We Made It!

I know I'm a little late in getting this up and running, but I'd like to invite you all to travel with me and Marie on our adventure while living in Paris, France!

Leaving Newark around 6 PM and arriving in Paris at 8 AM (local time) didn't leave much time for sleep, but after a quick nap it was off to explore the city. The weather made it difficult to get great pictures, since we're both using our phones, but Paris is still a beautiful city and looks great in the day or night.

The city is very easy to navigate, as is the Metro. A lot of places are more walkable than we realized at first, so we've been walking more and more, taking in more of the sights that Paris has to offer. A lot of the major attractions are on or near the Seine, which allows a less obstructed view of the surrounding areas than being in between buildings.

The people we've interacted with have been nice so far (although this is mostly in touristy areas). And most service people will switch to English when they realize you are butchering their language, so we're getting along okay. It makes it easy, although since we're trying to learn French we don't get to practice as much.

Instead of having super long posts full of pictures, you can see all our pictures in my web gallery, which I'll post shortly.

Au revoir, New York City! (notice the Empire State Building in the lower left hand corner of the picture, decked out in red, white, and blue to send us off!)

Dans l'avion

It was a bit cloudy for our first weekend, but the Eiffel Tower is still an impressive structure.

Le Tour Eiffel

Next up was the Arc de Triomphe! This is one of our favorite monuments; it has so much history and is such an amazing piece of art.

L'Arc de Triomphe

The only way to get to the Arc de Triomphe is by tunnel:

First French dinner! Steak and Roast Chicken at Le Comptoir Boetie just off the Champs Elysees:

What happens when you go into a convenience store without speaking much of the language? Buy anything that says "chocolat," that's what. That said, these chocolate breads are amazing:

Palais de Justice:

Gates of the Cour d'Honneur:

The Seine at dusk:

Much, much more to follow soon!

À bientôt!
Erik et Marie