Goodrick Summer Adventure Part 3 in Paris
Bonjour! Next up on our European Summer recap is our stay in Paris! If you’d like to catch up, read about our time in Finland and Amsterdam!
When planning our trip, Paris was the city I was most anxious about. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but thankfully that anxiety subsided once we were settled. Paris is definitely a big city, but we easily navigated the metro and found our way around. And when I say “we,” I really mean Mike. 😂
We had a jam-packed itinerary planned for Paris but also wanted to prioritize unplanned play time and strolling about, as the Parisians do. We began our trip by hitting the main museums, the Musee de l’Orangerie, Musee d’Orsay, and the Louvre. We opted for the museum city pass and it was well worth it! Here’s a peek at our time museum hopping.
After visiting the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay, we had dinner at a local cafe around the corner from the Louvre. There were dark clouds looming all day and finally, during our dinner under a covered awning (thankfully), we enjoyed our dinner and watched the rain. We vowed to make the best of the trip, rain or shine, so we took our time and once there was a break in the rain, we walked to the Louvre. Just moments after arriving at the Louvre and taking photos outside near the pyramids, the rain began again and tourists scattered like ants into the museum, including us.
Although the crowd surrounding the Mona Lisa was quite busy, we easily snuck around the right side of the line, getting pretty close to the masterpiece! Yes, it was behind bulletproof glass, surrounded by rope, and the area was packed with tourists, but it was still an incredible sight to see! We got an obligatory selfie with the diva herself. We spent about an hour and a half at the Louvre and managed to see several of the main attractions including The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and The Wedding at Cana.
One of the highlights of our time in Paris was our visit to the Catacombs. Jon Jon has dreamt of visiting the Catacombs for years, so this was a top priority for us. The Catacombs are underground ossuaries that hold the remains of more than six million people within an intricate network of tunnels beneath the city. The ossuary was created in the late 1700’s in an effort to eliminate the city’s overflowing cemeteries. Currently, visitors can walk through just some of the tunnels and respectfully view the remains of about 2 million people. It was a sobering experience and created a hauntingly beautiful experience for reflection. We waited in line for over 3 hours to visit the Catacombs and it was 100% worth it.
*Some of the following photos may be disturbing.*
After the Catacombs, we headed to a seafood tapas restaurant! This little hole in the wall was definitely a local place and we never would have stopped inside if we hadn’t found it ahead of time! Research pays off. We bravely ordered sea nails along with a few of our favorites, mussels, tuna, salmon, and dumplings. The final verdict: the sea snails were good!
Since our itinerary was pretty packed in Paris, I decided that making the day trip to the Palace of Versailles would have to wait for another trip. Instead, we opted for a stroll at Luxembourg Gardens. Although I’m sure it’s nothing compared to Versailles, it was beautiful!
Another top priority on our list for Paris was to have a picnic at sunset near the Eiffel Tower. Although we missed sunset due to an unfortunately long public restroom line (which we vowed never to speak of again), we did get to have our picnic! Along with many other tourists, we grabbed a baguette, bottle of wine, and a variety of charcuterie from a local grocery store and found a picnic bench and relaxed beneath the twinkly lights. The view, the food, and the company revived the evening and made the experience incredibly memorable.
During our time in Paris, we also visited Montmartre to see the Sacre-Coeur and the La Maison Rose, also known as the “Pink” House. Shakespeare and Company also made an appearance during our stay, a bookstore opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919. The store functioned as a lending library and writing place for many authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein. We came home with a few souvenirs from this beautiful bookstore!
We happened to be in Paris during the last day of the Tour de France. And although the winner of the race had won a few days before our arrival, cyclists were still racing through the city. The Arc de Triumph was entirely blocked off to cars and only racing cyclists were allowed on the streets. It was a rare sight to see the Arc de Triumph so empty! Although I was looking forward to showing Mike how crazy this roundabout can be (from the sidewalk of course), this was a pretty great view!
During our time in Europe, we checked out several board game cafes. They’re great for having a cocktail (or two) and playing board games. And yes, we’re total nerds; you can thank my husband. 😉
At this particular board game cafe, Jon Jon ordered the “big beer,” and it happened to be the size of his face. So obviously, we took a photo to capture it!
