What can I say about a place that is filled with love and excitement? A place where people come to bask in the atmosphere of romance. Of course, the place I'm talking about is Paris, France! Like everyone else I wanted to take my wife to Paris and enjoy a place of affection. I decided to take her on a four-day adventure of touring and eating some of the best French cuisine in the world. I booked a lovely three-bedroom apartment within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower. The first order of business was food and plenty of it because we decided to bring our three daughters and son along on this trip. We found a café near a park that sold probably the best crepes we ever had in our lives! We knew then that we made the right decision to come to this city. Normally, we request the guidance of a tour guide, but we wanted to explore the city on our terms and time. We took our time sightseeing and finally arrived at the Eiffel Tower. I was amazed at the detail of the structure. To see my wife and children's eyes light up with excitement filled my heart with great joy and pride because I feel every woman should experience this moment in their lives. Also, I feel every child should have the opportunity to learn history by traveling the world and witnessing things for themselves. We must have taken thousands of pictures from all angles. Upon further research we found out you can eat inside at the restaurant in the Eiffel tower, but they were booked for the day.
Some locals told us to come back right before midnight to see the light show and we knew we didn't want to miss that! We proceeded to walk towards all the beautifully engineered bridges and admire the detail of the architecture. It seems like the French architects wanted to show the world that they were high society because everywhere we looked objects were dipped in gold such as the Dome church of Les Invalides. I was a history major so understanding the significance of the Arc de Triomphe which was built to honor those who fought in the Napoleonic wars was amazing to witness in person. The family was particularly stoked about visiting a central landmark, the Louvre. Everyone tried to get a perfect picture touching to the top of the glass pyramid. There were these moments where I would catch my wife smiling or laughing and it felt great. The children seemed genuinely interested and bright-eyed as I shared the history throughout our sightseeing adventures.
The following day was full of adventures. We prepared our breakfast in the apartment and later walked around to just take in the scenery. One of the most amazing things happened. We happened to hear loud music playing and observed a large crowd cheering. Of course, we had to see what was going on. As we walked closer towards the crowd, we heard Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars blaring over some speaks. Now if you know good music, you know this song can get a crowd super hype. About four street dancers were putting on an epic performance. The crowd loved it and we loved it as well. At that moment there were no language barriers, we were all dancing to hip hop music and completely enthralled by the hip hop dancers.
Next, we went on to sightsee Notre Dame, the most stunning medieval Catholic cathedral. Not only am I a history buff but I also admire the intricate architecture. This French Gothic architecture is stunning to witness in person. I must say I was shocked and saddened to hear of the fire that engulfed the Notre Dame in addition to the damage to some religious relics and artwork. Out of all the sightseeing, this was a memorable experience.
There is so much to see and do that I can't include everything. But I must add this very important highlight that made this a trip of a lifetime for my wife. I treated my wife to gelato, and we were taking a stroll in the park. I look over at my wife and she is looking towards someone and is completely mesmerized, and star-struck. She pointed out to me that her favorite celebrity host, Clinton Kelly was in the park. She spoke and he spoke back. It was a moment in time that my wife will never forget.
I can't forget about the food. Out of all the fine dining and restaurants we visited, everyone agreed that this small 50's diner called HD Diner was an absolute hit. We ordered fries, burgers, shakes, onion rings, and chicken strips. The diner had the classic 50's vintage design and the waitress was very accommodating. I feel that while on vacation food can make or break a trip. All in all, this was a fabulous family trip that I wouldn't mind doing again! Paris owes us nothing!
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