Random-osity: A Whirlwind Day In Paris!

We are currently in Israel for our nephew's bar mitzvah and a little vacation for ourselves - BUT on the way here, we had a 12-hour layover in Paris and packed all of the big sites in. We walked a ton and really took in the city in the few hours we had!!

We took the train from Charles De'Gaulle to downtown Paris and walked towards the Notre Dame. There was still a lot of signage from the Paris games which was fun to see and I instantly fell in love with the architecture and little cafes on every corner.

It was so amazing to see the Notre Dame as they work to rebuild it after the fire. I hoped we'd hear the church bells which just began to sound but the timing didn't work out. It is a work of art and so amazing they can work on restoring it to its glory! After we stopped there, we walked along the Seine for a bit before getting on the Metro to head towards the Eiffel Tower!

I was SO excited to see the Eiffel Tower! It is such a spectacular feat of architecture and amazing how it looms over the surrounding streets - we ate lunch at a cafe in it's shadow and it was so special to know it was there. We took in the views from right under it and then across the river and each view did not disappoint!

Then we were back on the metro heading towards the Arc De Triomphe! We spent a few minutes underneath the arch but didn't have time to climb to the top. It was special to see the memorials to France's fallen soldiers, especially so close to the 11th of November.

Then, it was back to the metro and we headed down the Champs Elysees a bit before getting off and walking the rest to the Tuileries Gardens. It felt so picturesque there with the tree lined paths and ducks in the ponds.

Our last stop was the Louvre Plaza. Sadly, no time to go in, but seeing the famed glass pyramids was pretty fun! We did get a "free glimpse" through some windows of the Louvre as we headed to the Domaine National du Palais-Royal a block away. That was a really fun last stop before we headed back to the train station and back to the airport!

We were a little insane with how much we packed in but I am so glad we saw the "greatest hits" so to speak! We were also quite happy to sit back on the train after a very, very active day right after a red-eye flight!