We took a day trip to experience Disneyland in Paris! When planning our trip, Mike was STOKED about this idea, so we made it a priority. And I’m so glad we did. 🤗
Disneyland in Paris is made up of two parks, Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland; we bravely tackled both in one day! Walt Disney Studios has a Toystory Land that we loved! Both Mike and Jon Jon are avid Pixar and specifically, Toy Story fans, so of course, this was our first stop at the park!
We also made lunch reservations at Bistrot Chez Remy, also know as the Ratatouille Restaurant. It was DELICIOUS! From a prefixed menu with a few choices for each course, I chose cold (recommended) tomato soup, white fish with mashed potatoes and ratatouille, and a dessert of peach jam, brie cheese, and bread. It was the stinkiest brie cheese I’ve ever had, but it was beyond good.
After a few hours at Walt Disney Studios, we walked next door to Disneyland! We’ve been pin trading for a few years now and love wearing our lanyards around the park and keeping our eyes peeled for cast members with pins. Unfortunately, the pin game isn’t as strong with cast members in Paris, so we only traded a few. But it was still super fun!
We randomly found a kid’s maze that sent us to the top of a small hill, which ended up having the best sunset view of the park. It was well worth the surprise trek to the top! After a long day, we took the train back into Paris for 1 last day in the city.
One of the highlights of our time in Paris was our last minute decision to climb to the top of Notre Dame. We had to make reservations about 24 hours in advance, but it was well worth it! We climbed a narrow, spiral staircase to the first landing where we were able to view the original bell, which is 850 years old! We then climbed another narrow, spiral staircase to the very top, giving us a 360 view of the city. It was absolutely breathtaking. This was also a fun location to explore portrait mode on my iPhone. 🤗
For one of our last meals in Paris, we enjoyed a true French experience, Fondue! We shared an assortment of meat, cheese, and bread. After our meal, we raided a dessert shop around the corner and came away with a few handfuls of macarons and chocolates. 😉
Our time in Paris was divine. Stay tuned for our next post about Scotland! And if you missed the last post about Amsterdam, read it here! Enjoy!
Goodrick Summer Adventure Part 3 in Paris
Bonjour! Next up on our European Summer recap is our stay in Paris! If you’d like to catch up, read about our time in Finland and Amsterdam!
When planning our trip, Paris was the city I was most anxious about. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but thankfully that anxiety subsided once we were settled. Paris is definitely a big city, but we easily navigated the metro and found our way around. And when I say “we,” I really mean Mike. 😂
We had a jam-packed itinerary planned for Paris but also wanted to prioritize unplanned play time and strolling about, as the Parisians do. We began our trip by hitting the main museums, the Musee de l’Orangerie, Musee d’Orsay, and the Louvre. We opted for the museum city pass and it was well worth it! Here’s a peek at our time museum hopping.
After visiting the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay, we had dinner at a local cafe around the corner from the Louvre. There were dark clouds looming all day and finally, during our dinner under a covered awning (thankfully), we enjoyed our dinner and watched the rain. We vowed to make the best of the trip, rain or shine, so we took our time and once there was a break in the rain, we walked to the Louvre. Just moments after arriving at the Louvre and taking photos outside near the pyramids, the rain began again and tourists scattered like ants into the museum, including us.
Although the crowd surrounding the Mona Lisa was quite busy, we easily snuck around the right side of the line, getting pretty close to the masterpiece! Yes, it was behind bulletproof glass, surrounded by rope, and the area was packed with tourists, but it was still an incredible sight to see! We got an obligatory selfie with the diva herself. We spent about an hour and a half at the Louvre and managed to see several of the main attractions including The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and The Wedding at Cana.
One of the highlights of our time in Paris was our visit to the Catacombs. Jon Jon has dreamt of visiting the Catacombs for years, so this was a top priority for us. The Catacombs are underground ossuaries that hold the remains of more than six million people within an intricate network of tunnels beneath the city. The ossuary was created in the late 1700’s in an effort to eliminate the city’s overflowing cemeteries. Currently, visitors can walk through just some of the tunnels and respectfully view the remains of about 2 million people. It was a sobering experience and created a hauntingly beautiful experience for reflection. We waited in line for over 3 hours to visit the Catacombs and it was 100% worth it.
