Friday, July 17, 2015

Europe Day 1 (Paris)

I had grand plans to blog my epic adventure (GRAND plans). As you can see, that did not happen. Now fully re-assimilated back into the real world (yawn), I think a retrospective is in order. It's also therapeutic in accepting that I work an office job and my life is not one long Eurotrip (yet...)

Day 1 was, more accurately, 2 days. My travel buddy and I took off around 11am Thursday in Phoenix, landed around 10am Friday in Paris, and, aside from a few cat naps on the plane (so many movies to watch! so much excitement!) didn't sleep. Rather than sneaking in a few hours of sleep once we checked into the hotel, we freshened up and went right out into the city.

Musee Rodin was the plan, but by the time we got there, it was Friday afternoon and it appeared to be many others' plan. Plan B: skip it and wander. 

Across the street from the Rodin Museum was a green space with armed guards at the entrance. Naturally, that seemed like a good idea.

Esplanade des Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb

Many panorama shots were taken.

Napoleon's Tomb

I wish I knew more about this sculpture. I was fascinated. 
The map (touristing so hard) showed another huge green space nearby. I want to go to there.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Palais de Luxembourg

20 statues of noble and notable French women surround the main plaza. Dig it.

Much love for Eugene Delacroix.
Amazing roses
Absolutely gorgeous. I could have spent a whole day wandering around these lush grounds, people-watching, or just reading a book and sipping wine.

Pro Tips and Rookie Mistakes

  1. Pro tip: power through. Despite ending the day tired and hangry, skipping the nap was a good choice. Other than being a little tired the next day, I escaped jet lag.
  2. Rookie mistake: plan ahead... some. I'm glad we wandered. It put much less pressure on that first day, and it allowed us to discover some off-the-beaten-path gems. A wise plan would have been finding some possible places to eat and take breaks. By evening I was so hangry I could have eaten my travel buddy, and that is not nice.

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