Paris in the Rain

Cloudy skies met us when we arrived in Paris, but the rain was holding off for the time being. We decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower as soon as we had settled into our apartment. As we got closer, I could see the tip of the tower peaking out from buildings and trees, I kept stopping to take photos thinking every step brought me into better view. I could hardly contain my joy when we finally arrived in front of the Eiffel Tower and could see the whole thing! To be honest, at first I wasn't that impressed. It's a steel tower. But the longer we stood there, the more romantic it felt.

Then the rain hit.

We got out our umbrellas and walked to the bottom of the tower to get some shelter. After much debate, we decided to try and find our dinner and come back after dark to see the Tower lit up. We walked in the pouring (literally pouring) rain for about 10 minutes when all of a sudden, it stopped. The sun started to shine and the sky had changed from a gloomy dark gray to bright blue. 

I think the Lord could see my mood getting worse by the minute and decided to bless me anyway. Seriously, I felt so loved. I could not stop giving thanks and praise to my Father.

We walked back to the Eiffel Tower to take a few more photographs with the blue sky as it's backdrop. It was glorious. This is when it truly felt impressive and awesome, and beautiful. This is when the city really felt romantic. This was the highlight of day one in Paris.

It started raining again.

We walked to a restaurant to have dinner where we tried to stay warm and dry (outdoor seating with an enclosed awning and heater). After our dinner, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower a romantic view of the Tower lit up. The night was cool and wet but we decided to take the elevator to the top nonetheless.

Once at the top, we tried to take in the beauty of the city and point out the sights we wold try to see the following day.  The view had been spectacular; at 1050 feet tall we could see everything! I got cold pretty quickly so really didn't stay up long.

As we were walking back to the metro station, we turned to look at the Tower one more time. At that same time, the clock struck 10 p.m. and it started twinkling with blue lights! It was so pretty! I just had to stay in that spot until the lights stopped 10 minutes later.

It had been a long day and a late night. We saw the Eiffel tower in the midst of thick gray clouds, bright blue skies, and the night sky. It was magical (even though my shoes were soaking wet).

 View more photos of Paris here

How long we were there: 1 1/2 days

What we did: Saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, walked by the Lourve museum, walked the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.

What we ate: For dinner that first night, Chris ordered roasted duck and I had a tube pasta with cream truffle sauce. We enjoyed glasses of wine with our meal and then ordered chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. After our quick breakfast of yogurt and orange juice the next morning, we stopped by a neighborhood bakery for coffee and chocolate croissants. (YUM!) For lunch we stopped by a Mediterranean shop and had shawarmas. They were quick and cheap and oh, so delicious! We had a few hours to spare before our train to London so we stopped by a restaurant and ordered wine with a meat and cheese tray. To be honest, I didn't care for the cheeses very much, but the rest was great.

Where we stayed: We stayed in a small one bedroom apartment where the renters had given up their bedroom for the AirBnB guests and used a pull out sofa in their living room for themselves. It was fairly comfortable and they were very friendly. We even stayed up enjoying drinks with them before going to bed! 

How we got around: We took a train from Rotterdam, Holland to Paris. Once we were in the city we used the Metro to get around. (I'm so glad my husband understands public transportation better than I . . . it was confusing). Getting to London was a bit crazy, stay tuned for that story!

Cloudy skies met us when we arrived in Paris, but the rain was holding off for the time being. We decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower as soon as we had settled into our apartment. As we got closer, I could see the tip of the tower peaking out from buildings and trees, I kept stopping to take photos thinking every step brought me into better view. I could hardly contain my joy when we finally arrived in front of the Eiffel Tower and could see the whole thing! To be honest, at first I wasn't that impressed. It's a steel tower. But the longer we stood there, the more romantic it felt.

Then the rain hit.

We got out our umbrellas and walked to the bottom of the tower to get some shelter. After much debate, we decided to try and find our dinner and come back after dark to see the Tower lit up. We walked in the pouring (literally pouring) rain for about 10 minutes when all of a sudden, it stopped. The sun started to shine and the sky had changed from a gloomy dark gray to bright blue. 

I think the Lord could see my mood getting worse by the minute and decided to bless me anyway. Seriously, I felt so loved. I could not stop giving thanks and praise to my Father.

We walked back to the Eiffel Tower to take a few more photographs with the blue sky as it's backdrop. It was glorious. This is when it truly felt impressive and awesome, and beautiful. This is when the city really felt romantic. This was the highlight of day one in Paris.

It started raining again.

We walked to a restaurant to have dinner where we tried to stay warm and dry (outdoor seating with an enclosed awning and heater). After our dinner, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower a romantic view of the Tower lit up. The night was cool and wet but we decided to take the elevator to the top nonetheless.

Once at the top, we tried to take in the beauty of the city and point out the sights we wold try to see the following day.  The view had been spectacular; at 1050 feet tall we could see everything! I got cold pretty quickly so really didn't stay up long.

As we were walking back to the metro station, we turned to look at the Tower one more time. At that same time, the clock struck 10 p.m. and it started twinkling with blue lights! It was so pretty! I just had to stay in that spot until the lights stopped 10 minutes later.

It had been a long day and a late night. We saw the Eiffel tower in the midst of thick gray clouds, bright blue skies, and the night sky. It was magical (even though my shoes were soaking wet).

 View more photos of Paris here

How long we were there: 1 1/2 days

What we did: Saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, walked by the Lourve museum, walked the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.

What we ate: For dinner that first night, Chris ordered roasted duck and I had a tube pasta with cream truffle sauce. We enjoyed glasses of wine with our meal and then ordered chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. After our quick breakfast of yogurt and orange juice the next morning, we stopped by a neighborhood bakery for coffee and chocolate croissants. (YUM!) For lunch we stopped by a Mediterranean shop and had shawarmas. They were quick and cheap and oh, so delicious! We had a few hours to spare before our train to London so we stopped by a restaurant and ordered wine with a meat and cheese tray. To be honest, I didn't care for the cheeses very much, but the rest was great.

Where we stayed: We stayed in a small one bedroom apartment where the renters had given up their bedroom for the AirBnB guests and used a pull out sofa in their living room for themselves. It was fairly comfortable and they were very friendly. We even stayed up enjoying drinks with them before going to bed! 

How we got around: We took a train from Rotterdam, Holland to Paris. Once we were in the city we used the Metro to get around. (I'm so glad my husband understands public transportation better than I . . . it was confusing). Getting to London was a bit crazy, stay tuned for that story!