*Some of the following photos may be disturbing.*
After the Catacombs, we headed to a seafood tapas restaurant! This little hole in the wall was definitely a local place and we never would have stopped inside if we hadn’t found it ahead of time! Research pays off. We bravely ordered sea nails along with a few of our favorites, mussels, tuna, salmon, and dumplings. The final verdict: the sea snails were good!
Since our itinerary was pretty packed in Paris, I decided that making the day trip to the Palace of Versailles would have to wait for another trip. Instead, we opted for a stroll at Luxembourg Gardens. Although I’m sure it’s nothing compared to Versailles, it was beautiful!
Another top priority on our list for Paris was to have a picnic at sunset near the Eiffel Tower. Although we missed sunset due to an unfortunately long public restroom line (which we vowed never to speak of again), we did get to have our picnic! Along with many other tourists, we grabbed a baguette, bottle of wine, and a variety of charcuterie from a local grocery store and found a picnic bench and relaxed beneath the twinkly lights. The view, the food, and the company revived the evening and made the experience incredibly memorable.
During our time in Paris, we also visited Montmartre to see the Sacre-Coeur and the La Maison Rose, also known as the “Pink” House. Shakespeare and Company also made an appearance during our stay, a bookstore opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919. The store functioned as a lending library and writing place for many authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein. We came home with a few souvenirs from this beautiful bookstore!
We happened to be in Paris during the last day of the Tour de France. And although the winner of the race had won a few days before our arrival, cyclists were still racing through the city. The Arc de Triumph was entirely blocked off to cars and only racing cyclists were allowed on the streets. It was a rare sight to see the Arc de Triumph so empty! Although I was looking forward to showing Mike how crazy this roundabout can be (from the sidewalk of course), this was a pretty great view!
During our time in Europe, we checked out several board game cafes. They’re great for having a cocktail (or two) and playing board games. And yes, we’re total nerds; you can thank my husband. 😉
At this particular board game cafe, Jon Jon ordered the “big beer,” and it happened to be the size of his face. So obviously, we took a photo to capture it!
We took a day trip to experience Disneyland in Paris! When planning our trip, Mike was STOKED about this idea, so we made it a priority. And I’m so glad we did. 🤗
Disneyland in Paris is made up of two parks, Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland; we bravely tackled both in one day! Walt Disney Studios has a Toystory Land that we loved! Both Mike and Jon Jon are avid Pixar and specifically, Toy Story fans, so of course, this was our first stop at the park!
We also made lunch reservations at Bistrot Chez Remy, also know as the Ratatouille Restaurant. It was DELICIOUS! From a prefixed menu with a few choices for each course, I chose cold (recommended) tomato soup, white fish with mashed potatoes and ratatouille, and a dessert of peach jam, brie cheese, and bread. It was the stinkiest brie cheese I’ve ever had, but it was beyond good.
After a few hours at Walt Disney Studios, we walked next door to Disneyland! We’ve been pin trading for a few years now and love wearing our lanyards around the park and keeping our eyes peeled for cast members with pins. Unfortunately, the pin game isn’t as strong with cast members in Paris, so we only traded a few. But it was still super fun!
We randomly found a kid’s maze that sent us to the top of a small hill, which ended up having the best sunset view of the park. It was well worth the surprise trek to the top! After a long day, we took the train back into Paris for 1 last day in the city.
One of the highlights of our time in Paris was our last minute decision to climb to the top of Notre Dame. We had to make reservations about 24 hours in advance, but it was well worth it! We climbed a narrow, spiral staircase to the first landing where we were able to view the original bell, which is 850 years old! We then climbed another narrow, spiral staircase to the very top, giving us a 360 view of the city. It was absolutely breathtaking. This was also a fun location to explore portrait mode on my iPhone. 🤗
For one of our last meals in Paris, we enjoyed a true French experience, Fondue! We shared an assortment of meat, cheese, and bread. After our meal, we raided a dessert shop around the corner and came away with a few handfuls of macarons and chocolates. 😉
Our time in Paris was divine. Stay tuned for our next post about Scotland! And if you missed the last post about Amsterdam, read it here! Enjoy!
