Per l'amore di ITALIA: Paris Spring Break 2012 Pt. 4

PARIS.

Omgomgomgomgomggggg next stop: Paris. Unreal. Passport to Paris? Any romance movie? Any girls dream in general?!? That was going to be my LIFE. Arguably one of the most iconic and infamous cities in the world, and there was only 4 hours in between me and the Eiffel Tower.

Our first stop upon arriving and dropping our things off at the hostel was a quick supermarket trip before it closed, and Bruno treated all 50 of us to a French baguette with ham mustard and cheeses. How sweet! WE all bought our own French wine and champagne and ate a picnic dinner perched on a ledge facing the sparkling and stunning Eiffel Tower. Too perfect.

Best dinner ever <3

On Wednesday morning, we woke up around 8.30 to go on yet another walking tour with Brunesss. We stopped for yogurt and croissants, and then walked most of the city by the end of the day. We could have used the public transportation because our hostel was an HOUR walk from the Eiffel Tower, which is basically centrally located in Paris, but what the heck. We had all day to explore, hy spend the extra money?? First stop, walking next to the Seine River to the Notre Dame, and then the Louvre!

Notre Dame

Lookin miiighty fine!

Here's the souvenirs I will be giving to the people I forgot to give souvenirs to. But don't tell!

Megumi and Justine :)

Janine <3

Almost as tall!

Bruno at work

Locks of love

Like 1/32 of the Louvre. It's just so big!

Entrance to the Louvre

Janine, Emily and I

Vie Francias!

Love this picture

Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel

Janine and I then met up with Maria, another one of our roommates outside the Louvre! We were able to stick together for the rest of the day while we hit up some other iconic spots. On our way, lunch was in our minds, so the group stopped at another supermarket and Bruno again treated us to a French Baguette lunch with meats and cheeses and of course, some french wine! After our lunch in a huge plaza, we walked a few more blocks down and got to the Eiffel Tower! Janine and Maria weren't interested, so I joined the rest of the group in climbing the Eiffel Tower, and I mean literally climb! It was cheaper to walk the stairs 2/3 of the way. So naturally, being the cheap college students we are, even if we are in Europe, we go the cheapest route.

The girls and I :)

The stairs

And up and up we go!

Level number 1

Its beautiful silhouette against the skyline <3

Level 2! Now we elevator the rest of the way

Haha!

Level 3!! SO BEAUTIFUL. and huge, might I add. Had no idea Paris was so big!

Next, we were able to walk to the Arc de Triomphe, the famous arch that even was in Passport to Paris!! Ahhhh loved it! Lots of traffic though. Witnessed many close calls and almost accidents. Crazy! Then , while making dinner plans, Bruno asked to tag along, and OBVIOUSLY we said yes!! We went to an authentic French cuisine restaurant where I tried escargot, French onion soup, and Duck Confit. OOOOF epic proportions! So very delicious. And then, Maria, some other girls and I had a night out on the town!

Escargot

Yummy french onion soup

Duck Confit

Apparently us Americans have been doing it wrong all along. Gyms and McDonalds DO go hand in hand haha

The next morning we were out and about by 10.30, where we started off our day with chocolate croissants and hot chocolate, and then Maria took us to the area where she was staying for the week and we went shoppppping!! For lunch, we stopped at an outdoor restaurant and there were street performers right in the carre. Next was, of course, some French crepes and then souvenir shopping.

Then, to make a full circle, we picked up some French baguettes for a picnic right next to Gustav Eiffel's masterpiece while the sun was setting. A perfect end to a perfect trip. :)