Paris expedition

That whole ending with StefCory has gotten me depressed, so I’m going to go back to Paris. In my blog at least. This might not be that entertaining, so you have my permission to skip it. Sorry.

Here’s the thing about Paris. Let me tell you. Are you sitting down? Here it is. Paris is big. There I said it.

So my thing about Paris is: pick your battles. I mean pick the things you must see, and then take some time to enjoy just being there. You can’t turn a corner in Paris without seeing some beautiful, important landmark, so don’t stress yourself out too much trying to see absolutely everything. You’ll never be able to leave. Which may not be a bad thing…

My personal faves?

Lookit those sexy buttresses

1. Notre Dame. If you have to choose between waiting 2.5 hours in line to go to the roofs or 2.5 hours in line to go inside (as we did in July), go for the roofs. The inside is stunning and breathtaking and all that, but there are a lot of cathedrals in the world…they all have the same layout (like, literally).

Fun fact: If it doesn’t spout water, it’s a “chimera.”

You get the idea. But there’s only one that is situated in the middle of Paris with such an important history and such an incredible view. Plus you get such a sense of accomplishment after you climb the 200-plus stairs. Aaaand you get to hang out with the gargoyles/chimera. And feel like Quasimodo. So that’s pretty great.

2. La Tour Eiffel. Obv. You don’t need to go up this one. Just go meet it. It’s pretty hard to miss.

3. Jardin des Tuileries. These are the gardens and green space outside of the Louvre. It’s so lovely to stroll and have lunch and be groovy. Bonus: everything lines up here! From the Louvre to the pyramid to the mini-Arc de Triomphe to the obelisk to the big Arc de Triomphe to the Champs Elysees.

Inside the gallery of the Musée de l’Armée, dome of les Invalides

Now here we’ll have to think about your priorities. Do you not care for art museums? Don’t go to the Louvre or the Orsay. Do you? Well then you can’t really miss them, can you. Looking for something out of the ordinary? You will never forget a tour through the catacombs. Love pretending to live the charmed life? Head to the Champs Élysées and shop among the privileged. Are you a history or military buff? A new one for me, Fiance and I took a trip to the Musée de l’Armée and Les Invalides. I wish we’d had more time, but I’m glad we got

to stop in, Fiance seemed to quite enjoy himself. And Les Invalides–the 2nd tallest structure in the city–is an overwhelming homage and tomb to France’s biggest little terror, Napoleon.

And between your sightseeing, take the time to meander around, have a café or a glass of vin, and have a long and leisurely dinner with your closest amis. I can’t really tell you anything about the Parisian nightlife, because I spent most of my nights laughing hysterically with my buddies. Doing really silly things like this:

It’s the best game ever

And so in summary: prioritize, relax…profit.

Any sights I left out? Don’t say Versailles, I’m going to talk about day trips from Paris next.