Paris for Christmas!

Paris, the posh land of delicious baked goods, the Eiffel Tower and a plethora of anachronistic art to feed your eyes and mind. To reflect this manmade visual powerhouse of a country, I will show you in pictures! 

The Notre Dame

I didn't make it to Quasimodo's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party because the line was way too long, but it is still incredible on the outside!

The Eiffel Tower

This is the iconic tower, EVERYONE knows that this tower is the symbol of Paris. Did you know that between the years 1889-1930 it was THE tallest building in the world? In March 2018, she will be 129 years old! We didn't invest in the Skip-the-Line tickets though we did get up close and personal. We also saw it from the River just as bright and beautiful as can be on our evening cruise on the River Seine. 

We ATE under the Eiffel Tower!!

Okay, not quite under, but literally a couple steps to the left. This pizza was only 10 euros and enough for my fiancé to share! So much for Paris being expensive!! If you eat in the Latin Quarter, you'll find delicious 3 course meals for 10-15 euros per person. Trust me, we ate there twice in our short stay.

Mussels (in white wine) are continually a popular appetizer (first course) in Parisian dining. 

HOT WINE

Yes, this is a real thing--not a fleeting wish of your most beautiful wine dreams!

It's EASY to replicate. Literally, take a bottle of your favorite red wine, and a bottle of apple cider (in Madrid, you'll find this at Carrefour for 1 euro and change), cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon, and honey (or sugar if you prefer) Pour the entire bottle of wine AND cider in a pot or slow cooker and bring to a boil, add two sticks of cinnamon OR 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon --(sticks are better), stir in 1/4 cup of honey (or a little more if you like it sweet) and serve HOT in your favorite mug. Mmmm...it's a dream. My day dream, my afternoon dream, my night dreams...enjoy anytime...

We metro'd, river cruised and walked everywhere.

The metro takes you right up to most of the fun tourist areas you'll probably want to see and then some! It's only 1.90 euros per ride...no need to buy the 24 hour pass (12 euros!!) if you're able and willing to walk--almost everything is walking distance. We also used a 2-day pass Batobus Hop-on Hop-Off Cruise which takes you to 9 destinations (including the famous Musée du Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame. My fiancé and I found SO many photo-worthy spots right off of the Musée du Louvre stop. Check it out!

The Musée du Louvre 

If you do ANYTHING in Paris, YOU MUST VISIT THIS MUSEUM. I repeat VISIT THE LOUVRE.

Not only is it the world's LARGEST art museum--but it contains famous original artwork like Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and the artwork you see below which is their largest painting!! With over 400,000 pieces, you could spend an ENTIRE day open to close, (12 hours) in this museum and still not see everything. There are tons of restaurants and an audio guide that helps you find artwork you'd be most interested to see. It automatically starts to tell you the history of entire artworks once you enter a room! Tickets online are 17 euros per person and also virtually has no line to enter. Tickets inside the museum are only 15 euros per person, but you MAY have to wait in line for 10-30 minutes. 

They also have a free cloakroom to hold all your things (digital keypad lock) so you can enjoy the museum with great leisure.

DISNEYLAND PARIS!!!!

It was magical; we went on Christmas Day. They have fast passes, and great rides, spectacular shows and excellent food just as Disneyland in Anaheim does (I've been  to Disneyland not DisneyWorld YET). 

They did a special tree lighting, had a special Christmas jazz show (all in English), and everyone speaks English!! Even Minnie and Mickey! It's not as big as Disneyland, nor has as many restaurants or characters walking around for photo ops and hugs...but it had its charm and I would go again! 

Paris treated us well. I would recommend going in the spring/summer time. I was FREEZING! But mainly all smiles, laughs and screams (on all 5 rollercoasters!)

xoxo,

Kimi

Follow me on Instagram for more adventures! @KamalaAlcantara