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Published: June 24th 2012
Bonjour mes amours!
I spent this past weekend in Paris, France - the most fabulous city I have ever seen.
Traveling via bus, again, my friends and I arrived in Paris very early Friday morning (June 15) and headed immediately for the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. Notre Dame is a gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral located in the fourth district of Paris.
From there, we walked along La Seine, which is a river flowing through Paris extending into the English Channel, toward the Eiffel Tower. Located on the sidewalks aligning the river were stands selling hand-painted potraits of various attractions in Paris. I purchased one of the smaller canvases, but was able to watch it being painted!
Along the way, we crossed a bridge...but this was no ordinary bridge. This bridge, along with several other bridges in Paris, was covered from top to bottom and from left to right with "love locks." Two people demonstrate their love and commitment to each other by "locking their lives" together. They lock an engraved padlock with their names on it to one of these bridges. We were told by a local that some men go above and beyond by
Let my love open the lock!
Once your love is locked, throw away the key!buying an engagement ring, locking it on a padlock attached to the bridge, and presenting his proposal to his girlfriend there. It was a very cool site to see.
Later Friday evening, we paid 3.5 euro (great bargain!) to climb the cultural icon of France, the Eiffel Tower! Standing at the top of one of the most recognizable structures in the world felt a lot like being on top of the world. With the entire city of Paris below me, it was hard not to feel blown away - top 3 (of my life's greatest moments) for sure, that shit was cray!
Saturday morning, we woke and traveled up the street behind our hostel to The Sacred Heart Basilica in Montmarte, or as the Parisians like to call it, the "Sacre-Coeur." This famous monument is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Thankfully, we were able to sit in on a service taking place, complete with an adult choir.
From there, we headed to a market to catch some lunch (love how Europe is chalk-full of markets!).
Jumping for Paris!
My Eiffel Tower stance The rain had begun to pour for the remainder of the day, but we were pleasantly surprised that we got to enjoy our sausage and potatoe meal in the company of a folk band 😊
Bellies full, we rode the metro to Arc de Triomphe, which is another very famous monument of Paris. It stands in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle and honors those that fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
On to my favorite stop of the day, we toured the absolutely beautiful grounds of the "Jardin de Luxembourg" - the city's second largest public park. A large fountain fills the majority of the park with hundreds of chairs surrounding it for the enjoyment of its visitors. At this point of our day, the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. We took advantage of the weather with a nap in the park 😊
There is so much depth and meaning behind this historical city, which is evident in its residents and its architecture - I'm so thrilled I could be apart of the passion of Paris, even if it was only for a weekend.
The more I see of Europe, the more I love -Paris has only tipped me over the edge 😊
Barceloooonaaa adventures next weekend - ay ay ay!
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