At last we have arrive in Paris, France!
The last time I came to Paris it was with my family and for only two days. It rained the whole time, my dad made us walk everywhere and we ate the cheapest food. So I was ready to re-discover the City of Love on my own.
W
here did we stay?
St. Christopher’s Inn Hostel in Gare Du Nord
- Accommodations: Clean and Modern.
- Restaurant in the Hostel: Fantastic! Great food and live entertainment every night!
- Location: A short metro ride from the city center. Right next to the major Gare Du Nord Train stop. Walking distance to the Moulin Rouge.
- Bonus: The hostel provided a free walking tour of Paris! We had a very charismatic and informative local guide who showed us all of the major sites and gave us some helpful tips for traversing the city.
Paris travel tips: 
- Beat the lines by going to the Louvre through a side entrance.
- If a Gypsy offers you something, don’t touch it! You touch it then you buy it!
- Paris in August is crazy busy. You can not avoid crowds.
After the walking tour we went to the Louvre. We entered through a side door, passing the huge lines through the main entrance. We bought our tickets from a machine vendor. After Jenny bought hers she reached in the slot to pick up her ticket and found that someone before us had left behind their ticket. So I got in for free! #win
Had the most refreshing ice cream in the world on a park bench in Paris.
We meandered through the Louvre for a bit and then hit the streets for some more wandering. I fell in love with Paris on that walk.
Later we had several glasses of wine and some creame brule and listened to a band play at our hostel bar. It was a perfect day.
Day 2:
Saturday morning we boarded a train and headed to Versailles. Apparently every other tourist in Paris had the same idea. Disembarking the train was like entering a mass exodus. Thousands of tourists were heading the same direction as us. It was very overwhelming. 
By the time we reached the gates of Versailles the lines wrapped around the building. We decided it wasn’t worth it to wait and decided to walk around the gardens instead. The gardens are vast and impressive. We got lost for hours and it was glorious.
We eventually stumbled upon Petit Trianon. A small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. It was Marie Antionete’s home away from home. It was charming and straight out of a storybook. I loved seeing the little french cottages and all the cute farm animals!
We had lunch at a charming and very busy outdoor cafe near the lake of Versailles and then continued to explore the gardens. We walked through the maze and far away from the mass of tourists.
The temperature was just perfect and we were secluded and exhausted so Jenny and I laid down in the soft grass and took a nap. Laying in the greenery under the perfect French sun was one of my favorite moments of the trip and I think I’ll cherish that memory for the rest of my life.
Napping in the gardens of Versailles.
