Paris Day 1

After about 11 hours of travel we landed in London. The flight was really smooth and we flew through the night. Not too bad! Once we were on the ground and through customs we hopped on a train to Paris. It was a bit of an adventure getting to Paris, but I'll spare you the details or maybe save them for later. Our first view of Paris:

Don't worry it gets better. We arrived at out lovely little Boutique Hotel Le Jardin De La Villa on a quiet street in the heart of Paris:

The rain stopped as we were leaving our hotel and we were off to see the city. First things first, we made my mom's life long dream of seeing the Eiffel tower come true:

It was magnificent! Then we decided to buy a 3 day pass aboard the double decker busses. You can hop on and off as you choose and visit any of the sites you like and stay as long as you like:

The views from the top of the busses were incredible! The majority of the city is made of stunning white limestone which shines in the sunlight and makes everything bright and beautiful. Every inch of Paris is adorned with massive sculptures, ornate buildings, and stunning water fountains.

My favorite part of the day was visiting Notre Dame. It is absolutely breath taking. It was very crowded, but that didn't take away from the peaceful atmosphere.

On the way inside:

When you enter the cathedral the first thing you notice is the humongous stain glass windows!

There are paintings on some of the walls like this:

Some of them were faded and it was very dark inside, but I managed to get this shot and it's one of my favorites.

Things seemed to be going our way all day and then we got another treat. They started daily mass just as we were finishing up exploring the inside and I managed to get a front row spot. It started with the most beautiful sounding voice I have ever heard. I would have thought it was the song of angel had I not seen the man and women standing there singing. I had chills.

As soon as we stepped outside the scent of fresh baked goods was in the air. You can find cafes and bakeries on every corner and as we walked along the side of the cathedral to grab a pastry and we saw this:

I couldn't help but snap this shot of my mom trying to get a picture of this this guy half way up to the top...

with her I phone camera! I was laughing. She wanted it for her screen saver :) Silly Mommy!

We even got to hear the bells of Notre Dame!

Then back to the Eiffel Tower:

Paris Day 1 just made number 6 on my Best Days ever list. 1-5 belong to my hubby and kids.

Tomorrow - Giverny and Versailles!