Paris (Days 1&2 of 3)

SO! Yesterday we arrived in Paris at 10:30 a.m. after a grueling overnight bus ride from London. Let's just say London residents could probably still smell our breath.  We found our way to our apartment (that we rented on Airbnb--great site--check it out!) with NO help whatsoever from the information desk. Side note: Parisians really are helpful, just not the ones at help desks. Go figure. The flat is in a great location since we're next to a ton of cafes, patisseries, and specialty markets. Unfortunately the flat itself is no Ritz Carleton, but hey! No complaints here. We relaxed for a bit before adventuring out, but as usual had a packed day full of sightseeing! First we walked down to the Champs-Élysées, a street of high end shopping, cafes, and mini parks. One shop mixed high end fashion with Ferraris. Needless to say, we didn't buy souvenirs here. The walk ends at the Arc de Triomphe, which was actually a lot bigger in person than we expected. The best part was probably the memorial to the unknown soldier under the Arc itself. 

Next, of course, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which no trip to Paris would be complete without. We took the elevator to the top (281m high!) and could see the whole city. Pictures will tell the story better than words. 

Today, we woke up early again--gotta stick to that granny schedule we've been on!--to take the train to Versailles. This palace was absolutely breathtaking. From the Hall of Mirrors to the Royal Gardens, the Kings and Queens of France really had it made. The grounds themselves were enormous. When there is a minitrain from one end of your land to the other, you know you're doing something right. We didn't see Marie Antoinette's chalet because it was too far, but the gardens and royal bed chambers were enough to fill three hours of our day. 

We took the train directly from Versailles to the French Open, which for Rachel meant crossing off a part of her dream to attend all four major tennis tournaments. While we didn't see any headline players, we did have a lot of fun! First we saw a senior mens doubles match, which was hilarious because even the players didn't take it seriously. At one point one player pretended the throw out the chair umpire and dragged him out of the stadium! Next, we saw a women's doubles match with four of the top 30 players in the world. We had front row seats! At the tail end of our visit we caught a few point of the wheelchair tennis tournament and watched Djokovic and Nadal on the big screens outside Suzanne Lenglen court. 

Tomorrow we'll have another absolutely packed day, and then off to Valencia, Spain on Friday morning! We changed our plans a bit in search of warmer weather, but we'll still be venturing north to Barcelona next week.