Paris Sister Trip: Finale

And finally, for the finale of our sisterly jaunt through Paris. For the continuation of our second day, we wandered along the Seine in the direction of Notre Dame with plans to climb to the top. Sadly, the line was at least a few hours long, as they only let a certain amount of people up every twenty minutes, so we decided not to go up. Instead, we crossed this lovely bridge covered in "love locks," browsed the cutest book stands along the river, and enjoyed a pitcher of sangria on a boat bar.

If that weren't picturesque enough, as we were sipping our sangria, a mass of balloons was spontaneously released at the bridge across from us! I don't know what the celebration was for, but I love it!

As we continued to wander, it began to rain again, of course (ahh, Parisian weather) and we sought out shelter with every other rain-trapped tourist in the pyramid of the Louvre. Not before, quite unsuccessfully, trying to take a self picture in front of the pyramid.

Luckily, the rain quickly lightened and we had just bought a fabulously cheesy umbrella--so what better to do than dance in the rain? Especially when there's a gorgeous rainbow to back you up!

The rest of the evening was spent making our way to the Eiffel Tower--we were determined to climb that, at least, and at night for more interesting views of the city. We passed by some fabulous clouds and animal statues along the way, and I can never resist photographing a good statue butt.

The wait to go up was, well, long. And the stairs were closed, meaning only the elevators could take you up, meaning the wait was even longer. And it was cold. But I have to say, it was 100% worth it and if you're ever in Paris, I recommend climbing the Tower at night! It's just a one-of-a-kind experience, albeit somewhat frightening. Nicole (as well as several other girls in the elevator) was terrified and couldn't look down as we ascended to the first ledge and then to the top of the structure. Then, once we were up, she couldn't get near the edge. That is, until we found the Bar de Champagne up there! Wildly overpriced, obviously, but hey, when else are you ever going to have champagne on top of the Eiffel Tower? I, for one, was clearly excited. And although Nic still appears terrified, the champagne definitely helped ease her fear.

The next day was our last in Paris and while we wanted to dedicate it to shopping, we ran into a few roadblocks. Nic had a list of home goods and crafty stores like La Droguerie to go to, but each one either: was closed, had moved locations, or didn't exist (okay, they probably did exist--more likely our stellar senses of direction just couldn't successfully lead us to them). So we basically spent the day laughing at our lack of shopping, wandering back and forth through the streets of the 7th arrondisement empty-handed, and gathering picnic supplies for our final farewell picnic along the Seine.

(This poor woman was just as disheartened as we were to find La Droguerie closed.)

 
A pretty picture perfect way to the trip, wouldn't you say? And what picnic wouldn't be complete without delicious wine, a few ducks quacking nearby to keep us laughing, and some more Ladurée macarons? Merci beaucoup et au revoir, Paris!

Happy weekend, everyone!