FRANCE

We spent several days touring France. We spent most of our time in Paris- which was absolutely wonderful.  I loved Paris. There was so much to do and so much to see.  We got our metro pass and went out on the town!

The very first night we all walked over together to see the Eiffel Tower! The tour got us tickets to go to the top. It was so beautiful!  I can't believe that I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  I wanted to eat at the restaurant but then I looked at the menu....the lowest price plate was like 90 bucks!  I wasn't that hungry!

The Tower was blue for a special holiday- so cool!

Every hour, the Eiffel Tower glitters and sparkles. It was so gorgeous!  It looked like thousands of little diamonds were twinkling in the moonlight.....so pretty!

We went back the next day so we could get our daytime shots!  So glamorous!

We went and of course saw the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was so cool seeing it in real life.  And so big!  It was absolutely beautiful.  I kept waiting for the gargoyles to come to life and talk to me, but they never did. :(

A backside view of Notre Dame- one seen a little less often, but just as pretty!

Jenessa and I being our same silly selves.....Hunchback meets Esmerelda!

I'm sorry- but we just had to go find it!  We were fast, I promise!

Me enjoying my new addiction.....banana nutella crepe.  Nutella is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. It's a hazelnut chocolate spread and it is DIVINE!  I love it love it love it!  It's Europe's peanut butter.  And as most of you know, I detest peanut butter, so I have adopted Europe's favorite sandwich spread instead. And I LOVE it. I guess I'm meant to be European!

While in Paris, we of course went to the Louvre!!!!!  Can you believe it??? I sure can't.  I got to see all kinds of art, including the Mona Lisa. It was so amazing to see it in real life.  It's real!  This was as close as I could get to it though!  They have it surrounded by a glass case and then had the entire area blocked off!  No one was getting near that painting!  Wanna know an interesting fact about the Louvre?  It is HUGE- there are so many pieces of art.  If you walked around day and night without stopping and spent 30 seconds looking at each piece, it would take four months to see everything. It's amazing that they were able to hide THAT MUCH art from Hitler when he came to take it.

There were lots of lesser known pieces of art in the Louvre as well.....

VERSAILLES!!!  look at this palace!!! So gorgeous! And it was so big- their stables were bigger than my old high school!

The gardens of Versailles were so gorgeous.  Statues and all kinds of flowers and hedge mazes and fountains......you could spend hours exploring them.

The Hall of Mirrors in Versailles

During our free time, a few of us decided to go visit and tour THE PARIS OPERA HOUSE!!!! This is the opera house where Phantom of the Opera takes place.

Masquerade!!! Paper faces on parade........

This was one of the prettiest buildings we saw on the entire trip- man those theater people know how to do it! I wanted to travel back in time and come to the shows.  It must have been so glamorous!