First, my apologies for my brief hiatus from the blog. I've been doing some traveling, classes have started to get a little more demanding, and honestly, I've just gotten a bit lazy. So, without further adieu, here are our highlights of our time in Paris!
As you probably know from hearing me talk about it nonstop, AJ came to visit on February 13. He flew directly to Paris and we met up at the airport (not always the safest plan when you both don't have working phones, but with 2 back up plans, it worked just fine).
After arriving at the airport and enduring a comedy of errors that took us about 45 minutes just to get out of the Paris airport, we were on our metro ride to the Latin Quarter of Paris. Two things hit me within 10 minutes of arriving: this is a way more confusing city than Lisbon and "Holy crap, I’m freezing!" It took us about half an hour to find our hotel, the Villa Pantheon, which was only supposed to be a couple of blocks from the metro station. The stations themselves are a maze though and walking around in below freezing, snowy weather isn’t too fun.
We finally made it to our room, which was small, but nice and in a great location, just south of the Notre Dame Cathedral and right off a few metro stops. First things first, we decided to seek out some of this amazing Parisian fare we had heard about: Banana Nutella Crepes and a dish with Ratatouille.
Next, we made our way to Sacre Coure where we were meeting up with AJ’s sister, Darla and her boyfriend, Atilla. We climbed up the hill of Sacre Coure right at dusk and were awarded a pretty nice view of the Church as well as the City of Lights at night time. 
Next up, we explored the Moulin Rouge red light area. Valentine’s Day in Paris:
We only had one full day in Paris, so we decided to get up early and walk, walk, walk. We walked from our hotel to the Eiffel tower, hitting every stop along the way. 
First up was the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral was right across a Bridge or “pont” in French. It is just gorgeous, with lots of detail on the outside, huge wooden doors, and cool gargoyles. We didn’t go in because the line was crazy and we still had a lot on our list.
One of the most gorgeous things about Paris isn’t the specific sites, but walking along the River Seine. The uniquely Parisian architecture along the river and the many ornate bridges create this feeling of romance that Paris is known for.
Next up, the Louvre. Such a symbol of Paris and art. Again, we didn’t go in- we’re saving that for next time ☺
From the Arc du Triumphe, we took a nice stroll to the Eiffle Tower. Along the whole walk you can see the Eiffel Tower. I actually thought it was more gorgeous from afar and seeing it from all of these sites in Paris was just amazing. When we got up close, it seems almost too real and too much of just a huge random metal thing. From afar, it still has that romantic, mysterious quality. It does make for great pictures, though.
After this 4 hour journey in the cold, we went out for an amazing Valentine’s Dinner with tasty wine and very stinky cheeses. I have to say, it will be a Valentine’s Day I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
