Krannert Krew Goes to Germany: Spring Break 2015 Part 1: Paris, Cannes, and Monaco

Bonjour!

We started our spring/Easter break by heading to Paris bright and early! We had an easy train ride into the city, checked into our place, and head out for our first adventure! We went to Sacré Coeur, which ended up being right by our place. What a beautiful building and equally beautiful view of the city!

(Sacré Coeur)

(View of Paris from Sacré Coeur)

After that, we headed into the city and started exploring! We went to the Arc de Triomphe and Louvre for a little bit and saw some of the most amazing artwork! So cool being there! Also, the Louvre is MASSIVE. You could spend 2 weeks inside there and still not see everything. Crazy.

(Arc de Triumphe)

(Louvre!)

(Oh hey, Mona Lisa. *Not as big as you would think)

(Just behind Mona Lisa is a HUGE, much more impressive work of art called Les Noces de Cana. Truly an amazing work of art.)

After that we walked around a bit and saw.... THE EIFFEL TOWER. So beautiful. I'm amazed at how much this city has to see!

(But first, we grabbed some crepes!)

(Walked across the Love-Lock Bridge)

(So pretty!)

The next day we headed to a beautiful park and spent a lot of time walking around and exploring some not-as-touristy areas. Truly a beautiful city.

(Gorgeous park)

(BOCCE TOURNAMENT!)

We also passed by the Eiffel Tower to see it in daylight!

That evening we had THE best crepes ever (well technically the savory ones were called Gallettes, but either way they were one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted). I had a goat cheese and spinach one, and holy sweet goodness was it amazing! I ate it too quickly to get a picture...

On Sunday Katherine, Eric, and I headed to Notre Dame to attend Mass. It was Palm Sunday so that by itself was a cool experience, but to have it in NOTRE DAME was truly amazing. I was able to light a candle for my Papa who has been gone more than 10 years and was a great Irish Catholic man. It was really cool to have such a special connection there.

(Beautiful stain glass)

(A candle for Papa)

(Notre Dame is seriously beautiful)

(Katherine and I wish you were here!)

After Notre Dame, we had a delicious brunch of omelettes, and I think my omelette had literally a dozen eggs in it. HUGE. and delicious. Then we headed over to Sainte-Chapelle. As we waited in line, it decided to rain fairly hard. We kept our spirits up by rocking out to Taylor Swift and having a great time despite the weather.

I was not sure what to expect, but I was massively impressed. This was one of my favorite things to see over the entire break. SO. GORGEOUS. Stain glass everywhere. If you ever go to Paris, GO TO SAINTE-CHAPELLE. Worth it. Absolutely breath-taking. I have about a zillion pictures from inside here, but decided to only post 2.

Then we headed over to Versailles. Quite a lovely place, but with the combination of bad weather and being close to closing time on a Sunday afternoon, it was insanely crowded and it took away from the experience. Still a cool place, but it was probably my least favorite thing. We wanted to tour the gardens, but it was so windy, rainy, and cold, we decided to pass.

(My favorite parts were the ceilings! So beautiful and intricate!)

(Versailles)

Next up, we have Cannes (South France). What a gorgeous area! We were right on the beach and near all kinds of fancy stores! It's a great city, but pretty pricey! We spent our few days here walking the beach, meandering through town, and eating delicious food (including to-die-for lentil soup and the most amazing bottle of pear juice!).

(the whole crew)

(Ladies)

(That view.)

My absolute favorite thing that we did in Cannes was one afternoon we sat on the pier, talked, and ate and assortment of baguettes, jam, cheese, and fresh strawberries. It was perfection and something I will never forget!

After Cannes, we had a very quick trip to the lovely Monaco. We technically stayed in Cap d'Ail, but it's basically the same. We walked along the coast from Cap d'Ail to the city Monaco one day and HOLY GORGEOUS. It was so beautiful (see below)!