Paris Favorites

One day truly is not enough in Paris – that being said, I have to go back! When imagining traveling to Europe, Paris is on the top of every travelers list, and it is very ‘cliché’ destination spot. We were told 17 million tourists visiting Paris each year, and there is most certainly a reason why! Paris is lively and exciting, full of history and national pride, and is adorned with the most beautiful and eclectic architecture.

I could go on and on about Paris, because there is so much to see and do, with so much history – but instead I narrowed Paris down to my 4 favorites:

1.Opera House 2. The Eiffel Tower 3. French Cuisine 4. Christmas Lights, Displays and Markets

1.Opera House: The Opera House in Paris is the Opera House that inspired The Phantom of The Opera! It was my most favorite site in Paris – and through one window you could see the massive chandelier that inspired the great musical.

2.Eiffel Tower: The Eiffel Tower is simply amazing. With all of Paris having such classy, historic buildings – the Eiffel Tower stands out for being a more ‘modern’ attraction. Undoubtedly the most recognizable structure in France and maybe all of Europe – the Eiffel Tower is both stunning at night and in the day. At night the Eiffel Tower is completely lit up, and on the hour – every hour after dark, the Eiffel Tower sparkles with flashing lights! In the day time it was surreal standing next to the massive structure, and seeing all the detail.

3.French Cuisine:
I ate ‘escargot’ for the first time! The snail was actually delicious and was finished with a really nice basil topping.

I ate frog legs! You have to eat the frog legs off the bone, like a chicken wing (haha) and had the texture of chicken, yet kind of tasted more like fish. Not sure I would choose to eat frog legs again, but they certainly were not disgusting.

I ate the best piece of ham quiche ever! The quiche was delicious. I also had the best Crème Brule that literally melts in your mouth! I also indulged in the best raspberry chocolate tart, MmmMMmm. And at breakfast there was always plenty of Croissants and Nutella!

4.Christmas Markets – The best part of traveling over Christmas is seeing all of the festive Christmas decorations and attractions. The Paris Christmas lights were absolutely beautiful – along the main street of Boulevard Haussmann the trees that lined the streets were cascading with white Christmas lights. An entire street of Paris was lined with little booth like sheds that sold everything – winter hats and scarves, toys, wooden carvings, Christmas decorations, and of course all kinds of tasty sweets – mulled wine, cinnamon churros, hot chocolate, waffles, crepes…gingerbread cookies! The shops also adorned the most fascinating Christmas lights and displays – some department stores even had moving, singing, automated Christmas displays to attract attention!

Other Paris favorites: Notre Dame Cathedral, the chapel at Montemart and the view overlooking the city, and the Louve – which is the most massive historical building I have ever seen!