Paris, Day 2

Our next morning in Paris, I woke up feeling much better. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (walking the 700 stairs to the second platform before riding the elevator to the top). It was one of Aaron's "bucket list" items, so even though it was a bit terrifying (for me), it was worth it, and admittedly pretty spectacular. (I seem to be missing photos from the top, so I'll have to track those down.) Afterwards, we went again to Marais, then to Montparnasse. Then on total impulse toward the end of the day, we decided to take a train to Versailles, which was spectacular, and I only wish we had made plans to spend at least a whole day there. Late that night, we ended up back at the apartment, cooking dinner with the leftover ingredients from the night before. An hour or so later, though, we decided it hadn't quite filled us up, so we headed back out to find a bit more to eat. We ended up at McDonalds, which I'm pretty sure is wrong in about 1,000 ways, but at that moment it was perfect. I think we just wanted something familiar, and to not have to stumble through a broken French-English conversation. I wish I'd had a picture from the outside looking in--the two of us dressed to go out for the evening, sitting together over a burger, fries, and a large Diet Coke shared between us. Again, I'm pretty sure it's a sin to eat at McDonald's while in Paris, but in that moment, it was just about perfect as far as we were concerned.

Paris City Hall

Notre Dame

Chateau de Versailles

Versailles

City of Lights

Paris was lovely. So beautiful. So full of history. And as you walk around, you really do get the sense that it's a city that embraces relationships and just being and enjoying life. I never saw anyone sitting around and staring at their phone (unless they were alone on the metro), ever. The cafes are always full of people leisurely enjoying their meals and laughing and talking with friends or lovers. They don't hurry through any of it. I enjoyed our time there, but I did feel as though we hurried through it (and what choice did we have?). If I ever return, I want to stay longer so that I can just take it all in... and I want to have a basic understanding of French. (Even though most people there did speak English, it was just stressful not speaking the language.)