I'm baaaack from France

France (and the one day journey to Germany) was absolutely amazing. And that's all I have to say about that. Well, not really... but I'm still recovering and have loads to catch up. So, for now, I'll leave you with a couple pictures. I promise to return with loads more info about my European adventure when I come out from all the laundry, work, and loads of other stuff that didn't go away even though I did.

.Our first time at the Eiffel Tower.

Standing in the Place de la Concorde at the Obelisk looking down the Champs Elysees. Very cool. Except for the traffic.

Walking onto the Ile Saint Louis, where we stayed. Beautiful. Ah, sigh. Wish I was still there.

But now... it's back to reality.

Paris trip approaching!

Our trip to Paris is officially within the 10-day forecast! Not that the forecast is necessarily anywhere close to being right, but here's hoping it is (as it currently stands, it's supposed to be a sunny day here in Chicago). We're leaving early afternoon, with a short stopover in Washington DC, then jetting off to Paris. Hear that weather?? NO SNOWSTORMS that might delay either flight! I'd appreciate your cooperation.

(Photo from my youngest sister's trip to Paris last summer)

My boyfriend and I have so much planned, and it'll be amazing if we get to see everything we want to. First, we've got two day trips. One to Caen/Normandy. The city still has a lot of the same buildings that were there during the French Revolution. Even street names haven't changed, meaning? I know exactly where Charlotte Corday spent a few years of her life, both while living at Le Gran Manoir and the Abbey Aux Dames! While there, we're also planning on going to the Normandy beaches to see where my grandpa landed during the D-Day invasions. Anything else we see in Caen will just be icing on the cake.

We've also got a day trip to Aachen, the furthest west you can get in Germany. The boyfriend is planning this one (as he's fluent in German), but even though it means time away from Paris I'm looking forward to it, if only because I've never been there (and I hear it's gorgeous).

And then there's Paris! The city of light! With the two day trips, we've got about 6 days in Paris. One of those afternoons (or days), we'll be going to Versailles, for sure. I want to see the palace, but even more so, I'm looking forward to checking out the Musee Lambinet, the only museum in France to have an entire exhibit devoted to paintings of Charlotte Corday and Marat.

The other days will be spent exploring everywhere possible. From Montmartre, to Marais, to the Latin Quarter. I must, must, must see the catacombs and the Conciergerie and Sacre Couer and the Chapelle Expiatoire and the Picasso Museum and the Tuileries and... well the list goes on.

I've asked a version of this before, but I'll ask again:

If there was only one thing you could see/do in Paris, what would it be?

Once I'm back, I absolutely promise to post about the trip, along with pictures, of course.

My (Eventual) Trip to Paris

This week's washingtonpost.com travel e-newsletter was all about Paris, which, naturally, got me thinking about my eventual trip to the City of Light.

I'm leaning heavily towards going in the Fall. I wish I could go in the summer, since my little sister will be there in July, but all other factors seem to be against that time of the year. For one, my lease ends in July, so I'll need to find a new place to live before the end of the month. And two - the real biggie - is money, of course. Flights, along with everything else, are so much cheaper in the Fall, and I'm already struggling to save enough for this trip.

But, enough of the things that are holding me back... I want to start planning my trip! What to see, what to do, all that stuff... While this trip is mainly for "research" purposes and exploring historical places related to the French Revolution, I definitely want to get a good vacation in too, of course.

So, I need your help!! I already have a list of places to go, but, fellow travelers, please let me know what you liked best of about Paris. If you went back, what is the first place you'd visit again? What was your favorite arrondisement, restaurant, cafe, museum, park, etc.? If there was one thing you wish you knew before you went, what would it be?

Here are a list of 'must-see' places that I've already decided on, mainly because they appear in the novel... or just because I want to visit them. =) But, please help me fill out this list with some of your favorite places.

• Place de la Concorde / Obelisk of Luxor... one of my favorite scenes in my novel takes place here, with Anne standing beside the Obelisk and looking down the Champ Elysées. Is this even possible? That's why I need to go to Paris and see for myself! ;)
  
• Tuileries Gardens... while the Tuileries Palace no longer exists, the gardens are just one remnant of the French Revolution.
• Champ de Mars / Eiffel Tower (duh)
• Versailles... mainly for the Musée Lambinet, where a bunch of Charlotte's portraits are exhibited.
• Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine... I learned about this new museum from the Washington Post article. It documents 8 centuries of French architecture.
• The Belleville quartier... one of the less-touristy and more-diverse parts of Paris, I've read that this neighborhood is one of the most electic in the city.
• A graveyard... somewhere. I don't know where. But the little I've found about Parisian graveyards say they're usually attached to a church???
• The third & fourth arrondisements... 17th century mansions galore. Enough said.

Okay, there's more places I want to see, but I'm going to leave my list like this for now. Add to it! Let me know what other must-sees should be on my list! Tell your stories of Paris! I recognize that I'm using way too many exclamation points, but it's only because I'm excited for this trip!!!!

Photo source: http://www.destination360.com/europe/france/paris.php