Over my spring break most of my family (Mom, Dad, Zack, Ryan, and my future sister-in-law Danielle--Patrick, we missed you) came to visit and go on the classic European vacation. We had a ton of fun together, traveling first to Paris, then Lugano/Milano, and finally to Roma. There were moments where we were definitely the Griswold's, but I think that's what made it so great. This is part 1 of a three part blog on this amazing trip. Thanks to Zack for all of the great pictures!
Now, starting in Paris--First of all, I was supposed to meet my parents in Lugano and then we were going to fly together to Paris. This kind of happened. My flight back from the States, where I was visiting Ellis, was canceled and I couldn't get a flight until the next day. This meant I had to meet my parents at the airport, where I just flew in, and basically get back on a plane and head to Paris. I thought it was going to be awful, but it was so great to see my parents and my family that my bad mood was only mild.
Once we got to Paris, we met Zack, Danielle, and Ryan, who had just flown in from LA. We made it to our hotel and decided to begin exploring right away since we only had five days in Paris. We were walking distance from the Eiffel Tower, so that's where we headed first.
Here's Ry looking European as ever
We passed by the cutest flower shops--Paris always has the best flower shops
We made it to the park in front of the Eiffel Tower and couldn't pass up the photo op
After walking around the Eiffel Tower for a while, we made it to the Seine.
As you can see, it was freezing!!!
We needed a warm up after walking around outside, so we headed to a little cafe for a capuccino
Dad and Zack enjoying their espresso
That evening we went out to a nice dinner at a bistro down the street. The meal consisted of steak and fries, which made the boys very happy. That night we all fell asleep right away, exhausted from our day of traveling.
The next day we headed to the heart of Paris, the Louvre, La Saint Chappelle, and Notre Dame.
The next day we headed to the heart of Paris, the Louvre, La Saint Chappelle, and Notre Dame.
Here are Zack and Danielle getting ready to hop on the metro.
The metro was definitely a novelty for my west-coast based family, so we have some fun pictures.
My Mom and Dad--this may be where my Dad realizes he already lost his three-day metro pass
Mom and Danielle on the metro
Our metro entertainment
As you can see, my family found out that you can get to-go coffee at McDonalds, so we were lucky enough to visit every morning.
Place de la Concorde
Zack and his coffee on the way to the Louvre
I think Ryan is frustrated...or constipated
My Dad found the joy in street pastries
You can only imagine what the boys did with this particular fountain
The Louvre
Zack seemed to really like the paintings of the naked ladies
And of course, La Jocande
One of the great old metro signs
La Sainte Chapelle
The amazing stained glass windows at La Sainte Chapelle
Danielle and me in La Sainte Chapelle
After making our way through the Louvre and to La Sainte Chapelle, we decided to walk through the Quartier Latin. Here is a picture of another beautiful florist.
Ryan looking as cool as ever
Zack discovered the joys of a baguette
We decided to climb to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe to see the city sights. It was overcast but we got some great shots.
The crazy stairwell we had to climb up to get to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe
Zack and Danielle at the top
After taking in the sights at L'Arc de Triomphe, we headed to Le Sacre Coeur and Monmartre
Danielle and me on the steps of Le Sacre Coeur
Le Sacre Coeur
Our last day we went to L'Ile Saint Louis, a small island in the middle of the Seine next to L'Ile Cite (where Notre Dame is)
Notre Dame
My Dad insisted we take a shot with our local newspaper in front of Notre Dame to submit to the newspaper. I was the only one willing to pose with him, which I am very happy about :)
Notre Dame from the back
A tribute to Patrick
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