Paris, France

Disneyland Paris

We spent the first 2 days in France at Disneyland Paris to celebrate my son’s birthday. It is located about an hour outside of Paris.

How does Disneyland Paris compare to Disneyland California?

1) It is a little smaller and just as crowded.
2) There were no designated smoking areas and almost every single person smokes in Paris.
3) People were rude and tried to cut in line every chance they got.
4) There are soldiers with assault rifles guarding the front gates! Cool, but a little uneasy at the same time.
5) My daughter didn’t see a single princess! 🙁

Disneyland was kind of a buzz kill, but we tried to stay positive for the sake of our son’s birthday. He had a blast and that made it all worth it!

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Happy Birthday, Justice!

First Impression

When we arrived in Paris, the first thing I noticed was how extremely dirty it was. It reminded my kids of New York City. Even my daughter, Liberty, said, “This isn’t the Paris that I had in my head.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, sweetheart. Everyone talks about Paris being such a romantic and beautiful city. Um, not quite the impression I got. I know, you don’t even want to continue reading because I’ve shattered the dreams you’ve had since you were little. Sorry ’bout that, but I do get to the good stuff if you keep reading!

The Food

Completely overrated!!! When people think of Parisian food, they think it’s the best in the world. Maybe it is…but, unfortunately, we didn’t find it anywhere. We avoided the fancy restaurants, though, because of the kids, so we mostly did bakeries and cafes. Nothing was impressive. The sandwiches were nothing better than you’d get at a gas station in America. Even the croissants and pastries were disappointing. (To this day, the best croissant I’ve ever had was in the little town of Westport, Ireland.)

My Favorite Parts of Paris

The Eiffel Tower

Of course. As soon as it came into view, both my husband and I got all giddy and kept saying, “I can’t believe we’re here!” I remember having daydreams of someday visiting the Eiffel Tower and even when we were planning the trip to Paris, it didn’t dawn on me that I’d be seeing it in person. It hit me while were walking towards it. It is beautiful and much bigger and brighter than I had imagined. It was a big surprise when the sparkling lights came on. We didn’t know it did that! (I have video of it on my Jolley’s Journeys Facebook page.) We grabbed some picnic food at a bakery and sat down nearby where a musician was playing modern music on his guitar. It was magical.

The Louvre Museum

This is one of the largest museums in the world and our feet were feeling it afterwards. But, it was amazing!! There was so much to see! Napoleon’s apartments were really pretty – the most amazing chandeliers I’ve ever seen. Then, of course, the famous Mona Lisa! There was a lot of really fascinating things to see. We were there for close to 4 hours and barely got through half! (All the descriptions were in French, so I recommend getting the audio tour.)

Notre Dame Cathedral

Gorgeous, huge, and full of history! This place does not disappoint. The beautiful ceilings and windows are full of detail. There are audio tours available and I’d probably recommend doing this since all the descriptions throughout are in French. If you go, make sure you pay to see the treasury. This is where they have what is claimed to be a piece of Christ’s cross, the Crown of Thorns, and one of the Holy Nails. They call these relics. The Crown of Thorns is only brought out for display once a month and unfortunately, we weren’t there for that. You won’t be disappointed just walking around the cathedral. It is breathtaking, inside and out!

Love Lock Bridge

Another favorite spot was definitely the Love Lock Bridge. There are two different bridges and I just chose to put our locks on the cuter one. It was a really fun experience – the kids loved it as much as I did. The tradition is to write your name on a lock, lock it onto the bridge, and toss the key in the river below! The experience was one for the books! (NOTE: Bring your own locks from home. They sell them there for ridiculous prices!)

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The kids are writing their names on their locks!

The Palace of Versailles

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We rode a golf cart around the gardens!

We took a train that lasted a little under an hour to the Palace of Versailles! Beautiful palace, massive gardens, fascinating history! The gardens weren’t as beautiful when we went because all the trees were dying and the statues were all covered. It must be breathtaking in the Summer, but then you’d have the overwhelming crowds of tourists to deal with. My favorite part was Marie Antoinette’s private chateau. The house was really cool and her gardens included a charming little stream with Le Temple de l’Amour.

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Le Temple de l’Amour, located in Marie Antoinette’s private garden.

Will I go back to Paris?

In the end, I’m glad we went to Paris to see what needed to be seen and, because of the terrorist attacks (which you can read more about here), I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for Paris. Being completely honest, though, I doubt I’ll ever want to go back.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]