naturally rocio

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Paris

We arrived to Paris mid-morning on a Wednesday. We only spent about 32 hours in Paris... just enough time to fall in love with the city.  As cliche as it may sound, Paris is soo lovely. The city exudes a romantic vibe... and I totally think the architecture plays a role. 

Upon our arrival, we met a family friend for a delicious Thai lunch and great conversation. After lunch, we headed off to see the Eiffel Tower...   Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Towel was from Palais de Chaillot, just above Jardins du Trocadero. I was in aweee!!! This beauty is soo elegantly striking... It must be seen in person.  I admired, admired again, and kept admiring... I was literally pinching myself... I was so static to be there.  We took the classic pictures, made our way down to the gardens,  by the carousel, Alexander did not want to ride the carousel; we bargained for souvenirs, and eventually we crossed over the Siene River.  The closer we got the Eiffel Tower, the more magnificent it seemed. 

After much admiration, I finally broke away... We continued exploring the city on foot. We walked for miles... I was in heaven. 

 

Eiffel Tower

 

Discovering Paris

 

 

Notre Dome Cathedral

 

The Louvre Museum

 We blocked off Thursday morning to explore a little bit of the Louvre, we saw the Mona Lisa; had the flakiest, most delicious croissants + espressos at a cafe inside the Louvre; we explored some more, and then headed off to lunch at a lovely cafe at the Tuileries Garden (right next to the Louvre).  After lunch, we didn't really schedule much of anything because we just wanted to leisurely stroll the streets as we made our way back to the hotel before heading back to London that evening.   And we truly had a lovely time, after lunch we spent sometime at the Tuileries Garden, watched Alexander be mesmerized by the pigeons that were gathering by the fountain, also looked for cover to flee from the passing winds + rain that came out of nowhere.  We perused the shops around The Big Wheel at Place de la Concorde just outside Tuileries Garden, got crepes from a street vendor, and we strolled up Avenue des Champs-Élysées as we headed up to see the Arc de Triomphe...  this stroll is just beautiful. We got caught in the rain again, went into a few of the shops, and sat down at a cafe for coffee and macaroons. We saw the Arc the Triomphe up close and lesurely strolled back to the Roosevelt to collect our luggage. 

 

Arc the Triomphe

This super short stay in Paris was a tease... I look forward to spending more time here. I look forward to sitting outside a cafe... sipping on a latte,  watching the city go by; packing a picnic + heading to a park, and strolling the many streets of this city... as every street pulls you in with its charm... perhaps exploring other parts of France too.  In the meantime, I've got my work cut out...trying to convince Allan to return back to Paris.

Xx, Rocio