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Day 1: Paris



Bonjour!
There aren't many places in the world that I think I could just pick up and move to. However, for me, Paris is a place that wraps you in her magnificence the moment you step off the plane...And then, it's hard to tell her goodbye! You can read about Paris all day long, but nothing compares to actually strolling through the streets, stopping for espresso in one of the countless cafes, meandering through a gorgeous cathedral, or surrounding yourself with so much history. It's just incredible.
Throughout our 2 week jaunt through Europe, no place really spoke to us like Paris did. I want to go back...many, many times. We've now found ourselves saving money for the best espresso machine and wanting to learn more of the French language. After all, Starbucks coffee just isn't the same anymore! I guess you could say we've been bitten by the Paris bug.

Honestly, I've never been to a place that could compare. It was our favorite city by far. Come along with me while I revisit our European vacation! I'll let the photos do most of the talking (most of which were taken by Brad, by the way!).
Day 1: Paris
After arriving in Paris a little later than expected, we took a cab straight to our hotel - the wonderful Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles in the Latin Quarter. We arrived late because a man on our plane had a medical emergency, so we had to make an un-planned stop in St. Johns, Canada to let him off the plane. Upon arriving at our hotel, we were immediately in love! I can't imagine a better hotel...the location was amazing (extremely close to the famous Rue Mouffetard, for all you foodies out there!), and the hotel itself is so cute. A beautiful cobblestone courtyard leads you to the lobby.
Entrance to the hotel...so pretty.

After getting settled in and changing clothes, we hit the streets of Paris! We went to Rue Mouffetard and found a bite to eat at a place called Mezzo di Pasta. We both got the Pasta Carbonara to-go. We ate our steaming pasta while we walked to the Pantheon (only a short walk away!). A bench right next to the Pantheon was a great place to sit and finish our lunch.
Next, we went inside the building. What a gorgeous place! So many famous and important individuals are buried there - Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie...just to name a few. The beautiful, domed ceiling is breath-taking.
The Pantheon!

After the Pantheon, we started toward Notre Dame. On the way, I found an awesome scarf...I LOVE it! It seems like every woman in Paris was wearing one, so of course I HAD to have one...lol.
My new Paris scarf :)

Notre Dame is truly unbelievable. The beauty of the cathedral is awe-inspiring. You simply can't walk into the church without feeling the presence of God..it's quite amazing. Everything from the Gothic architecture to the stained glass windows are breath-taking. It was certainly one of my favorite..if not my favorite!...place we visited.
Notre Dame...
After all that sight-seeing and shopping, we were starting to get a little hungry so we stopped at a place called Cafe le Metro. We couldn't have stopped at a better place for our first sit-down French meal. This was where we had the Croque Madame and Croque Monsieur sandwiches that I posted about HERE. It was such a wonderful dinner!
Cafe le Metro...YUM!
My Croque Monsieur
Brad's Croque Madame

After dinner, we strolled around the area and came across the famous Dalloyau bakery. It was a place on my "Bakeries I Must Visit" list...lol. We bought a delicious little piece of cake and our first Parisian macarons...one chocolate and one cafe (aka coffee) flavored. Once we had our desserts in-hand, we headed back towards the hotel to taste our goodies...it was all divine, of course!
Dalloyau!

And that, my friends, was what our Day One consisted of...pure Parisian bliss. :-)

J'taime Paris!!!
You can see more photos from Paris HERE!
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Comments

Anonymous said…
OH MY GOSH CELESTE!!!! Those pictures are seriously beyond amazing!!!! ::dying right now::
April 2, 2009 at 7:50 AM
Christina said…
It looks like you two had an amazing first day, despite the delays. You're making me want to hop on a plane and go back to Paris :)
April 2, 2009 at 11:57 AM
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