With one last weekend left in our London literary program, most of us went out of the country for the weekend. From Vienna, to Amsterdam, to Paris, our group spread out across Europe. I (as well as a few others) decided to spend the most amazing, and tiring weekend in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower up close (also with beautiful, warm  weather)

The Arrival:

Friday we started our journey by leaving at the awful hour of 4:30 AM to catch our Chunnel ride to Paris. After arriving and figuring out how to read a subway station completely in French, we trekked our luggage around in order to get our first glimpses of the Eiffel Tower, and find food. After exploring for a few hours, we went to the Louvre because of the free admission on Friday evenings! Although I primarily went to see the Mona Lisa, I also enjoyed the recreated Napoleon Apartments, and the various statues in the Louvre. Even after spending three hours in the Louvre I could and would still go back to see it all again.

The Mona Lisa at the Louvre

26,000 Steps Later…

Today was easily the best and most tiring day of our weekend. By the end of the day I walked OVER 26,000 steps…a new record even for walking around London. After waking up early again, Josey and I climbed took the elevator up to the very top of the Eiffel Tower for an unexplainable view (even though it was cloudy in the morning). Then, I headed off on my own to go wait in a three hour line in order to see the catacombs (WORTH IT.) The catacombs were such a unique and historical sight to see in Paris, and I left wanting to know more! Finally, once I was done exploring the catacombs, I met up with a few of the others to walk through the beautiful Notre Dame (although it really doesn’t compare to St. Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster) and then we had a wonderful sit down dinner before our group went over to the Eiffel to see it one last time…

Hallway of the catacombs

Some of the skulls and bones were arranged in patterns

The Eiffel Tower literally sparkling at night

Au Revoir Already!

After a much needed 10 hours of sleep, it was time for us to say our goodbyes to Paris. I really enjoyed all I got to see and experience in Paris and visiting for only one weekend was a perfect amount of time to stay there. Paris is much more NYC city-like than London is and I was already missing “home.”

Food, Food, and More Food

By far my FAVORITE part about Paris was the food. From the first to last meal I enjoyed every bite of it especially the very French chocolate croissants, assortment of macaroons, and the crepe I ate.

My dessert was a sampling of all the desserts at the restaurant on the last night!

As always, thanks for reading and stay posted to hear more about my last week in London! Cheers, love!

Location: Paris, France