Paris, France

Day 1:
After a pretty easy-breezy flight to Paris and finding the Contiki coach (some people had some horror stories) the first group got lucky and were sent into downtown Paris. We were dropped off right next to the Notre Dame. First, we all cashed in some money for Euros (the death of me) and then we went to a cute cafe and ate outdoors. I had a pretty amazing salty crepe. During lunch there were lots of anticipation of getting to know each other.


Next, we all headed to the Notre Dame. It was pretty huge and really cool to be standing in front of such a huge historical cathedral for the first time. The group was taking pictures and I decided to get a little closer for a better picture. Next thing I knew I lost the group of girls I was with. There were a bunch of people around the square and I looked around for Ally (she's pretty tall) but I couldn't find anyone. I guessed that they probably walked into the Notre Dame, so I decided to wait until they came out. I would be the first one to get lost.



After a few hours, we waited for the Contiki coach along with the others to come and pick us up. We played a little speed dating on the bus to get to know each other. We checked into the Hotel (which the rooms were pretty small, btw) and then got ready for the coach tour around Paris. Ryan, our beyond amazing/awesome/crazy Tour Manager, pointed out all the highlights of Paris as we traveled along. We got to see the place where Napoleon's tomb is (above).


This is how awesome Ryan was: At one point during his historical fact giving and pointing things out, he told us to look for the name "Naps" (aka Napoleon) along this one building that was on our left. To motivate us, he bribed the winning find with a bottle of wine, so of course everyone was trying to find this "Naps." After a few minutes goes by, he tells us that he made it up and to look to our right. At once everyone was "ooooh, awwwwwing" as we focused on the Eiffel Tower. Such a clever trick, Ryan. It was a perfect way to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

Dinner was pretty good - gotta love those tarts and wine. After Dinner, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to experience it from the top! There were some rude people in line, but James set them straight (damn straight!) The view was amaaaaaazing from the top of the ET. Paris is anything but dirty (as a lot of people think).

The best thing was that we got to experience the ET during the day, during sunset, and when it was illuminated at night, along with VIP status (only a 25 min wait in line). Once we got down to the bottom, a few of us ran further away so we could take some better pics before the coach left. Here's a favorite of mine during our photo-op (stolen from Shannon):


Day 2:
The second day in Paris is actually one of my most memorable days. Paris is such an iconic city to visit, there are tons of museums and monuments to be seen! Plus this was my first visit to Europe so it was pretty awesome to get a first impression from such a lustrous city like Paris. Ally, Bethany, and I decided to stick together and explore the city. We first stopped at the Arc de Triomphe in which we had to go underneath the Place Charles de Gaulle through a tunnel to get to the other side. That round-a-bout has some pretty crazy traffic (video to come soon).

Next we strolled down the famous Champs Elysees, where there were a plethora of name brand Designers. The weather was near perfect and it was peaceful to be able to walk at our own pace and check out the stores we wanted to go to. It was nice that we got this free time to do what we wanted in Paris.

Ally and I made our way through random streets in order to find the Louvre. Considering its rather LARGE size, it was difficult for us to find for some reason. But the detours were entertaining as we took in some locals playing some weird ball-type game on the ground. What was different about this picture was that they were all dressed in semi-formal business clothes. I wish my lunch breaks could be that fun!

The Louvre was beyond belief! Nearly every inch of that museum was covered in beauty. According to Ryno (aka Ryan) if you were to look at every single piece of art in the Louvre for a minute, it would take you 6 months to finish the entire museum. I must say tho, that the Mona Lisa was kind of a disappointment. It was a small picture on a huge wall, with nothing else on it. It makes sense for this placement, but I guess I expected something else. But not gonna lie, its pretty cool to say I have seen the Mona Lisa. Oh yeah...and thanks to Ryno and his tidbit on a secret entrance way into the Louvre, no lines were necessary. Everyone loves a Ryno in their pocket!

The exploration of the city was coming to an end, however....we still needed to head to the Red Light District. The night before, the staff more than excitedly told the group that they had a special treat for us - The Moulin Rouge! This excursion was not listed in our itinerary, although I had greatly hoped for it! I couldn't wait to get glammed up and experience this famous French Cabaret! It definitely was Spectacular, Spectacular! And...more free wine, what do you know. The wine hit me pretty hard cause I was struggling to stay awake and the show was fantastic, I just wasn't used to the wine.