Parlez vous francais?

Do you speak French? Well for me, the answer is certainly not, but while in Paris, it didn't really matter. Everywhere we went, since from the second any of us opened our mouth it was blatantly obvious we were Americans, we were immediately catered to by being waited on in English. While it was really nice to not have to worry about speaking another language, it was so interesting to me that nearly everyone we met in France spoke our language, yet the majority of Americans are fluent in only one--our own. It made our weekend-long stay in The City of Light very easy, and we had a fabulous time! Since we were there for only a little under 3 days, it was essential to make the most of our time, so we planned carefully and this is what we accomplished...

Thursday, January 21, 2010:
-Departed from London @ 2:04 p.m.
-Arrived in Paris @ 5:26 p.m.
-Hotel check-in
-Went to dinner where I had the best French onion soup I've ever had in my life

Friday, January 22, 2010:
-Visited the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, among many other famous works of art
-Went to see the opera house
-Took the streets of Paris for some shopping!
-Made our way to Arc de Triomphe
-Finished the day with dinner (apparently Italians aren't the only ones who are good at cooking pasta)

Saturday, January 23, 2010:
-Took the metro to the Eiffel Tower, which is just as cool in the freezing cold rain
-Toured Musee d'Orsay, where I saw pieces by Van Gough, Monet, and sooo many more...I have to say, it's a lot better in person than on a slide in art history class
-Visited Notre Dame and although we missed out on Quasimodo, there were actually gypsies outside the cathedral
-Took a nighttime boat tour and saw the whole city in lights--it was so pretty!
-Finished our trip with a fantastic dinner at the River Cafe. If you're ever in Paris, go there!! It might have been the best food I've ever eaten.

Sunday, January 24, 2010:
-Said goodbye to Paris and boarded the Eurostar at 8:55 a.m.

The city just had so much to offer. The shopping, sites, and food were amazing, so if you go, do as much as you possibly can, and make sure you don't leave without eating a croissant :)