only ONE week away!!

Where have I been the last 72 days?? No good answer except that this summer has been rediculously busy. Busy doing nothing but DREAMING of PARIS!!

Well my dreams are about to become reality. Paris is officially 7 days away. My itinerary has changed a bit (For the better!). My cousins (originally from Lansing Michigan) have decided to join me half way through the trip. I'm VERY excited to have them join me. We will be enjoying more wine than should be allowed!

Day 1: Sept 1st: afternoon flight DSM-Chicago. Chicago to Paris. Arrive in Paris morning of day 2

Day 2: arrive in Paris at 9:30am (hopefully nearly on time). Take a 3 hour train (TGV) from the airport to Rennes to visit my friend Cedric. He'll pick me up from the train station and then the fun begins. We will be taking in the sights, sounds, and multiple drinks throughout Rennes that evening. Hoping I'm able to stay awake for more than 24 hours :)

Day 3: Hopefully I'm well rested, but assuming I'll have a terrible hang over. Thanks to Cedric in advance. Cedric mentioned maybe going to the Western Coast to take in the ocean senery, pending our energy level.

Day 4: Cedric has to work all day, so I will be taking in the senery all by my loneself. Looking forward to it though as Cedric has A LOT more energy than me :)

Day 5 (Sun Sept 5th): Taking an early train back to Paris, arriving around 11am. My cousins Shanna & Stephanie are flying in the same morning. We will all meet up at our hotel (which ROCKS!). We're staying at the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan Hotel which is super close to the Eiffel Tower. This day will be pretty low key since the girls will be just arriving & jet leg will definitely set in. I will be well rested though, so hopefully I can get out and about on my own if they decide to nap.

Day 6: Monday's aren't the greatest day for tourists as a lot of museums & restaurants are closed. But, we might be checking out either the Notre Dame or the Sacre Couer (or maybe both!).

Day 7, 8, 9, & 10: We have NO itinerary (which is perfectly ideal). One of these days will be spent in the palace of Versailles. This consists of a 30 minute train ride west of the city. We'll probably spend the whole day there.

Day 11 (Sat Sept 11th): Flight back to reality. Ughhh.. My flight leaves Paris at 11:15am, but arrives in Chicago at 1:30pm. Got to love the time difference. By the time I get to DSM, it's around 4:30. Sadly I will miss the Iowa vs Iowa State game that day. GO HAWKS!


Some of the MUST do's I've come up with include:

• Eiffel Tower
• Louvre
• Walk the Seine River
• Eat a macaroon
• Rent a bike through the Velibe program
• Arc de Triomphe
• Walk/Shop the Champs Elysees
• Montmatre (Sacre Couer)
• Picnic in a garden w/ a baguette/cheese/wine. (Luxembourg Gardens)
• Drinks lots of wine
• Window shown in the High End Kitchen shops (Blvd St Germaine)
• Take WAY too many photos
• Eat a crepe
• Roam the streets aimlessly
  

Some of my favorite blogs are David Lebovitz, Girls Guide to Paris, and Lost in Cheeseland. Most nights I'm researching different blogs about restaurants, suggestions on tours, best wine bars, average temperatures, clothing suggestions, typical day in the life of a Parisian, etc. Basically, this trip has taken over my life. I'm that annoying friend/sister/co-worker who talks about the upcoming vacation on a daily basis. Thankfully no one has told me to shut up yet.... key word YET.

You probably won't see another update before I leave, but when I get back you will be overloaded with everything french.... Au Revoir!