Paris: Part Deux

Last time I was in Paris, I refused to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I decided that if I was going to go to the top, I'd rather share it with someone special. A few weeks ago, Eric and I finally got that opportunity.

In November, Paris is chilly, making you want to wrap up in your warm scarves, boots and wool coat. The lights strung for the holiday season added to the beauty in the City of Lights - if it's even possible. Paris in the springtime is completely different. Everything in the city was coming alive. Flowers were blossoming, trees had already gotten their leaves back after the long winter, and the Parisians out enjoying every moment of the Saturday sunshine.

Our first stop was to grab a bite to eat. We sat down at a cute cafe across the street from Notre Dame. Eric ordered some sort of sandwich topped with a ton of cheese and a couple of espressos. The sandwich was delicious and the espresso is just what we needed to push through our jet lag.



After lunch, we walked across the bridge on the Seine River, towards the old cathedral. The river was gorgeous with boats floating down and spring blossoms dripping over the edges full of color.



The view of the detailed cathedral was enhanced by the spring flowers. It was like a photo out of a tourist book of Paris.

We walked into the gardens and enjoyed the beautiful pink flowering trees and fresh tulips surrounding the church. It was Easter weekend, so the locals and tourists were out in full force. We wanted to go to the top of Notre Dame again, but we decided that the line was too long. It was such a nice day that we decided to walk to the 2.5 miles to the Eiffel Tower.



Once we got there, we saw the longest line to get to the top. We figured we had come this far we might as well wait. 3 hours later we boarded the first elevator in the tower.




The view from the top was incredible. It's hard to imagine just how tall the structure is until you are at the top. It completely towers over the entire city. The tall black building in the background is hotel we stayed in last time in Paris - the Concorde Lafayette.



After our LONG adventure getting to the top of the Eiffel tower - we decided that it was time to grab some dinner. We were just in time to duck into a small cafe as it started to sprinkle. The cafe was just as you would imagine a cafe in Paris to look like. Quaint, cozy and someplace that would be very hard to pass up even if you weren't hungry.



The items on the menu included all of my favorites: wine, cheese, creme brulee. What else do you really need? The wine was very special not only because it was good, but because we shared it in a tiny cafe with Parisians speaking french, a great waiter and watching the rain fall outside as we sat at our cozy table enjoying every moment of it.



Our FABULOUS dessert:



And finally, a photo of the Eiffel Tower as it stood behind our cozy cafe lit up in the night sky:



Our conclusion to the short trip is to believe all of the hype. Paris really is as beautiful as the stories you have heard about. The food is even better than you could have imagined and it really is better to share it with someone special.