small area it would take forever to make. I can’t believe the detail on Notre Dame. We climbed the bell tower of Notre Dame. I was disappointed Quasimode wasn’t there :)

Food:

The food in Paris was amazing. I loved the pastry shops. I would stand in the bakery way too long because I couldn’t decide what to order because everything looked amazing. To solve this problem I would buy 3 pastries at a time and not feel an ounce of guilt. They were incredible! I had creped with nutella several times. The gelato here was unbelievable. I’ve NEVER tasted anything so creamy. My favorite thing I ate here was lasagna. I have no idea how they made it so much better than anything I’ve ever had. It was delicious!

Highlights:

· Eating a banana nutella crepe outside a café by the Seine River.

· Listening to a man play the accordion and singing in French on the train

· Finally being able to use the 3 French words I know.

· Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night while I was climbing it.

· Going on a midnight stroll to the Notre Dame and seeing it lit up.

* Eating at a Chinese restaurant at one in the morning. The food was amazing!

· Staring outside my hotel window at the view. I love the narrow streets with buildings in Paris

· Gifts shop. I left like an alcoholic in a bar. I had a hard time controlling myself in the gift shops, but I got lots of good things.

Lowlights:

· My feet KILL. We walk at least 10 miles each day and my feet are in a lot of pain. I think I’m finally going to have to give in and be the typical tourist and wearing running shoes.

· Paying 4 Euros for water on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower because I was thirsty. That’s like $6.