Soooooo tired. I am soooooo tired. (This is starting to sound familiar…) My feet are throbbing as I’m lying here in bed, exhausted from a day of being led around another city by another crazy Frenchman…

But let me start at the beginning. Yesterday morning, we grabbed all of our luggage and jumped on the Eurostar train (aka “The Chunnel” – though apparently no one calls it that except us ignorant Americans) from London to Paris. The train station in London was beautiful, but the train itself was kinda blah. Regardless, it was pretty cool to travel from the center of one major city to the center of another in just 2 hours time with a portion of it being underwater…

All aboard for the Eurostar

We arrived in Paris and checked into our wonderful teeny tiny apartment in Montparnasse. It’s so tiny that my parents are literally sleeping in a bed with a ladder above me! Oh and let’s not even get started with the elevator – it’s pretty much the smallest one I’ve ever seen. It supposedly fits 4 people, however those people literally have to be up close and personal (speaking from personal experience!). Although, what the apartment lacks in space, it makes up for with an awesome view of the city…

View from our balcony – the Eglise des Invalides is the one that looks like SF’s City Hall. At night, the Eiffel Tower actually peaks out from behind one of the buildings!

Last night, after unpacking and organizing our belongings into our new small space, we headed out for our first French meal at a bistrot called, L’Authentique. AND… it didn’t disappoint…

Le Menu du Jour

Steak frites

3 ice cream dessert: Ethiopian Mocha, Salted Caramel, and Extra Dark Chocolate Sorbet. Incredibly delish!

Needless to say, we went to bed very well-fed. This morning, we woke up to more gastronomical delights. Frenchie went to the patisserie and brought back this pile of yumminess…

NOTHING back home in SF even comes close to tasting as amazing as this…

Well-fed, we were now ready for a long walk through the Left Bank to the Musee d’Orsay. Once there, we easily spent hours looking at the Impressionist artwork in the newly remodeled museum. I must say that quite a few of the paintings looked familiar since I recently saw them at the Impressionist exhibit at the DeYoung in SF. But it was nice to see them in their permanent home. The building housing these pieces of art in itself is incredible. It used to be a train station, so the glass and natural light is a perfect setting for Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir. I could easily have spent a few more hours there, but unfortunately they adhere to a strict closing time.

Entering into the Musee d’Orsay

The converted train station now housing pieces of art

Looking out from behind the clock onto the city. (It kinda reminds me of the movie Hugo)

Resting our tired feet with Chocolat Viennois

After this, our crazy Frenchman/tour guide led us along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower (aka Le Tour Eiffel). I must say that places on the map are a LOT further then they appear. But we were able to see some cool sights along the way. I think it’s almost impossible to take a bad photo in Paris. The whole city is so photogenic…

Pont Alexandre III and the Grand Palais

The keepers of the bridge

Once we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, we did a lot more standing in line before taking the elevator to the top. We were hoping to catch the sunset but the cloudy skies meant minimal colors. However, we stuck around to get some gorgeous views of Paris at night…

First views looking up at Le Tour Eiffel

Views from the Top: L’Arc de Triomphe and Les Champs Elysees

Looking over the Seine

L’Eglise des Invalides in the foreground with the Cathedrale de Notre Dame in the top left of the photo

Champ de Mars with the Montparnasse Tower (close to where we’re staying) in the background

All of a sudden, the Eiffel Tower starts twinkling!

Saying “Au Revoir” to the Eiffel Tower

Oh, and Boo’s here, too!

Bonne nuit! A demain!