Oui Oui PAREE!

I'm back in the USA! After five days abroad, I arrived back home to good ol' Maryland late Sunday night. Getting back into the swing of work and the Eastern Standard time zone, have been a challenge these last few days, so that's why I'm a little slow on the posting. I must admit, this wasn't the easiest vacation I've ever been on; after multiple flight cancellations and delays, as well as some minor(ish) panic attacks, I finally got on a huge plane for the long, 8 hour flight to France!

This might prove just how much of a sheltered country bumpkin I can be at times but... I had never been outside of the continent of North America before and had no idea how nice those transcontinental airplanes could be! I got to watch a ton of movies and TV shows, as well as catch up on some very important Harry Potter reading during the flights to and from the US.

After a very long, brutal two hours of waiting in the Paris airport, all alone, scared and realizing just how little French I understand, Sydney met me and we were off for a whirlwind 4 day trip! Rather than bore you with all the little details about my quick European Spring Break, I figured I'd just give you a picture-guided tour!

We saw the Eiffel Tower at night time and I, personally, think it's much more beautiful then.It even sparkles every hour after sunset!

We also visited Sacre Coeur, or the Basillica of the Sacred Heart, which was mesmorizing. It was kind of funny, though, because this is what was right down the street:

MOULIN ROUGE!

One rainy day, we attempted to visit the Palace at Versailles, where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette lived. The extremely long line was outside and we were all wet and freezing, so we settled on taking some pictures with the extravagantly golden gates. Then, we hoped back on the train and headed to the Musee D'Orsay where I saw this:

And this:

And this:

REAL LIFE PAINTINGS BY MONET AND VAN GOGH! Among other famous French artists that you learn about in elementary school. They were so beautiful and close, I could have reached out and touched them. (I didn't though, don't worry)

We of course had to visit the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysses. We wandered around admiring the beautiful stores, and even went inside the original Louis Vuitton!

My most favorite thing I saw on this trip though had to be the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It was so gorgeous, and awe inspiring. Sydney first took me to visit the cathedral at night, which was honestly, a little eerie. Construction began in the 1100's and you could literally feel the history in the building, especially since there weren't many other tourists around late at night. The Gargoyles were also pretty creepy (but also totally AWESOME)

A few days later, I got to see the cathedral during the day and it was just as gorgeous and breathtaking in the sunshine as in the night time.

I'm not sure why I was so taken with Notre Dame, but I couldn't get enough of it! Beautiful does not begin to describe the hand created detail of the massive structure. I've always been a huge fan of visiting and learning about "old" things and this one really takes the cake in my current repertoire.


Notre Dame was also very close to the Latin Quarter of Paris, which boasted some excellent cheap souvenir shopping and delicious street food. The street food was, honestly, one of my favorite parts of the city. I loved that you could grab a truly delicious meal on the go to the next amazing destination. I had a fair number of crepes, as well as a super loaded fresh Gyro and yummy baguette sandwiches.


My favorite, by far, was the Nutella crepe. I had literally at least one a day while there. Sometimes 2 or 3. I'll wait while you make fun of what a fatty I am...

All in all, it was a pretty amazing way to spend Spring Break. Even though I confirmed suspicions that I truly am just not a city girl at heart and it was very stressful cramming so much sight seeing into just 4 days, I had a great time. I felt so lucky and blessed to be seeing some of the most historical and lovely landmarks and monuments in the world. I just kept thanking God for giving me such an amazing opportunity. It was very eye opening to be in a foreign country, where I didn't understand the language, the customs, or even most of the food. Even though I was very far outside of my comfort zone, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would never give up. I was, however, very happy to see this gorgeous Maryland sunset as my plane touched down in Baltimore...