We pulled into Paris at 4:00pm, the perfect time to freshen up and hop on the metro to enjoy the breathtaking sunset at Basilica of the Sacré Coeur. After we snapped a few photos, we headed to the Montmartre District and explored the Parisian cafes and pubs.
We woke up early for our final New Europe walking tour. After a breakfast fueled by french bread, ham, and cheese, we met our friendly guides who were excited to share their beloved city, Paris. On our first stop, we took a moment to wish the Notre Dame Happy 850th Birthday! A few of us stuffed scarves and sweaters in our backs and posed as Quasimodo for a few laughs and insta-likes.
Moving on, we approached the Pont Neuf, which means New Bridge but ironically is the oldest standing bridge in Paris. It was the first to be made of stone and upon its opening, King Henry IV celebrated by throwing a party. The guests were given the best party favors of all time- a sculpture of their face that would be placed all around the bridge. Faces of all expressions garnish the frame of Pont Neuf to this day.
Pont des Arts is a breathtaking bridge glittered with padlocks of all shapes and sizes, colors, and names. Each padlock symbolizes a couples commitment to love! The love lock bridge links the Institut de France with the Palais de Lourve. Leading into the Lourve, we took advantage of taking photos pretending to push, lean on, or hold the top of the glass pyramids. Our tour guide pointed out a few secret entrances to beat the line so we could see the Mona Lisa faster.
We walked down The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the most luxurious street in Paris and climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to see rewarding views of the largest roundabout in Paris. By that time, everyone was craving French Onion Soup or Chipotle Mexican Grille– or both! Au Pied du Cochon had the best french onion soup and bread (with salt!!!).
Now that we all had some extra fuel in our systems, we set out to snag some souvenirs at the Longchamp store, sword fight with baguettes at the Eiffel Tower and got macaroons. Our personal favorite was Angelina near the Louvre!
We all gave ourselves some much needed relaxing time at the hostel and went to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night. At the top of every hour, we gazed at the gorgeous Parisian skyline and toasted to the perfect last night of our trip!
Saturday morning we set out to explore the Palace of Versailles. Lucky us, there was an amazing fountain show as well as Fall foliage in the gardens. The Hall of Mirrors in palace was perfect for selfies and the Queen’s Bedchamber may have inspired us for our future bedroom.
It was sad to leave romantic Paris, but all of us were missing our Florentine and Roman beds, gelato, pasta and pizza. It was time to return to our second homes! Our bus ride was spent giggling to American movies, journaling and getting all of our Instagrams ready once we got back into WiFi in Italy. Over 10 days, we traveled 4,258 miles across Europe, knocked four cities off our travel bucket list, made countless memories and friendships to last a lifetime!
Na zdraví, Prost, Sante, Cheers to an incredible trip with amazing people.
