Paris, France

I don't know what to say about Paris except that what we see in movies and on TV does not capture the beauty and magnificence of the city. 

I'm on the bus back to Swansea from Paris now, and I'm still in France now.

It's weird because you can't believe that you're in a place until you see the iconic scenery of that place. That's what is was like to see the Eiffel Tower, until I saw that, it didn't feel like I was in Paris. But seeing it up close and going on it and touching it is something I will never forget. It is more beautiful in person than any person can capture.

And I felt the same way about the Louvre, except more so, I think, because the Louvre has so much more history in France and it was something that I never thought I'd see. Seeing the pyramids was unbelievable and seeing the Mona Lisa was indescribable. The painting itself is interesting, yet small, but I was more excited that I was in the same room with a piece of Da Vinci's work. Plus, it wasn't only the art that was beautiful, but the architecture and the building itself was as well. I still can't believe that I was there.

Finally, we went to the Notre Dame, and got to climb to the top and see the view of Paris from there, which was amazing, of course. Lots of stairs though, but no hunchbacks or gargoyles coming alive. We then went inside and it was breathtaking, we could see the evolution of the building and the beauty of the building itself. Of course, little did we know that a service was starting while we were in there. Apparently the keep the place open during services, but we could listen to the organ music and the singing and it really made the visit and experience. 

Finally, visiting Paris around Christmas was great because they have an amazing  Christmas Market and it was a lot of fun to walk around there. 

Paris was cool because we got to talk to some locals and listen to their stories. We also got to try French wine and cheese, and crepes of course, and it was nice to be able to immerse ourselves in the culture. We could get around, however, without knowing French because many people there can speak English, but we did learn a little while we were there.

The only thing I wish I had was more time in these places to see other things, and not just the city. In Paris for example, I would have loved to have made a trip to Normany to see the beaches, I would have loved to see Versailles, and I would have absolutely loved and wish I could have seen Alexandre Dumas' house. But I suppose those are now a reason to go back, and I am perfectly happy with what I did see.