First Paris

When planning our trip to Lublin, I thought it was also a wonderful opportunity to see Paris. Although Paris and Lublin are 1,000 miles apart, it's just a two hour flight to Warsaw. Now, we are talking dream trips! 

View from the terrace of Galeries Lafayette

What can I say about Paris that hasn't been said before? I can think of only one thing, "I was there." I was in love with Paris before I arrived. Now, I am even more so.

It's hard to describe how I felt when I first saw the Eiffel Tower, the Palais Garnier Opera House, the Louvre, the Seine. It really was a dream come true. Although Jon and I endured a long overnight flight from the U.S., we started our first adventure soon after arriving. We walked to Galeries Lafayette department store and up to the terrace so we could see our first glimpse of the city! 

During our six days in Paris, we visited the Musée d'Orsay, a former rail station on the left bank of the Seine. The art and the transformation are breathtaking. We loved our guided tour of the Louvre. Magnifique. The Louvre is a marvel should be listed as one of the wonders of the modern world. And yes, we saw the Mona Lisa. 

Monet's garden

One of the many highlights of our stay was an afternoon trip to Giverny, France, a village in Normandy, to visit Monet's home and gardens. I could see the water lilies in his paintings. Our driver took the scenic route through the picturesque countryside so we could see the medieval town of Le Petit Andely, Richard the Lionheart's castle ruin Chateau Gaillard and Chateau La Roche Guyon, Rommel's headquarters during WWII.

On our way to dinner in the 17th. 

We dined at outdoor cafes and Jon fell in love with the pots de creme. Each meal was divine, including lunch on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and the lovely dinner with cousins, Richard and Patti Sigman, who have been living in Paris for more than 25 years. We were having such a good time, I forgot to take a photo, except this one of Patti and Jon walking to the cafe in the 17th arrondissement. 

As we said au revoir to Paris, more was awaiting for us in Poland. We just didn't know what.