Hello!

It is currently 2am here... The end of our third full day in Paris. Josh is conched out besides me and I am trying very hard to be dedicated to writing this blog. We have had a fantastic past two days. Yesterday we had breakfast at the most amazing bakery I have ever set foot into! Everything was made from scratch that day and it was all amazing. Josh and I shared a carrot cake (yes this was breakfast - don't judge), a piece of French toast (although they didn't call it that) and an omelette. It was magical. We then headed to the Louvre. Our museum passes got us to the front of the line with no wait! Worth it just for that honestly. We grabbed a map and made a game plan for the day. The Louvre is open from 9am till 10pm. Long day. Big museum. We picked our favorite categories and headed off. To give you an idea of the scale of how big the Louvre is.....we were there for over 8 hours straight and saw maybe half of the works of art on display....maybe. There is literally a palace inside of the Louvre. It's the top floor of one wing. This place is a monster museum.

We started with paintings. Josh was in painting heaven. He ran from one piece to the next to the next with stars in his eyes. After the paintings section, we visited Napolean's apartments. This was the old palace inside of the Louvre. You can look at the amazing rooms that he used to live in. They are so ornate that it is breath taking. In the same section, they displayed small items that were in the same era, such as jewelry boxes, knives, jewelry, etc. Everything was beautiful. Josh and I stopped by a cafe for a needed lunch and coffee break. We then headed to see the Eqyptian works and then the sculpture gardens. Yes, there are literally gardens inside the museum. After these stops, we saw the Greek and Roman periods. I think that's all.... It was slightly numbing.

For dinner, we found a quaint restaurant near our home that served fresh French food. Yum yum! We spent more on dinner than we probably should have but it was delicious. We ate dinner for over 3 hours. Literally cleared out the restaurant once over. None of the people who were there when we arrived or even within an hour of when we arrived were there when we left. This was a proud moment for us. Hhahaha. We enjoy our long dinners.

Today, Josh and I walked around the city exploring shops. I found a dress for Josh's brother's upcoming wedding. It is the day after we get home from our trip and I needed something to wear. It was fun trying on clothes in French shops where the women don't speak the same language as you but it's still fun to play dress up with them. After hopping into a few places, we went to two different shopping arcades. These were apparently the first of their kind in the entire world. They started the idea of an "indoor mall". The first was called Gallery Vivienne and the second was called Passage Geoffery. They were both very decorated and airy. They had extremely high ceilings and tiles everywhere. I thought they were in pretty good shape for being so old.

We we headed towards a shop called Laduree. The only products sold there are macaroons. YAY. The store looks like a shop from a Disney movie. It was mint green with gold lettering. As I walked inside the shop, a wave of sweetness smacked me in the face. The interior had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and mirrors covering the walls and countertops. Macaroons were everywhere in plenty. Each a different, beautiful color and flavor. We bought a box of 8 (they aren't cheap) different flavored macaroons to take home with us. I was so excited to pick out the favors! We bought vanilla, lemon, pistachio, rose petal, coffee, orange blossom, raspberry and Marie Antoinette tea. I love macaroons. Once, I ate an entire platter full of them at a party. Once I eat one, I can't stop. Admittance is the first step.

For the remainder of the day, we visited the Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. The Arc was impressive although it was still just an Arc. The path leading up to it was very impressive though. The entire path was lined with trees for miles. You can't miss it. The Eiffel Tower was awesome! It is a seriously impressive architectural feat. We visited the second floor as well as going all the way to the tip top summit floor. At the top, we each ordered a glass of overly priced champagne and sipped it while watching the sunset over Paris. It was beautiful. The whole moment. The darker the sky got, the brighter the city got. It was amazing to watch the city "wake up" as it got later. Absolutely stunning.

We ate dinner at 11pm tonight at a cafe near our home. The best places to eat are conveniently near our place. it was delicious and not too heavy.

Night,

Lilly