There were some awesome highlights, like having one last breakfast at Cowtown cafe in Dublin (discovering the difference between black pudding and white pudding)... and taking a bottle of wine out to the lawn of the Eiffel tower and watching it light up for the first time after a much needed and well deserved cheeseburger*.
If we're being honest though, this day will mostly be remembered by getting lost on the Paris metro, being the target of an attempted pick-pocketing, and discovering the the real meaning of a 'language barrier' - between us and the french-speakers and between Daniel and I. Needless to say, our first impression of Paris wasn't great, but we don't want to dwell on that! In fact, we have grown to love Paris! So let's just skip on over to Day 6, shall we?
So, day 6 in the city of love began with Daniel sleeping in a bit and me exploring the cafe outside of our apartment. I purchased a few cappuccinos and pain au chocolat (by recommendation) for breakfast to lure Daniel out of bed. The rest of the day we did some serious work exploring and sightseeing.
On our way to see the arc de triumph, we stumbled upon an amazing street market. It put Nashville's farmers market to shame (and I love Nashville's market!!). It seemed to stretch on and on and they had EVERYTHING imaginable. We decided we would just have to come by for a quick bite on our way back.
The arc de triumph was way more impressive than I thought it would be. The architecture and sheer size was just stunning. Its definitely worth visiting, even if you don't pay to go to the top.
We opted out and decided to go to the top of the Eiffel tower instead, but not before hitting the market for the most amazing crepe I've ever had in my life!
A cherished memory I have of my grandmother were her crepes. She would simply spread butter on them, sprinkle a little sugar and roll them up. She called them sugar-butters. So, when I saw 'sucre buerre crepes' on the menu, I had to have one (for grandma Joan, of course). Daniel ordered a Nutella crepe, which was equally amazing, just minus the sentiment. :)
Off to the Eiffel Tower! We booked a 'skip the line' tour which gave us a tour guide up to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, which was really great because she was able to point out different landmarks for us and give a little history and context lesson as we went.
After our guide's presentation ended, we were free to explore the 3rd floor on our own. We took the elevator all the way, in case you were wondering. We had a fairly clear day, so our view was really awesome.
Now for some, that would be enough adventure for one day, but we had a second wind of energy and a rediscovered excitement for Paris, so we kept going! The catacombs were our next stop. (By this point we had figured out the metro pretty well and were able to zip right over.) I honestly thought I would find these catacombs very morbid and creepy (and they were to a small extent) but as we wound through the tunnels beneath the city, there was something peaceful about that place of rest.
When we resurfaced, the daylight reminded us of how hungry we were. We wandered the area in search of a place to eat until someone walked by with a cone of gelato. Sold! Our first tastes of gelato were in the flavors of Nutella, hazelnut, strawberry, pistachio, and something with cherries that I couldn't pronounce. Delish!
We ended our wonderful day with a glass of champagne on the top floor of the Montparnasse, overlooking the lights of the city.
* Ive already received an earful from my sister about eating a cheeseburger in France, so you needn't bother. In my defense, it was a French cow and it came with a side of franch fries. That is not a typo, they were listed as franch fries on the menu. And we had wine. So there.
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