A Perfect Stay In Paris!

Bonjour!

Ready for break!!

Unfortunately that is the extent of my French, but it is only the start to my wonderful time there. To kick off our 10 day backpacking trip around Europe, we flew out of Rome into Paris Friday afternoon and had the rest of the night to just hang out in Paris. The sights were absolutely breathtaking, but I do have to say Paris wasn't everything I dreamed of and more. Since I did not know any French, it was incredibly hard to communicate with anyone, even converse in a simple friendly conversation. The Parisian's were also very snotty; they were not friendly or willing to help (on the contrary they weren't rude, either). We stayed in a hostel called Woodstock, and yes it was straight from the hippy times: there was a bright colored spiral set of stairs (not to worry, I was on the top floor), the side of a punch buggy with wicked cool bumper stickers hanging on the wall, and of course there were "couch surfers" who were so interesting to talk with. I got to meet people from all over the world staying in the hostel, which honestly is one of my favorite experiences.
We were in Paris for four days, so we were able to cover most of the main sights of the city. Everything we saw was absolutely beautiful!

       We made it to the bridge with the locks! NEATO! Very cool to see, especially the different locks and their own individual designs. 

 The Arc de Triomphe! (and gardens on the left). The Arc is located in the center of an incredibly, and circular, street. To get to the center, you had to go through an underground tunnel and come up in the center. The eternal flame is also located here!

 THE LOUVRE!! We entered in the glass triangle.      My main girl, Mona Lisa! Yes, it is incredibly small and I do have to say many people do not know this. There were so many security guards around the painting and even a line to get up close! In the Louvre, Raphael had a whole exhibit dedicated to himself alone. This was the first museum I was in without a tour guide and it was so different! We actually played guess the artists and were pointing out specifics of each painting-- looks like we are learning about our art history!!

GO STEELERS!!!

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower!!

Totes defines our relationship LOL

Well here are all of my best pictures of the Eiffel Tower! Sorry to say, but these pictures don't do justice-- it was so magical just to be there! We kept busy the entire four days we were there, especially while climbing the Eiffel Tower. Yup, you heard right, we climbed the whole entire Eiffel Tower by foot (I guess that's my preparation for the half marathon!). Even though I struggled with the French culture, I still had a fantastic time! Our next stop was London! Stay tuned!

Ky xx