Derek and I have both had a trip to Europe on our bucket lists for what seems like forever now. We had some travel points and were looking around to see if we could find any deals, and we found some flights that worked for our timeline and budget and went for it!
The first part of our trip we flew nonstop from Salt Lake City to Paris, what a dream!! I have always wanted to go to Paris since 7th grade French class!
We were pleasantly surprised at the number of times they fed us on our flights! On this flight we had a snack, dinner-- manicotti with salad and a brownie, and then also breakfast-- an egg and cheese calzone.
First look at France!
First glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!!!
Our hotel was walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, and we could see it from the street right in front of our hotel! I was beyond excited!!
We tried to get a little sleep on our flight, though we weren't super successful. We decided to just push through to try to adjust quickly to the different time zone. Our first stop that day after settling in at our hotel was the Musee de l'Orangerie.
We were able to see the most beautiful Monet Water Lilies paintings, they took up entire rooms they were so big!
After the Orangerie we walked across the Tuileries Gardens to the Louvre.
We could have spent much more time there but we were pretty wiped out so we decided we had seen everything we possibly could for one day.
We stopped at the shops right outside the museum and went to Laduree for macarons on our way back to the hotel.
It was a very scenic walk back and it was awesome to get to see the city!
We stayed at Hotel Le Pavillon and though our room was small we really loved the location.
That first night we ate at a restaurant that was basically right next door to our hotel!
After dinner we walked over to the Eiffel Tower.
It was amazing to see it lit up!
And right at 11:00 it started its nightly sparkling! It was magical!
The next day we started at the Arc de Triomph.
There were lots of stairs to get to the top, but the views are amazing!
We walked along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees near the Arc De Triomph and window shopped before getting lunch at a cafe. We stopped into McDonald's to see what they had that was different from American McDonald's, and we were very impressed with the extra food offerings they had (pictured below). I had to get some macarons just to try them out, and they actually weren't bad, and neither was the pain au chocolat!
We took the subway over to the Musee d'Orsay where we saw paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissaro, Gauguin, among many others. This museum felt a little less overwhelming than the Louvre and we really enjoyed our afternoon there.
It was fun seeing the city preparing for the olympics!
We returned to our hotel to relax for a bit before heading out to dinner.
That night we had reservations for a cruise on the Seine River, we boarded just below the Eiffel Tower.
The cruise ended at the perfect time, just as the Eiffel Tower was sparkling.
The next day we headed to Sainte-Chapelle, a historic chapel in the city with beautiful stained glass.
It's hard to tell from the pictures but each section was different, representing stories from the Bible. It was so beautiful!
Notre Dame Cathedral was very close so we walked over to see it. It is still under construction from the big fire they had there years ago, but we were able to see the outside.
We walked around and explored a bit, and stopped into a boulangerie for a little breakfast.
We then visited the Army Museum, this is where you can find the tomb of Napoleon.
Napoleon's tomb
It was really interesting seeing all the different armor from centuries ago, including tiny sized armor for kids!
This was our last night in Paris so we went souvenir shopping and to dinner before heading back to get packed up.
Our tiny Paris hotel room
Early the next morning we went to the airport to head to Zurich, Switzerland!
We talked to the kids while we were waiting for our flight, they were getting ready to head to bed and we were already starting our day.
On the flight to Zurich they gave us a bottled water and a small Swiss chocolate bar.
First glimpse of Zurich
In Zurich we stayed at the Hyatt Place at the airport, which actually was a good location for catching the train. We booked this hotel on points and it was the nicest hotel of our trip. We were even able to check in super early when we arrived, close to 8:30am.
When we arrived back in the city that evening we explored Old Town, and found a nice spot for dinner.
We were able to get tickets for the Taylor Swift concert in Zurich, so the next day we got ready, had lunch at the shopping mall in the airport, and headed to the stadium, Stadion Letzigrund.
It ended up being a super hot day, around 90 degrees, and we had to wait outside in line for hours before we finally were able to go into the stadium. They did hand out water and some sun reflecting blankets to people in line, which helped. I was wishing I had worn more breathable clothing! It didn't help that the sun didn't set until almost 10pm either!
The concert was amazing though, and we had general admission floor tickets so we were able to get pretty close to the stage, which was awesome!
It was an exhausting day, but so, so fun!
The next day we had an early flight to London.
We flew first to Amsterdam, they gave us a slice of banana bread and a water on that flight. In Amsterdam we had to go through customs again so we were worried that we were going to miss our flight. Luckily Derek asked someone if we were in the right line and they let us go in front since our flight was about to board. At the gate we got on a bus, which then took us to our plane.
On the flight to London they gave us coconut macaroons and a water. I just thought it was interesting seeing the different food we got in each country on our flights.
First glimpse of London
We had only 1 day in London so we tried to squeeze as much in as we could. After dropping our bags off at our hotel, the Z Hotel in Covent Garden, we headed to get lunch at a fish and chips restaurant, Rock and Sole Plaice.
We walked over near the London Eye and walked around. We could see Big Ben and Parliament across the river.
We walked across the bridge and were able to see Big Ben up close, as well as the Parliament building and Westminster Abbey.
We took a City Cruises boat up and down the Thames River to see all the London highlights.
The London Eye
Tower Bridge
The Shard building
Tower of London
After the boat cruise we walked towards Buckingham Palace.
We were surprised how close you could get!
We then walked back towards our hotel to get checked in. The room was so tiny!! But the location was really great.
We took the tube to the airport the next morning, it was close to our hotel and super convenient.
The drinks were tiny though!
So long, London!
I am already wanting to go back!!!
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