A Weekend In Paris!

Going to Paris with four of my closest friends definitely felt like a dream.  I am so lucky to have several close friends abroad in Europe this summer, and I've made plans to see almost all of them throughout our travels.  Paris was a central location between Julia, Jess, and I in Italy and Amanda and Kelcie in London.  Not to mention, it was a huge "must visit" on all of our trips.

The last time I went to Paris I was 10 years old, and with my family.  I know we hit all the big sites, but I don't remember most of it other than thinking the croissants were beyond exceptional, and that the Eiffel Tower was a truly magnificent site.  I was eager to get back and re-explore the city as an adult.  Our group leader for the weekend, Kelcie, put a lot of time and effort into planning the weekend that would include all of our top "must visit" places packed into 72 hours.  Luckily, we had many of the same priorities which included the Lourve, Museum d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Siene River, and of course, eating a crepe and a croissant (or two...or five)

Jess and I enjoying a morning croissant!

Paris, France

Our first day, we hit the ground running at 9AM with breakfast, and navigated our way on the Paris metro to find our Paris Passes.  For anyone traveling to a major European city such as Paris, the Paris Pass (same as Rome Pass, etc. for major cities) allows a metro ticket, priority museum pass, and hop on hop off bus pass all to use unlimited for 2 days.  It's the most cost effective way to see a city in 48-72 hours, and is also the most time effective, as we didn't have to wait in any lines for museums or have to worry about breaking bills for the metro.  We were fortunate enough to have gorgeous weather, so we also did a considerable amount of walking.  

On Saturday, we packed in about half of the hop on, hop off bus tour, the Lourve, d'Orsay, and Siene River Cruise.  It was incredibly exhausting, but we wouldn't have had it any other way!

Myself, Julia and Jess at the Sienne River

Julia, Jess, Amanda and me at the Lourve

As a mix of D&M and Graphic Design majors, all of us loved and appreciated the art, museums, and architecture that surrounded us in Paris.  On Sunday, we spent time at the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre.  Montmartre is a wonderful, hidden gem in Paris that is quite a hike up steep streets from the Eiffel Tower.  It is a little neighborhood with small caffes, restaurants, boutiques, and sidewalk artists painting scenes of their beautiful city.  Montmartre is built on winding, narrow, cobblestone streets and filled with plenty of locals.  A must see for anyone visiting Paris!

Jess, Julia, Kelcie and I in Montmartre

Visiting Paris with my friends has definitely been one of my favorite weekends of this experience, and I hope a lot of you can find time to get there too!

Arrivaderci,

Adrienne