Magical, Romantic Land of Music, Art, and Food

Paris is the most magical place ever. As a business/finance major, I'm always partial to big, lively cities that have a ton going on. I love that everyone is moving, places to go, people to see, things to do. Paris most certainly is one of those cities, however it has a completely different vibe than other large cities when paired with the sounds, smells, and beauty that cover it. I know when I first decided to go to Paris two summers ago, someone told me that it was just another big city and was a lot like American cities. They said that the city simply spoke a little French, had an Eiffel Tower but was still really dirty and just plain large. Totally not true. Paris is simply magical. There is not true way to describe how refreshing it is to go to a big city where flowers are everywhere, there are markets lining the streets, someone somewhere is playing an accordion, and there are a ton of things to do.

Keep in mind, however, that I know Paris pretty well. After spending three weeks there, you learn where things are for the most part, what to do, and how to get places. It's not like Asher and I couldn't have figured things out, but I felt very comfortable walking around looking for things to do. It's not my city by any means. I don't know what restaurants are the best or what hall the Mona Lisa is in, however I do know how to ask for a crepe in French, what metro stop will get you to Notre Dame, and a few fun facts about the city's history. I'm just a little proud of myself, and if anyone is going to Paris, I will gladly be your tour guide.

Well, just to go through our most fabulous weekend ever!

Friday
Asher and I met at the "Perfect" Hostel (that was the name of it). It was by no means perfect, however. You get what you pay for, and I'm going to stretch my travel stipend as far as a can and try to visit everywhere in Europe. Good luck, right?

Previously, I had found a brochure about a free tour around the center of Paris. We checked it out and really enjoyed walking around the city. Our tour guide was excellent! We liked that it was an easy, cheap way to get the highlights of the city.

Afterwards, we grabbed a cheap dinner from an outside market. The market was about a block from our hostel and had the most amazing smells ever! We had to try it. We got some cheese, roasted chicken, potatoes, and a bottle of pink champagne all at the outside market (are you beginning to see why Paris is fabulous?). Anyway, the night became uber romantic when we took our grub the the steps of the Sacre-Coeur to look over all of Paris.

Asher's camera can't take night pictures... This post is to be continued!