The Day We Went to PARIS

our first site of the Eiffel on our way to the hotel
We got up EARLY, as in before-the-sun-came-through-the-windows early, a first since we've been here. Since we had packed most everything up the night before, the morning went pretty quick. Right before we left as I turned on my hair dryer to dry up some socks I really wanted to wear. I pulled the hair dryer close to my socks and boom, the power, the lights, the everything went out...pitch black. We panicked but didn't have much time to do anything about it other than trying the fuse box, Danish wash machines are confusing enough to fanangle, let alone fuse boxes!

We used our phones to check our lists, gather everything up and walk out the door. goodbye fridgerated items. Despite leaving our home without power and knowing we'd be in for dealing with a mess upon our return in a day, we giddly made our way to the train station, got to the airport with just enough time to eat and rest a bit before loading into the plane. We kept staring at each other all starry-eyed...we're going to Paris, we'd squeal to one another. Being in Denmark was surreal enough, let alone going to one of the most famous cities in Europe.

We landed in Paris, giddyness continued to ensue until we quickly found ourselves very confused on the trains. It was not easy. We slipped up and ended up going the wrong way a couple of times but we eventually figured it out and found the right station to get to the hotel. And for some reason, we never learned, the trains were free all weekend! This made the entire weekend all the more magical. We took it as a sweet gift from our hilariously awesome God and thanked Him continually. Cause, I mean, really? Who gets this luck?! We dropped our bags at the hotel, packed up my body wallet(thanks mom) and got ready to hit the streets.

we might have gotten lost but this one train was SO cool inside

I had made an organized attack plan for us but it was contingent upon finding bikes, which proved to be rather difficult. Clearly, I hadn't organized well enough. Instead of becoming frustrated, we headed straight to wards the Eiffel Tower, no use being irritated before even seeing the great sight of the tower. Once we got to the tower, we busted with excitement. To see the Eiffel tower in pictures in books and online is one thing, to see it in person...is completely mind blowing, in fact I'll go on record to say everything in Paris was massively bigger than I ever understood. Happy to see the tower in the foggy morning and our stomachs starting to grow with hunger, we changed plans and decided to do as much of the itinerary as possible on foot. Of course, we cut some items but added a couple others and saw SO MUCH. From the enormous and stunning buildings to the cute artist street vendors, we loved every moment. (Another post, at another time is going to have to document where all we went and what all we did).

Kevin got his first taste of a nutella crepe and LOVED it

this awesome girl took this picture for us, sadly we're out of focus but we still like the picture

cupcake place as recommended by our photographer...check in tomorrow to see our Eiffel Tower photo session!

I know most people do this at the Louvre but I thought it would be fun with the Eiffel too

Our feet were so dead at the end of the afternoon. My new shoe purchase a few days back proved to not be the best idea, though I had broken them in before and found them pretty comfortable. We got back to the hotel, rested shortly and quickly got ready for dinner on the Seine River, a gift from our small group. We were so anxious about missing the boarding time that we ended up running the streets of Paris to get there, me still in my enormously unforgettable shoes (because yes, I only brought one other pair of shoes, high heels, and I wasn't going to be breaking those out). Out of breathe and truly exhausted feet, we made it. The dinner cruise was spectacular and might be the highlight of our trip, indeed it turned out to be one of our most favorite moments of the two weeks. The food was delicious, we saw much of the iconic sites from the water, and lit up in the night sky, and the whole ambiance was just delightful.

Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower. We had hoped for one of those bike cabs to take us, because our feet were still in utter pain, but we had no luck until we were perhaps a few miles there. We caved anyway and enjoyed a breezy ride under a blanket. We waited in the cold line to get up to the top of the Eiffel, complete with studying-abroad college kids who were less than grateful to be there but I digress, and saw the beautiful city all lit up at night...simply stunning and also simply freezing. It was SO cold up there but man was it worth it. I checked out every level and took pictures all the way around. We made friends with a cute older couple, and took their picture. There was a marathon of some sort going on too that ended with the runners running the stairs up to the first deck...insane.

I cried on the way home, not really but my feet were in such pain by this point. We were so exhausted and worn out that we forgot to stop and watch the Tower twinkle, we would have had to wait a while longer. We crashed hard into the bed that night.

The next morning we woke up to the buzzing of an alarm and got ready for pictures with Katie...such a dream! We scrapped that day's plans due to sore feet and limited time. So after our truly amazing experience with Katie, we opted for a tasty breakfast at a place where we could sit still see the Eiffel. Back at our hotel we changed, packed up and headed to the airport. Goodbye Paris, thank you.

Once home, I waited for a take away pizza (so many great, authentic pizza places here) and Kevin went back to the apartment to call the electrician. We eventually got a-hold of him and ate our pizza on the bed, watched part of frozen and tried to stay awake after the sun left us in the dark apt till the electrician got there. I'd fallen asleep by the time he finally arrived, but thankfully the repair was quick and easy. We fell asleep, so unbelievably grateful for the quick 27 hour trip to Paris, despite the 10.4 miles of walking, it was perhaps one of the most unbelievable fast and furious trips of our marriage.

our last glimpse of the Eiffel Tower


//tomorrow I'm sharing the pictures Katie took of us!!!//

Following our time in Copenhagen?
one-Arriving in Copenhagen: The first bike ride
two-A Sunday together: Discovering Nyhavn, a church, Amalienborg, and more
three-Monday & Tuesday: my first days while Kevin is at work. Exploring the city by a run, seeing historical sites, and some new architecture.
four-The little home we lived in
five-Wednesday & Thursday & Friday: More exploration of the city
six- The story behind the Pacifier trees of Copenhagen