It was our first actual stop on the tour - we drove there straight from London. The coach bus loaded up at 6am on Tuesday and our group was off on our adventure! Despite an early start time, I don't think anyone slept much because we were chatting and getting to know each other (at least, I know I didn't sleep much!). Sarah - our tour manager - went over a lot of information about the tour and we drove most of the day.
To get from England to France, we had to take a ferry. The ferry boat was huge and took us past the White Cliffs of Dover. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a slow line for coffee when the ferry started moving, so I didn't get the best pictures of the cliffs. We got to see them a little better on the way onto the boat, but I didn't take any pictures at that point.
The ferry ride was fun for a while, but it was really cold outside so after a few pictures and a short chat we moved inside. Then we found out the ferry workers in France were on strike, so we were on the boat for an hour or so longer than we should have been. It was a big bummer since I was excited to get to France, but thankfully the delay didn't end up really harming anything.
Once we were back on the road, we only stopped once for lunch and then arrived in Paris. Since we were a little late, it was time to change VERY quickly and stop over at a neighboring restaurant for a Turkish dinner.
We took the "Tour of Illuminations" after dinner, which was essentially Bart (our coach driver) and Sarah driving us around the city and pointing out some of the biggest sights. We drove past many of the landmark buildings, including the Arc de Triumphe and the Louvre, and got our first real glimpse of what a pretty city Paris really is.
We could not have been driving around at a prettier time of night!
We stopped off in a Parisian cafe for a glass of champagne and escargot (which Sarah kept calling "snails", gross!). I think some people on the tour had never tried escargot before, but most people were good sports and gave it a shot. I had had it before, but never in shells. I had a hard time eating it because mine wouldn't come out of the shell.
New friends toasting our first night in Paris - we even wore coordinating outfits
I guess there is no hiding that these are, in fact, snails.
After a little more driving around, the tour ended at the Eiffel Tower. I think it was around 9pm at that point, so we had plenty of time to stay there and actually go up to the top of it.
I hardly even know how to describe the Eiffel Tower - it's stunningly beautiful. I am really glad we went there at night, because it was lit up and that made it even more stunning. Every hour on the hour it twinkles, which we missed at 10 and 11 since we were in line and in the tower, but thankfully we caught it twinkling at midnight. It was worth the wait!
Brittney and I
The line to go to the top of the tower was pretty long, but it seemed to move fast - I don't think we waited more than an hour or so. We took two elevators to the top, and the view was spectacular. It was windy but the weather was clear and we could see a lot. I was really thankful to have my nice camera with me, because I was able to get some really great pictures of the city.
The Notre Dame Cathedral, as seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower
The Arc de Triumphe, all lit up
So happy to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking out on a beautiful city
Picture taken at 11pm from the 2nd floor. I'm lucky I didn't fall over the railing trying to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower twinkling!
Eventually, we had to come down. We stopped on the lower floors for a slightly different view, then exited the tower. By this time it was somewhat close to midnight, so we decided to hang around until the Eiffel Tower twinkled again. While we were waiting, we got more pictures and Danielle and I decided to get crepes. I wish I had taken a picture of mine - it was filled with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. It was amazing but very messy. I ended up with Nutella all over my hands because I didn't eat it fast enough.
The first group photo - I have my crepe in my hand too!
The Eiffel Tower is spectacular when it twinkles!
By this time, we were all exhausted and ready to head back to the hotel. We tried to take a train but the station we needed was closed and we had trouble figuring out the system beyond that. We ended up in cabs - I remember being amused that our cab driver was blasting Jennifer Lopez songs the whole way back. When we got to the hotel, Danielle, Kris, Daryl, and I all made plans to meet up the next morning and get into the city early.
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