~L'amour à Paris ~

~I knew it was going to be a magical trip when we got on the train at the airport towards Paris and we were serenaded with love songs the whole way there ~ We loved Paris & it was the perfect place to celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary ~

~ Location, Location, Location ~ After much research online, we decided that the best place to stay would be the Saint Louis Island located in the center of the city right behind the Notre'Dame. The location for our apartment was perfect - we had a market, a bakery, and a meat and cheese shop just right outside our front door. We loved the fact that we were in the center of it all, yet we could go escape from everything in our quiet and very chic place~

~We crossed this bridge to get to and from our island apartment. There were fabulous shops and restaurants on the island and lots of creperies! It was so fun because there was always a jazz band playing on the bridge, a perfect place to stop and eat ice cream and take it all in~

~We were on our way to our first stop the Eiffel Tower, we saw it in the distance from the bridge and we could not get there fast enough~

~Eiffel Tower~
We came up to the street from the train station and just stumbled upon the Eiffel Tower, it was an amazing sight. It was so tall and so unique. We could not believe we were really here. We were so excited to take the elevator to the very top.

~Probably the most popular thing to visit in Paris. It really was as great as we were hoping it would be~a breathtaking feat of engineering, which you can only really appreciate by standing beneath it and on it. Visiting the Eiffel Tower is an exhilarating experience. Built almost entirely of iron, and rising to over 1,000 feet~

~We took the elevator all the way to the top, it was a fun ride up and the views from the top were spectacular. We could see Paris for as far as the eye could see. It was very romantic being on top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris is a beautiful city and we now could really see first hand that we had so many things we had to see and do ~ This is a picture of the line that we had to wait in to get inside - 2 hours, ughh! But it was definitely worth the wait~

~Arc de Triomphe~
This world-famous landmark structure has served ever since the days of Napoleon as a symbol of victory for triumphant French troops returning home. After a delicious dinner, Steve noticed that we were just about to miss the most amazing sunset. We hurried down the street to the Arc de Triomphe and ran up the stairs as quickly as possible so that we would not miss any of this spectacular sunset.

~The Arc is the center of the most amazing traffic roundabout off of the Champs-Elysées promenade, this is a very busy street and it had some wonderful shopping and restaurants nearby ~ Under the Arc is the finish line for the Tour de France~

~We had spectacular views from the top of the Arch looking towards the Eiffel Tower. We decided that it would be the most perfect place to watch the tower light up when the sun went down. After the tower lights up, it begins to sparkle - it was magical~

~The Palace of Versailles~

The Palace of Versailles is located about 10 miles southwest of Paris, and is a very popular day trip from Paris. Louis XIV commissioned the building of the great Chateau of Versailles in the 17th Century. From that time until the French Revolution, the government and the French aristocracy were centered in Versailles. Known for its beautiful architecture and opulent extravagance.

~We didn't want to miss the fountain concert, and at 3 p.m. the music was surrounding us and the fountains were spectacular~

~The gardens were very impressive and we probably walked 7 miles around this palace, we didn't want to miss a thing~

~Conciergerie~

On the Île de la Cité, superb halls from the former royal palace and the prisons of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The present monument forms only a part of the former palace of the Capetian dynasty. The Concierge, or keeper, was appointed by the king and was responsible for policing within the palace walls. At the end of the 18th century, many prisoners detained by the Revolutionary Tribunal were held in the Conciergerie, including Marie-Antoinette.

~Notre Dame Cathedral~

This famous cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture on which construction began in the 12th century, stands on the Île de la Cité island, and is the symbolic heart of the city.

~The Notre Dame remains famous above all for its sculptures and its grotesque gargoyles as well as its stained glass - which were beautiful~

~Climbing once again to the top of the tower. It is funny that we pay money to put ourselves through so much pain. The views were priceless~

~Le Marche de Fleurs~
We didn't want to miss the famous flower markets in Paris. We were so glad that we went to the market because it was filled with the most beautiful flowers. Since we visited on the weekend, it also becomes a bird market. You may purchase all types of birds from parakeets to parrots.

~The architecture in Paris was so amazing! That is always my favorite part about seeing new places. I could spend minutes looking at a piece of art, and hours looking at a masterfully done building~

~Sainte Chapelle ~
The 'Holy Chapel' of the French kings is one of the most exquisite of all pieces of Gothic architecture. Built between 1246 and 1248 on the Île de la Cité, it was originally the chapel of a royal palace that has since disappeared.

~The chapel is acclaimed above all for its stained glass; almost three-quarters of the walls of the soaring space - reaching up to 65 ft - are filled with glass, which bathes the chapel in dappled light like a giant magic lantern~

~The Louvre~
Home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Louvre is considered the world's greatest art museum, with an unparalleled collection of items covering the full spectrum of art through the ages.

~You cannot come to Paris and not fight your way through the crowds for a picture with Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, mission complete~

~Steve doing the "Blue Steel" & posing in front of Venus de Milo~

~Musée d'Orsay ~

Since 1986, this ingeniously converted railway station on the south bank of the River Seine has been home to Paris's splendid collection of art of the late 19th century - It includes famous works by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh & many other timeless artists~What I loved most was the realization that at some time in history, I could have been a beautiful piece of art, I was born in the wrong century for sure. I felt like I was surrounded by "my peeps."

~Just kidding, my prime time is now.... I am a beautiful piece of art :o)~

~ Musee de l'Orangerie~

The panorama of Monet's Water Lillies was jaw dropping. It was a must see.

~ The Pantheon~

This ancient church is the resting place for many of France's greatest heroes.

~Paris's Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre ~

Sacre-Coeur is amazing, sitting as it does at the highest point in Paris on the hill of Montmartre. As it sits at the very top of the hill, you can get great views of Paris and even better when you climb the dome of the basillica - which was very, very exhausting... expecially on the last day of a busy trip. We also visited the crypts which were interesting, but kinda creepy~

~If you cannot tell... I was exhausted with a capital "E"! This is at the top of the dome, hundreds upon hundreds of stairs to climb. We would probably have enjoyed Sacre-Coeur more if Steve wouldn't have been chased after and harassed by a refugee trying to sell things that no one was interested in buying - not off to a good start ~ We were tired and hungry and decided that the last few hours in Paris should be spent relaxing and reminiscing about our fabulous adventures... so we headed out and went and stopped by the market and crashed at our apartment. It really was a great trip and it was very fun to see all of these places that we have always dreamed of seeing~ We absolutely loved Paris and we will always remember this anniversary, of course we cannot wait to go back! One thing is for sure....I love Steve & I love Paris~