Wow! What a whirl wind of travel this Spring and Summer this year is going to be!
But first, PARIS. Like most of us, Paris is on most people’s travel bucket list. It’s just a very unique and romantic culture filled with recognizable land marks full of history.
On this girls trip to Paris, we had about seven full days in Paris the first week of May. Usually it is getting warm in France by this time of year according to our contact in Paris, but this year it was a bit unseasonable cooler. So we were well prepared for the cool weather and set out to have a great time with or without an umbrella and our puffer coats.
On our first night at Le Grand Hotel we were greeted with someone else’s birthday dessert. For a moment we thought it was for us. But I notified room service and they had made a mistake. When they came to pick up the birthday cake they arrived with a beautiful tray of macarons for our “troubles!” Im glad I called in to room serve, but the other two wants to eat the cake! – – Karma girls, karma!
But the treats in our hotel didn’t stop us from having a second dessert after dinner with our friend and guide who took us all over Paris!
Elaborate entry doors to apartment buildings and their courtyards
I couldn’t stop taking pictures of these doors. I loved the architecture!
Paris building and storefronts – took tons of photos of them, too!
Prepared for the pour down of rain 
Line to get into the Palace 
Versailles gardens 
Here we are mid-trip at the Palace of Versailles. It was a warm and sunny in the morning on the train into Versailles. But by the time we walked to the Palace the clouds began to roll in and 20 minutes later the skies opened up and it poured rain as we were waiting in line to get into the palace. We were prepared with our umbrellas and waited out the rain until we reached the entrance of the Palace.
We took a trains to get around but most of the time we were on foot. Wish I had my steps counter on!
Heading to Eiffel tower 
Getting closer – we had a 9pm appt to enter 
A selfie from the top of the Eiffel Tower 
The Eiffel Tower all lit up! 
One of my favorite shots – heading back about 11:30pm – yes, felt very safe on the streets and on the train
We hit all the tourist spots, of course. The unfortunate burned Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumphe and the Louve Museum.
Our friend told us about one of the largest flea markets in Paris, Les Puces Flea Market. I was out of my mind! It is the largest of its kind in the world. It had everything from antiques you could image.
It covers seven hectares or about 100 acres and is the largest market in the world. Visitors can range between 120,000 to 180,000 visitors EACH weekend! We managed to only hit a fraction of the vendors. It was amazing!
Walking to the museums we strolled through the Tuileries Gardens. It was so tranquil and so well manicured. The flowers were just starting to bloom. We arrived at the Musse de l’Orangerie. Here we are taking pictures of painting, the famous Water Lilly series.
My favorite picture of the Louve – love the cloud formations
After an afternoon of lunch and two museums we walk back to the hotel. We ventured off our original way back to the hotel and took another street back. So glad we did. We walked up on this beautiful shopping area, Le Village Royal in the 8th district near our hotel. The Umbrella Sky Project. Its creators wanted to add color to peoples lives and the grey spaces in the city to ultimately make people smile. It worked! I took many pictures and plan to hang one on my staircase wall.
View from the Hotel de Buci 
! 
La Palette Cafe – the best Capuccino EVER!
My favorite area to visit was in the 6th arrondissement of paris, or Luxembourg, situated on the left bank of the River Seine. It’s what you think Paris looks like everywhere if you have never been there. Restaurants and store fronts in quintessential French architecture. Cafes seating on the every corner. I would stay in this area the next time I visit.
Well that’s my cue. Until we meet again Paris. Until we meet, AGAIN.
