Paris

It was so fun for me to be back in Paris. I was a little anxious that I wasn't going to remember enough to be a good tour guide, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I remembered. The language came back really quickly and it was incredible what details of getting around I recalled. I was very relieved. It was so much more fun to be there with Matt. I loved showing him around and introducing him to the foods. The most regret I have is not taking a photo of any of the boulangeries. We spent enough time in them, for sure, but we never thought to pull out the camera. When I told Matt my disappointment he simply said, "well, I guess we'll just have to go back." Great!
I finally got my kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower. Well, technically I got one when I was there for my study abroad, but it didn't count because it was just a pose for a photo. Now I have a picture I'm actually going to keep and show my kids.
This is a view from atop of the Eiffel Tower. It's unreal how high it is. The distance we could see was unbelievable.
These are the buttresses of Notre Dame. We had tons of photos of the front too, but I thought the photos of the back were beautiful and not as well known.
We visited the Louvre, of course. I couldn't imagine Matt visiting Paris without a stop there. We spent three or so hours and didn't even scratch the surface. We did see the Mona Lisa, Vermeer, etc. Matt was so fun to watch. It was like a kid on Christmas morning.
For one of my classes I had spent several days and hours in the Louvre, but I had never seen the painters there to make paintings of originals. It was absolutely fascinating to see how prefect their replicas were. I just always assumed replicas in other museums were prints. I never imagined this scene.
This is Sacre Coeur - a beautiful Catholic cathedral on the outer parts of the city. It's kind of up on a hill and lights up a nights. It's gorgeous.
Right next to Sacre Coeur is a painters market. It was fun to walk around a look at all the different original works.
I don't remember the name of this Cathedral. I walked by it every single day and I cannot recall it. I remembered when we were there (although I cannot promise it was correct then either). It's a prefect example of the intricate beauty of Parisian architecture.
This is just to show you how thrilled Matt was to visit Versaille.
This is the hall of mirrors inside the chateau at Versaille. It's almost sickening how massive and extravagant the buildings and gardens are. It's now wonder the starving Frenchmen didn't like their king.
This is just one piece of the several gardens surrounding the castle. They go on for acres and acres. The designs of the greenery were astounding. I was happy to be back for a second visit. It was still just as beautiful.