Paris

So this weekend we ventured to Paris. Paris is a bit on the expensive side so we decided that we only wanted to spend one night there in the hostel. We left Brussels at 6AM and got to Paris around 9:30. Once we settled into our hostel (it was surprisingly nice, we had an Argentinian backpacker and two students from Spain staying in our room) we went out and grabbed some lunch. Our diet in Paris included: Baguettes, Crepes, and LOTS of desserts... their bread and dessert selection is soo delicious/plentiful... it seems like there is a backery every 5 steps. We did a four hour walking tour and saw sights such as: Saint Michael's Fountain, Notre Dame Cathedral (soo pretty, I went to a prayer service there), the Prison where Marie Antoinette was held, the place where Jacque de Molay was burnt at the stake (an interesting story that I hadn't previously heard), lots of statues of Napoleon, Louis and Henry, the "Bridge of Love"/"Lock Bridge" ... an entire bridge where lovers go and write their names on a lock then throw the key into the river, it's really pretty! And of course as I told you we saw the Royal Palace, the Old Royal Palace, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre (where the Mona Lisa is). I think we are going to take a day trip back to Paris in March or April to go see the Gardens at Versaille but we wanted to wait until the weather is nicer. The first night we went to the bar at Moulin Rouge (we were going to go to the show but it was over 100 euro's... not in our budget!) and we met some Australian friends who were really cool! The next day we went back and actually climbed the Eiffel Tower (soo beautiful!) and then went and explored more of the Louvre, went into Napoleon's tomb and then..of course, SHOPPING! In Europe there are only two months each year when stores are allowed to have "soldes" or sales... and it just so happens that January is one of them. We went to the Lafayette area (where all the designer stores are) just to window shop and then we ended up back in the cheaper "Latin district" where the shopping was less pricey but still really fun! All in all Paris was an amazing trip, I loved the city and the people were very friendly toward us which made things a lot easier.

I miss you all and can't wait to talk to you again! Check your mail for postcards :) Love you!