Paris Day 3

After our amazing photo shoot with Stacy, we headed back to our apartment to change and head out for our next day of sightseeing. We didn't have too much planned for this day, but from our flat, we decided to walk towards the Musee d'Orsay and make a pit stop to the Musee Rodin since it was really close to the flat. We have some pieces of Rodin right here in Raleigh and it's beautiful so I was excited to visit the museum. Instead of visiting the inner museum though, we decided to pay the 2E and just visit the gardens. I heard they were beautiful and our weather was still perfect so it seemed like a fun stop on our walk around Paris.

After our visit to the gardens, I desperately wanted to eat macaroons from the famous Laduree macaroon shop. There happened to be a location very close to the Musee d'Orsay so we started wandering towards the macaroon shop, taking in the back streets of Paris and trying to find a location for dejeuner. I couldn't help but take photos of this AMAZING building below. How great are the colors?!

I can't remember where we had lunch but it was relatively close to Laduree so I could finally get my macaroons. We walked in and said bonjour and spoke our few French phrases to the surprise of the man behind the counter. (I can't even begin to tell you how helpful it is to be polite and speak even a few phrases in French. It goes so far and everyone is so appreciative!) He proceeded to speak to us in French and we told him we really didn't know any but said our French was very good! We were stoked to hear that! Maybe he was just buttering us up for their amazing macaroons.. I choose to get a keepsake box from the shop.

Since we were in no hurry, and that's how I recommend everyone take in Paris as well, we walked down to the Siene and decided to eat our treats with a splendid view of the Lourve. What's more Parisian?!
 

 

iPhone snap of us eating our treats!

I love this shot hubs took with his panoramic app on the iPhone. Just a neat little perspective from where we sat eating our Laduree macroons and framboise (hubs personal favorite) and taking in everything Paris had to offer us!

After our amazing little break we headed over to the Musee d'Orsay. It's an AMAZING museum with amazing artists, some of my favorites, like Degas, Monet and Renoir. The thing that makes this museum so spectacular though, is that it was built in the old train station that was operating up until the early 1900's! So about 100 years ago this was a bustling scene in the center of Paris. It's absolutely stunning and the art is fabulous too. We didn't spend too long in the museum as I started to get tired and my feet started to hurt so I'd love to go back sometime.

After the museum we went off in search of dinner. We ended up at another establishment by chef Constant, called Les Cocottes where everything is cooked in little pots. It was a neat restaurant with yummy French dishes. I also captured this stunning photo of the 7th that evening that I thought captured the feeling of the back streets of Paris.

We finished the evening in the most romantic way possible. Probably one of the highlights of my life really. We stopped in a little market after dinner, purchased some Rose and beer and grabbed a blanket from our flat and headed out to catch the Eiffel Tower light show in all it's glory. It was such a fun vibe on the Champs de Mars. There were locals, teens, families and tourists all alike, hanging out and enjoying a gorgeous evening. Although there are people always trying to sell you "beer/wine/wine/beer" in case you forget to bring your own.

 

Every hour on the hour, madame Eiffel sparkles for 15 minutes of glory like the above video. It really is SPECTACULAR to see in person and it's so magical. I'd love to come back to Paris and go up the Eiffel at night to really see the "city of lights", but we sat under the Eiffel for two hours and watched the tower sparkle twice. It was probably THE highlight of our trip really. It may seem odd to rave so much over the Eiffel Tower, but really it is that amazing in person and being there with the one you love, is even more special.

Bonne nuit!

Amanda