Days 10, 11, and 12 - Paris: A Grande Finale!

Oct. 15 was spent in a train going from San Sebastian to Paris. I was still not feeling well, so we went straight to our hotel, which was located very close to the Arc de Triomphe. Then I took a long nap, but when I woke up, I was feeling better, and Hubs had brought me a piping hot baguette and a quiche lorraine, so life was pretty fabulous even though I didn't spend too much time seeing the sights that day.

Oct. 16, we hit the ground running. Hubs was awesome figuring out the metro. Even though I hated looking like tourists who didn't know where we were or what we were doing, Hubs totally took care of business and got us where we needed to go.  GO HUBS!

Our first stop was the Ile de la Cité where we ate a disgustingly expensive breakfast at this cute Cafe Brasserie. 

Then we went to gorgeous Notre Dame. I cannot describe to you how awe-inspiring this place is. People just stood there gawking at the beauty before them. I did the same.

Autumn was in the air, and it was a real treat to see the city as the leaves were starting to change color!

Next, we were off to the Louvre. Because our time there was short, we pretty much hit the biggies--

Winged Victory:

The Venus de Milo:

And don't forget Mona!  They're both smiling like they're up to something....

The sheer magnitude of this painting was something to behold:

I loved this angel:

Oh, and Mrs. G, there is plenty of Mancake for everyone at the Louvre!

Even though Hubs and I don't consider ourselves big museum people, we loved our time at the Louvre and could have easily enjoyed spending the whole day there.

That evening, we took the advice of a family friend and went on the Bateaux-Mouches, a river boat cruise on the Seine at dusk to see the City of Lights all lit up. It was beautiful.

There's just something about the Eiffel Tower that inspires kissing!

After our cruise, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and took in its beauty beneath a full moon:

And then, all of a sudden, as if it needed to show off any more than it already was, the Eiffel Tower started sparkling with bright lights!  Everyone squealed with delight!

To end our day, we went to the Cafe Victor Hugo for a delicious dinner. 

Oct 17-

We returned to the Eiffel Tower to take the obligatory "We're in Paris!" photo. It was a gorgeous morning, and lots of people were there snapping away on their cameras.

That afternoon, we went to Montmatre to see the beautiful Sacré Coeur. I just loved being there--being with Hubs, taking the Paris skyline, and sniffing the scent of roasted chestnuts wafting through the air.

That night, I got to have a reunion with Caroline!  She is a French friend of mine, who I haven't seen for four years.  She is living and working in southern France, but she took the train up to Paris for the weekend to visit her sister and another friend, and to see me! It was so nice to sit and catch up a bit.

That's the end of our trip! It was a wonderful vacation that we are still just tickled that we got to take! I know we will relish these memories for years to come.