I mentioned last week that after our fun hike to Glymur I left Iceland and headed back to Oregon. At the time H and I had no idea when we would see each other again, oh the joys of long distance relationships.
After just a few weeks back at home though H and I were already planning our next adventure together, a month long trip through 4 different European countries.
At the end of the summer I packed my backpack and headed back to Iceland to meet H. And after two years of goodbyes at airports it was so exciting to finally be taking off on a plane together!
We had a really early flight from Iceland over to Paris so by the time we arrived we were tired and ready to find our hostel. We were staying at the same hostel that I had stayed in when I visited Paris in the spring so I told H not to worry I knew how to get there.
After almost two hours of walking in circles ( I only spent one day in Paris so my sense of direction was a bit off) with our heavy backpacks I admitted I was lost. H took over the navigation and decided that my navigation skills were not to be trusted for the rest of the trip. Fine by me.
We were staying near Montmartre so after we (H) finally found our hostel we headed up to the church to snap our first photo together as proof to our families that we had arrived safely. This was a requirement by my Dad for each new city we arrived in so we have lots of these photos;)
From there we spent the rest of the afternoon walking all over Paris, literally! In all those hours of walking we learned some valuable lessons.
Lesson one, don’t attempt to walk the entire city of Paris in sandals in one evening, you will get blisters and achy legs.
Lesson two, don’t trust the pharmacist at the drug store near Moulin Rouge. The strength level of their “tums” is beyond anything you have taken.
Lesson three, when you see a public restroom use it. When the “tums” kick in you will be regretting not using the bathroom the entire hour you search for another one. Enough said about that.
Aside from those valuable lessons we had a great time exploring all over the city that night and I knew it was going to be a great trip together.
The next day I was woken up way to early by H who was ready to head out and explore. We were at the very beginning of a 5 week trip together so I was all about pacing ourselves but not H. When I saw this view from our room though I was reminded that I was in the beautiful city of Paris and quickly got ready to head out.
I gladly handed the map over to H first thing in the morning as well.
We spent our morning taking in all the sights and ended our day getting lost in the Louvre.
For any of you that have had the chance to visit the Louvre you know that it takes hours to walk through. H and I aren’t the biggest art fans but we had to stop and see the famous Mona Lisa.
People were going crazy over the painting, just check this photo out of everyone trying to get a glimpse of the famous painting.
We made sure to have a little fun as well :)
Visiting the Louvre was actually one of my favorite things we did in Paris. The art you see is just amazing! I could easily spend an entire day wandering around the halls in the Lourve, so if you get the chance don’t miss it!
On our last day in Paris we woke up to some rainy weather but didn’t let it stop us from getting out and exploring the neighborhood near our hostel.
Our rainy walk someone found us at the Eiffel Tower where H was determined to go to the top of.
Remember the whole I am terrified of heights?? Well H thought going to the top of the Eiffel Tower would help me get more comfortable with heights. It didn’t, at all, but it was so worth it for the amazing views!
Oh and of course we opted to climb the stair to beat the lines. Talk about a work out.
Has anyone taken the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower? After walking the stairs you take an elevator the rest of the way and it has to be the most terrifying elevator ride of my life! I still managed a smile at the top but I was already dreading the ride down.
After all that rainy day fun it was time for us to pack up and head off to our next destination, Zürich, Switzerland!
Note the clock in the background, this was us at the train station at 5:40am! We arrived at 4:30am thinking it would take us longer to get to the train station and instead we had a two hour wait out in the cold before our train would arrive. Yet another lesson of many learned on our trip!
Next week will be all about Swiss chocolate and pretzels, the adorable city of Zürich, and some sightings of the beautiful Swiss alps.
Question of the Day?
Have you been to the top of the Eiffel Tower? Any lessons you have learned from your travels?
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