First Impressions: Paris

My husband and I have travelled to Europe 3 times and visited 10 different countries over those three trips. Each city we have visited has been very unique. This series of posts includes our first impressions of specific cities.

 

Paris, France

My husband and I visited Paris before we had children, so it was just the two of us. It followed our trip to London and we arrived via The Chunnel, which travels under the English Channel. We visited the Eiffel Tower the first night we arrived. It was raining, but the rain actually made for some great pictures!

We stayed in a small, but nice hotel called Hotel du Theatre, and they served breakfast every morning in an old wine cellar down below.

 

 

 Of course, we visited numerous museums, including the Rodin Museum (an outdoor sculpture museum), the Louvre (who visits Paris without this on their itinerary!), and the d'Orsay Museum, which we actually preferred to the Louvre. We really enjoyed the collection of Impressionist paintings we found there.



Perhaps the highlight of our visit to Paris was the day we spent in Versailles. If you ever visit Paris, this is a must-see!

We went down below to The Catacombs, which is probably one of the most macabre places we have visited in our travels. We also braved the solicitors trying to force us to buy bracelets at the foot of Sacre Coeur and enjoyed the amazing view of the city.

 

 

We had always heard from other people that the French were rude, but we did not find this to be the case at all. In fact, on our first night there while visiting the Eiffel Tower, my husband lost the tickets that would get us up to the very top of the tower. To this day, we have no idea what happened to them, but somehow he lost them between floors. I was crying while he frantically searched his pockets and anywhere else he could think of. Apparently, we looked pretty stressed out because the men working that night motioned for us to go ahead and get on the elevator to go up anyway!

First Impressions?

Sophisticated. Grand. Expensive. Showy. Fashionable. Expansive. Artsy.

 

What are your impressions of Paris, whether you have visited or not?

First Impressions: London

My husband and I have travelled to Europe 3 times and visited 10 different countries over those three trips. Each city we have visited has been very unique. This series of posts includes our first impressions of specific cities.

 

London, England

 

 

London was my first European city to ever visit. When I was in college, I really wanted to study abroad at Harlaxton College in England but was never blessed with the opportunity. That being said, it had always been a goal for me to visit Europe, but I was never really certain I would ever get there. On the flight from the US to London, I didn't sleep. At all. I was way too excited and when we started our descent to Heathrow, I literally cried, I was so excited.

 

Our few nights in London consisted of London Walks, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, London Walks, and a day trip to Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor Castle, among other stops.

 

Overall, we found London to be very "liveable" even though there are some differences in daily living from what we are used to here in the Midwest. Part of me wishes I had taken a year to live in a flat in London, but I believe that kind of opportunity has since passed me by.

 First impressions?

 

Regal. Grand. International. Traditional. Green. Rich in history. Proud.

 

 

Comment with your own description of the city!