Paris

Having never been to Paris, I was a bit worried that perhaps all the Disney and Hollywood images I had seen might have diminished my impression a bit but it was everything I had hoped for and more!

We were lucky enough to rent a studio apartment on airbnb.com (which is awesome) within walking distance to the Pompidou, the Louvre, the Seine, Notre Dame and an amazing street with chocolate shops, bakeries and cheese shops- oh and a few wine shops and cafes as well.  We only had 2 days so we didn't spend much time in museums and my favorite part of our stay was just wandering the streets and watching how people live here.

We walked as many neighborhoods as we could, Montmartre, Il St Louis, St. Germain, the area around the Eiffel Tower and had a delicious picnic on the Seine of baguette, some type of amazing cheese and salumi.  We drank wine, we ate pain au chocolate and all sorts of other treats, drank coffee at sidewalk cafes- it was everything I envisioned for our short time here.

I spent most of the weekend like this, a baguette in one hand and a treat of some sort in the other

Outside the Louvre

The best picnic of my life

crepe + grand marnier + nutella = drool

One of the coolest things we did here is visit the Catacombs.  Located 20 meters under the city the catacombs are home to the bones of about 6 million people dating back to the 1700s when bodies were exhumed from city cemeteries and moved there (mainly for health purposes).  The tour takes you underground, below the subways and sewers and into these rooms full of bone.  It sounds a bit eerie and creepy I know, and in a way it is but it is also fascinating.

With only 2 days in Paris we hopped the high speed rail back to Amsterdam where we will be until Friday when we fly to Iceland for 3 days.  After that we will be back in the states for the first time since October 31st.  A bit of a strange feeling but I am feeling ready to begin the journey home.

Love to you all,
Kaitlyn