In case you missed it: Outtakes (1st Edition).
Paris, honestly, kind of felt like one giant outtake at times. Our first AirBnB was a disaster–it didn’t have heat, and Paris was freezing. The stress of finding a new place–and trying to keep warm–had the first few days flying by in a stressful blur. For some reason, I didn’t anticipate the crowds, so we spent much more time in line and fighting crowds than I thought we would. I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a city as crowded as Paris was at the end of December! We also bought a Museum Pass, which would have been a much better deal if our time period to use it hadn’t coincided with New Year’s Day, when everything was closed (I promise we aren’t idiots…I did look a lot of this stuff up online, but many of the monuments don’t have reliable times posted on their websites).
Despite all of this and so much more (see below!), I loved Paris. It was exactly how I imagined Paris would be: lovely and romantic, busy and monumental, ancient yet modern. I feel like we only touched the surface in the week we were there, and it’s one of those places I know I’ll go back to–just as soon as my bank account recovers!
Take 1 // Going back to a museum because I realized that–in my rush–a painting I’ve always wanted to see is housed there and I missed it the first time. Only to find out upon searching and finally asking for help–said painting is on loan. To Texas.
Take 2 // Eating about 20 macaroons a day (hey, those things are small, right?).
Take 3 // Spending way too many minutes on the metro due to poor planning (also, Paris is huge).
Take 4 // Taking fifty photos in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles…we never could get one without a billion other reflections in it. Also the lighting in terrible in there…how do people get such fantastic selfies in those mirrors?!
^^also, I kept cutting E’s head out.
Take 5 // Inhaling one last crepe before going home…standing in line in the freezing cold. (We ate a lot of food while waiting in line).
Take 6 // Climbing the staircase at the Louvre for a classic picture, but after seven hours of running around the museum, I gave up halfway there.
Take 7 // Trying to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa.
^^a pretty good picture of this random security guy, though.
Take 8 // Thinking this photo through the roof of a boat would be cool and artsy.
Take 9 // Not realizing there are actually pillars designed to help you take this iconic photo.
Take 10 // Attempting many, many failed selfies at the Eiffel Tower.
Take 11 // Going back to a cafe because we overslept and missed our reservations at another one.
Take 12 // Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe for what is supposedly the best view in Paris (for the record, I disagree–the Tours de Notre Dame was the best) only to find it rainy and foggy.
^^still is a killer view, though.
Take 13 // Spending three hours lingering over the biggest meal I ate in Paris.
Take 14 // Getting caught in the rain in Montmartre–the one day we didn’t bother with umbrellas.
Take 15 // Trapping about 20 people on a winding staircase while I struggled to get the best shot from Notre Dame that also included the chimeras (or gargoyles).
Take 16 // Being artsy (or trying) with Paris’ best hot chocolate and my lipstick.
Take 17 // Maneuvering the Louvre.
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Do you have outtakes from your travels/life?
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Linking up with Travel Tuesday.