We started out the day going to Versailles which, surprisingly, wasn't as grandouis as the other gardens we have been to. It was built because the person who owned the chateau we went to yesterday threw a party and the king felt "upstaged". He then proceeded to imprison the owner, hire his architects and designers, and demand they make him a palace bigger than the other one. The grounds were cool but the fountains only ran at certain times so it was a little difficult to plan around those.
After walking around with the group we broke off and grabbed some food. While we were eating we saw a sign for paddle boating along the giant canal in the gardens, it ended up being only around 5€ per person and it was SO FUN! We had no idea how to steer the boats and whenever someone came toward us we would just have to yell to get their attention and hope that they were better at paddle boating than we were. Janae was not nervous at all about the boat tipping but me and Katie were freaking out, Janae thought it was funny to make the boat the rock. Janae is lame. (Just kidding she rocks). We were only on the canal for 45 minutes but the weather was perfect, everyone was in a great mood, and best of all no walking was involved.
After walking around with the group we broke off and grabbed some food. While we were eating we saw a sign for paddle boating along the giant canal in the gardens, it ended up being only around 5€ per person and it was SO FUN! We had no idea how to steer the boats and whenever someone came toward us we would just have to yell to get their attention and hope that they were better at paddle boating than we were. Janae was not nervous at all about the boat tipping but me and Katie were freaking out, Janae thought it was funny to make the boat the rock. Janae is lame. (Just kidding she rocks). We were only on the canal for 45 minutes but the weather was perfect, everyone was in a great mood, and best of all no walking was involved.
Ok I'm going brag for a minute, I packed perfectly for this trip. We spent 7 days in Italy (roughly), and now we are in France and going to the UK very soon. I packed 3 pairs of shorts, two dresses, 2 tank tops, three solid tshirts, a few vnecks, sweaters, 5 pairs of jeans, a heavy jacket, a light jacket, converse, boots, and AMAZING walking sandals! Some people didn't check the weather and only packed shorts and dresses.. It is currently around 50 in Paris. So while people complain about hypothermia I am toasty warm inside my layers and jacket that I remembered to bring! In the morning it always starts out really cold and so far it has been hit or miss if it's going to be cold or not that day. In the shade it's always cold but if the sun happens to be out it can be either freezing OR slightly under freezing. Moral of the story, I did a great job packing; thanks mom 😊
After our boating experience we made our way towards the Arc de Triomphe. Paris is way bigger than any of us thought and it takes forever to get place to place. It's also a lot nicer than Rome which was a pleasant surprise, I don't feel like everyone around me is trying to pick pocket me. It's still not as great as America but I'm probably biased. We got a student discount and walked to the top of the arc for only 7.50€, which is not bad at all! It was so cool, you could see for miles! It wasn't until I got to the top that I fully realized how massive Paris was. The view was definitely worth the huge spiraling staircase we had to climb to get to the top!
Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower twinkles at 10:00 pm, so we decided to plan a picnic. We went to a small, local grocery store and bought champagne, candy, chips, and all kinds of things to munch on. Then we went back into the park to a restaurant/food truck and all got more food, we were having a feast. I got a ham and cheese sandwich with a donut and it was awesome. The park by the Eiffel Tower filled up very quickly. It was a mix between families, foreigners, couples, and friends. Since the sun doesn't set until 10:00 pm everyone had lots of daylight for their picnics and games. We sat around, eating and drinking, playing different games and taking pictures. All in front of the Eiffel Tower. In Paris. It was insane.
We rounded out the night with a solid 2 hour trip home, only getting lost 3 times and taking about 5 separate metro trains. A bed has never sounded so good. Everyone on this trip is so welcoming and fun, people who love to laugh are my favorite kind of people. Tomorrow is a free day and so far our only plan is to sleep past 7:00 am, so who knows what we will get ourselves into tomorrow!
~emily
"I pee and you cry, we leak from different places" - Katie talking about what happens when we laugh too hard (I'm the one who cries) (just to clarify)
Love the candid pics. Hey dont forget my expert advice on packing! Great idea on the picnic. Miss you.
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