Vacation: France

We had a FANTASTIC time on our vacation in Europe. Every day was really fun -- it's hard to pick a favorite! We visited four countries, so over the next few days we'll do a post on each country, starting with:

France

We spent the whole time in Paris. We arrived around 6:30 am and hit the ground running! In three busy but fun days we saw almost all the Paris highlights.

Here's a little video that gives you some glimpses of Paris from a bridge on the Seine River:

A few insider tips on Paris:

• Don't wear your over-sized backpack through the metro turnstile -- you'll get trapped (Deron found out the hard way ... more than once)
• Don't drink Coke at the outdoor cafe near Tuileries -- one glass costs $6!
• Don't walk all the way around the Arc de Triomphe trying to figure out how to cross the busy traffic circle to get closer -- there's an undercrowd passageway right beside the metro (doh!)
• Do walk as much as possible -- even though it kills your feet, you get to see more neighborhoods and get away from the crowds (and the pesky metro turnstiles)

Despite the occasional mishap, we had a great time in Paris. Some highlights included:

the amazing view from the top of Notre Dame Cathedral

sampling chocolate crepes

climbing the steps up to Sacre Coeur Basilica and wandering through the Montmartre district (it felt more like real Paris, not just touristy Paris)
a river cruise where we saw the illuiminated bridges and monuments of the "City of Lights" -- including a twinkly Eiffel Tower

A few other pictures: