Hallway Art Gallery

I love going to museums of all kinds, especially art museums. I always take pictures of art and then it stays on my phone or camera. I found a neat way to display them. I call it my hallway art gallery!

It’s still growing and will soon take up the whole hallway. They are art of art. I have started including art pieces as well. Both of the below are actually ornaments.

Here are some close ups. I use 5×7, 6×6, 4×6, 4×4, and even smaller ones I have attached to bigger ones.  The big one in the middle is 8×10.

Both angles down the hallway.

I love it! 🎨❤️

Oklahoma Route 66!

Get your kicks on Route 66!! Route 66 starts in Chicago and goes all the way to California covering over 2,000 miles. It is one of the original highways in the US and saw a huge decline when the interstate highways started to bypass it. It was full of unique and cool attractions, some put in after the decline in traffic to get people to take Route 66. It was put into the National Registry of Historic Places in the 90s to help preserve some of the unique places along the way. Oklahoma has some of those attractions and is my favorite part of 66, also the only part I have been on. 🙂

We started out in Miami, Ok with the historical Coleman theater. It is free with a donation box when you walk in. It is a beautiful building and they offer tours to hear about the history.

Then we stopped in Afton to see an old service station turned car museum and passed by a cool Route 66 building.

Next up the Totem Pole Park in Foyil! One of my favorite places that we saw! They even have a gift shop.

Gift shop

Then off to the Blue Whale of Catoosa, in Catoosa, OK. This was my favorite and what I was looking forward to, can’t really say why it was just cool! They allow fishing and have a nice picnic area. I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the water.

Tulsa, OK would involve a couple days to see all that is there, it has amazing museums and shopping. Since we have been to Tulsa we only briefly stopped to stay the night. We did see the Cyrus Avery Centennial plaza and Route 66 village.

No Route 66 tour can be complete without the Round Barn and POPS which are right next to each other. There are actually several round barns in the US and the world. It is said they became popular because farmers believed they would be protected against tornados because of their round frame the tornado would just go around, sadly not true. POPs is a gas station that is known for their POP. They have over a hundred different flavors of POPs you can choose from along with a gift shop and restaurant to eat at. You name it they probably have it. Ranch dressing and bacon pops were ones I dared not to try, yuck.

We bypassed OKC but again a city that deserves several days with its amazing museums and stops. Instead we took a detour to Roman Nose State Park. It is a beautiful place far away from Civilization and very peaceful. They have several trails you can hike along with a restaurant. We went through a town called Guthrie while heading to Roman Nose, which also deserves a stop. It still has its old charm and is full of antique shops if that is your thing. It was fun to walk around the town square.

Next up was Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. Oklahoma has several Battlefields and at least one deserves a visit. Washita was the site of Colonial Custer attack on the Southern Cheyenne village of peaceful Chief Black Kettle. It will move you if you watch the free movie they provide. The battle was during the time the Indians were being forced into Oklahoma and some were rebelling. Black Kettle was actually a prominent leader striving for peace and did not believe in violence. Custer mistook his tribe for another and attacked which lead to the killing innocent women and children.

Because of the detours we took we ended up at the end of Oklahoma so the rest is a little backwards since we were heading back home. Elk City was our next destination which is where the National Route 66 museum is located. It includes the old town museum complex. We ate at Country Dove gifts & tea room which only serves lunch but it is amazing!

After we saw the National museum we went to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton. It was a really good museum and laid out well.

From there we went to the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford and then ate a Lucille’s Roadhouse Diner. The air museum takes you from the first airplane all the way to space. It was very interesting.

Our last stop was at Red Rock Canyon. It was a very short drive through and has one trail that was closed. It would be a nice place to camp. If you are going to have a picnic inspect under the table, we saw HUGE wasp nests under a few.

ROAD TRIP OUT WEST!!!

I recently went on a road trip out west to see National Parks with my best friend who was moving to Wyoming. The biggest of which was the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. With stops along the way to Denver, Colorado National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, and Flaming Gorge.

We drove to Denver first to stay the night. We didn’t get much time there and I really want to go back. It is such a pretty city and has so much to do. There are plenty of museums and a really great outdoor mall called 16th street. If you are looking to stay in Denver I would suggest staying near the 16th street mall. It has a lot of places within walking distance. We stayed at the Comfort Inn which was very well priced for the area. And def check out the Blue Bear if you are there by the convention center, it’s huge.

Next we did a couple small side trips to Red Rock and Leadville on our way to the Colorado National Monument. We got to  see the Rockies and a neat little town called Leadville on the way to CNM along with amazing views at Red Rock.

We camped in Grand Junction and then drove through the Colorado National Monument the next day. I asked around about the monument and none of my friends who had been to Colorado had been there. Even people who  lived in Colorado had not been there. I was a little worried it wouldn’t be that great. It turned out to be AWESOME!!! I highly recommend driving through it if you are in Colorado. It is a 23 mile drive up and down the mountain. The views are breathtaking and there are over 20 stops and overlooks. There are also several trails and a visitor center along with camping. I would love to go back there and hike around.

After the monument we drove to Flaming Gorge stoping at Dinosaur National Monument on the way. It was a pretty drive along the way and both places for the monument were on the way. The Quarry was interesting and the museum in the next town was nice as well.

At the end of the day we camped at Flaming Gorge which is so pretty! There are campsites with bathrooms & showers which are around $25 or you can camp by the Gorge for $10 which is what we did. It was beautiful and prong horned antelope will literally walk right up to you by the Gorge. There is also a great restaurant close by that we ate breakfast at.

Then it was off to the Grand Tetons with an overnight stop along the way in Jackson Hole!!  Jackson is an amazing little town right next to Grand Teton Village. I recommend staying there, it is a great town to walk around in. The Grand Teton village is a short drive from Jackson hole and has several trams to ride to the top of the mountain! There are amazing views at the top and a restaurant to eat at. On the way to the Grand Teton Village from Jackson is the Walton Ranch where John Walton lived with his wife before he passed away. It is on the right and has a cool fence and sign.

Now to see the Tetons! They are just as Awesome as everyone says. We took the teton park road to get to see the best parts of the Tetons. They were beautiful!! Along the way we stopped at Jenny Lake which is one of the clearest waters in the world. Then we stopped to get some more amazing pictures of the mountain before making one last stop at Jackson lake.

We made it through the Grand Tetons after several stops we were in Yellowstone! It is way bigger then I thought an involves a lot of driving. There are tons of wild animals and you will definitely see buffalo and elk while you are there and maybe a bear if you are lucky (or unlucky). Along with the trees that were burned in the many fires that have hit the park, it is sad to see them for miles. Just to give a heads up if you want to take an amazing picture of grand prismatic like you see in photos it is a 5.2 mile hike. You can see it close up and actually touch it with a short hike but as you will see from my photos it is covered in fog and hard to photograph. There are several springs to see there along with the geysers. The most famous being Old Faithful which goes off every hour or so. Some of the other pretty pictured springs are only pretty during certain parts of the year like the artist paint pots which had some dry spots when we were there. We ended up camping at Yellowstone as well and this involves a warning not for bears but for freezing! We camped in June and it ended up being 20 degrees at night and we woke up to it snowing. We didn’t get eaten by bears while we camped so that was a plus. It was amazing to see Yellowstone but there were more disappointments there than any other place we saw. Mainly due to only having a day. Overall is was good and you need to see Yellowstone once in your life for sure. I would recommend spending a few days so you can see the park properly.

Europe in pictures!

5 week Adventure through Europe!!

London-Amsterdam-Germany-Switzerland-Verona-Venice-Burano-Pisa-Florence-Rome-Monte Carlo-Carcassonne-Barcelona-Madrid-Toledo-Burgos-Bordeaux-Paris!!

Museo Nazionale is on the back of Palazzo Vecchio.

David Replica

Carcassonne

Glory Hole trail- In Arkansas!

Close to Jasper Arkansas. About a mile hike. Its a pretty easy hike. Getting down to the hole you have to climb through rocks but its not bad.

European Backpacking Costs

Before I went on my backpacking slash bus tour I did a lot of research on costs, hostels, and the cities I planned on seeing. Below is my estimate before going to Europe followed by actual costs. Since I ended up taking a tour I didn’t need the Eurailpass. I also went 5 weeks instead of just a month so I have 1 extra week on mine.

1 month Approximate:
$1050- 1 Month Eurailpass
$500- Sight-seeing & Ent ($125wk)
$400- shopping
$200- transportation ($7 day/$50wk)
$1,200- hostel ($40 a night avg)
$900- Food ($30 day)
$3950 Total for 1 Month~ $131 a day
+ Airfare ($800-$1,500)
TOTAL $4,750- $5,450

My 5 weeks:
$728- Sight-Seeing
$622- Shopping/Souvenirs
$232- Transportation- includes Ryan air flight from Paris to Rome
$972ish- Food
$504- Hostels (2 weeks)
$102- Misc                             
$3,163 TOTAL
$3,444- Tour  (3 weeks hotel, transportation, 11, meals and sight-seeing)                       
$6,607- TOTAL~ $188 a day     
$1.,090- My Airfare                     
$7,697 TOTAL~ $219 a day        

If I had not taken the tour and just stayed in hostels the whole 5 weeks it would have been about $756 for hostels for 3 weeks and $1,050 for a Eurailpass and Im sure another $100 for transportation. So $4,253 + $756+ $1,050+ $100= $6,156+ for 5 week aprox. As you can see $600 more than my estimate but remember that was just for a month.

Technically my total is $219 a day if you divide by the 35 days I was there but that includes airfare and everything. $188 a day without airfare. Since mine includes a 3 week cosmos bus tour it is more expensive than just back packing. With airfare aside and staying in hostels the whole time and buying food from the store to cook it is possible to do it for $100 a day. Hostels are usually $40 if you spend $30 on food that leaves $30 for sight seeing, shopping/souvenirs, and transportation a day. Kinda a tight squeeze but some days you will spend a lot and some just a little. You could even make the whole day with $10 for all meals. I think $150 a day is more reasonable though mostly because sometimes you will have a nice expensive meal or stay in a more expensive hostel. While you are in Europe you will want to eat out to experience the cuisine and will not picnic as much as you think. Also you will spend more on souvenirs and things than you expect. Taxis are expensive and sometimes the only option. There is always unexpected costs. Better to be safe than sorry.

As I said you will spend way more on sight-seeing and shopping than you will expect. You want to get the most out of your trip so sight-seeing will always be more than you expect. There are hop on hop off buses in every major city and they all cost about $25. Somethings that you wouldn’t think cost money- do. I didn’t think about how much souvenirs cost before I went and that I would want clothes from certain countries. Even though you may think you wont want them magnets are great souvenirs.  I wish I had bought more postcards, they are good gifts. Cheap jewelry from major cities. Souvenir shirts. Small prints by local artists. Also random things you don’t think about from certain countries. You will have plenty of gifts to buy as well.

Random costs of things:

• $2-3 for one ride on the metro. Most cities have 2-3 day passes $20-$25.
• $2 Gelato
• $73 private Vatican tour
• $30 London Eye
• $78 Tour of Windsor Castle from my hotel in London- Highly recommend!
• $15 Eiffel Tower to get to 2nd floor. There are 3 floors: 1st and 2nd are good enough. 3rd is another $9 and VERY high up.
• $12 Louve
• $20 Night time boat ride in Paris
• $35 Paris Nature museum, bone museum, gem museum, Zoo, and Planetarium day pass!
• $78 private Versailles tour
• $40 Gondola ride- heard these are not worth it. Mine was at a gondola place and VERY worth it!
• $33 River cruise in Germany on the Rhine
• $99 Mount Titlis ride in Switzerland. Any type of gondola ride up a mountain in Switzerland will be about this price. And well worth it!!

Must haves for Europe you may have forgotten:

• Zip off pants-best thing ever, pants and shorts all in one! Plus the weather can be crazy just like here, it is sometimes cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon. I went in May btw.
• Thermal jacket that can be compressed
• small blanket
• Scarves are the best accessory
• Jewelry is also good
• Tennis shoes that are worn in
• flip flops for showers
• small first aid kit
• ear plugs- it is noisy in Europe
• Eye mask
• Flat pack and packing cubes- I didn’t think I needed the cubes but having shirts, pants, and underwear in different cubes was easy to find what I needed without fully unpacking.
• Silverware and plates
• Water bottle- Water is expensive
• zip lock bags for food or other things
• neck pillow
• Compact poncho for when you get caught in the rain
• Light weight rain jacket or umbrella for when its pouring
• Adaptor/convertor all in one
• Travel towels if you stay in hostel- they don’t provide towels at some.
• Long johns
• Shaving cream- I couldn’t find it anywhere!

For tips check out my blog trip advice under my travel tips section.

I will update as I think of more~

European thoughts and Unemployment

Do something that is NOT like yourself AT ALL and see how good it feels.

Its now been 6 months since I have been back from Europe and seems like it was yesterday/years ago. I can’t tell which, sometimes I remember things when I wake up like it just happened, sometimes I think it was years ago. Sometimes I think it must have been a dream! I still can’t believe my life this last year. It started out with me quitting my job back in January due to stress from being an Assistant Manager at Target. A place I love to shop but they have some serious issues running that company. It wasn’t a quick decision I actually planned it for months while looking for another job. I realized life was way more important than 60-hour, stressful work weeks and money. Life should be about striving to find happiness not being miserable all the time. So I quit! And started planning a backpacking trip across Europe. LOL That was my dream. A friend and I had talked about it the year before and started to plan a trip. Due to some issues he was not able to go so I was faced with go alone or not at all. Which was a hard decision and its not like I could just ask someone else if they would like to go to Europe for 2 months, it was a big commitment. I have been waiting for YEARS to go to Europe; mainly Italy was my dream place. I kept waiting on people so this time I decided I was done waiting and I would take the leap!

You are going by yourself? I would just die. I could never do that. You have guts. Aren’t you scared? That would be lonely. Awe that’s okay. Those are basically what every person I told said immediately. I find that rude. I know most people meant some as a compliment or something but I found myself defending it all the time. Yep I have guts and you would be surprised what you would do if it were that or nothing. And by the fact you have never been to Europe I can see you have always chose nothing. Maybe that is a little harsh but I was annoyed and also I thought it to myself, which is what I wish they would have done. If you listen to other people’s fears you will be held back in life. It is those who don’t go the normal path that have the most fun, I have found. I know it takes guts and I didn’t think I had any up until that point. I would have never dreamed I would have quit my job and then go to Europe. I was always taught get another before you quit. Basically live in misery until you find something else. Well I had lived in misery for 3 years and nothing had come. So I jumped and crossed my fingers and planned a European tour! Lol Not exactly what most people would do when they quit their job but hey I like to think I’m not most people. I was lucky enough to not have any debt, scholarship to college years ago so no loans, and parents that were completely supportive and let me move back in….at 28. It was fine they and I both knew I wouldn’t be there long. They both were excited to have me back for a little while, it didn’t last. LOL but luckily neither did my unemployment! Ill get to that later. Back to Europe!

Europe bound in May! Originally it was suppose to be in March, since I quit in January. I was still waiting on my friend so it got pushed back until I knew they weren’t going. My original plan of going 2 months, taking trains, and staying in hostels got changed a bit too. I ended up taking a 3-week tour and back packing for 2 weeks by myself. I thought a full 2 months on my own would be too rough, now I know I could have done it. So when people said I had guts I didn’t agree; guts would be doing it all on my own.  I also thought my now planned 5 week trip might be too long. Wrong again I could have gone 3 more months I loved it so much!  5 weeks was great though, just enough to get me hooked!

I started out in London staying in a hostel for 4 nights before starting my tour. The hostel in London was Amazing! It was a great hostel experience, nothing like the movies scare you into thinking. There was a really loud train bridge next to it but with ear plugs it was just fine. Then when you walk out the door and under the train bridge BAM Big Ben and the London Eye less than a mile away! Great start to my trip. I met a lot of cool people I went around with at the hostel. Oh and I saw the Queen of England in her carriage opening up Parliament, no biggie. J Needless to say I was immediately hooked on Europe. I met up with my tour group and heading to Amsterdam, not knowing the girl I sat next to would end up being my roommate!  I took a Cosmos tour and had a shared room. I was nervous about it but it turned out good. Amsterdam was just a brief stop so I didn’t get to see much. Enough to know it is a beautiful city. We basically drove through Germany except for a river cruise to see some castles. Then to Switzerland to see the majestic Swiss Alps. Off to my destiny ITALY to see Venice, Pisa, Florence, and Rome. Through France’s beautiful Rivieria to see Nice, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Carcassonne. Into Spain for a stop in Barcelona and Madrid. Back into France for Bordeaux, Ambroise, and then end in Paris! That is where I stayed at my second hostel. This one was so so, good hostel, location wasn’t so much. In Paris I found it was very hard to find a centrally located hostel. I also learned a valuable lesson about airports and places you stay. For instance, Paris has only 2 airports Orly and De galle. If you see another mentioned know it is actually an hour an a half away. That was the worst day of my trip getting there and then arriving back in Rome because I knew I would want more time in Italy than the trip allowed me so I flew back. Right when I got there the metro went on strike. I finally made it to my final and most amazing hostel!! I can’t even describe how great it was. The hostel owner cooked dinner every night- for free, took us out on the town in his car-for free, better WiFi than most hotels-free, free breakfast, and it was $35 a night in Rome! He also bought me tiramisu for my birthday! Best 29^th bday ever! And a great end to an Awesome trip!

Homeward bound. When I arrived home it was back to my parents house and on a job hunt. I got to experience what it is like to be unemployed, by choice. I know it’s different when unexpected. It was hard just like before when I would look when I had a job. I would look around on the internet for jobs and to try to figure out what I wanted to do. Apply for a bunch and hear nothing. Get with all my connections to help out and nothing. It was a scary feeling. Although my old position had not been filled (in 8 months) so I knew I could go back there. But that was a last resort and a giant step back. I started feeling completely lost and wanting to go back to Europe. Also wishing I had stayed in Europe, got a job at a bakery or boutique or as a travel guide! But I was stuck in the US day-dreaming. If that was a profession I would be rich! I was about to give up after 4 months of searching and nothing, I am aware this is actually not long. I have a new respect for people who are unemployed, it takes a toll on you. Its hard to stay motivated after awhile and its just depressing. There is so much negativity associated to people who are unemployed which doesn’t help.  People think it is easy to get a job. Yes you can go work at McDonalds tomorrow but some people don’t want to do that. The longer you are unemployed the harder it becomes to find a job. Not only because people think that the longer you are unemployed the more worthless you may be but also because you start looking less because you are so depressed an unmotivated. And I have always been a very motivated hard working person but unemployment changed that. I saw myself in a new light and it was scary. Right when I did give up and was getting more depressed- I got an interview! In a company I have always wanted to work for! I was in shock through the whole process and in the interviews. Not because they were bad but because I did so good. It was like some other person who wasn’t nervous took over my body and said all these awesome things. And guess what? I got the job!!! So now I have been employed for 2 months and I am finally starting to feel happy!

Just to think a year ago I was miserable and dreaming of what I wanted. Then I quit my job and made that dream come true! Europe and the job I always wanted all in one year! And right before I turn 30, well in 6 months ill be 30! So I have plenty of time to do some more awesome things! 2013 has been a great year for me!

My Advice(if you want some):

1. If you want to take an AMAZING trip somewhere – Do it. Do it now. Most jobs will give you extended time off for a trip of a lifetime.
2. You can go to Europe/travel alone- yes its scary at first but it wears off the moment you get to your hostel/hotel and you realize you didn’t drop dead like you thought. If it is this or nothing…well we know what I chose. And if you are a girl you will be fine, you go places here all the time alone, there is no different. Just don’t follow people into alleys.
3. You have more guts then you think you do, use them!
4. Don’t listen to others negativity or fears. Follow your gut and how you feel.
5. Plan! If you are going on a trip of a lifetime plan out every detail, don’t go with the flow. You will miss something.
6. If you are unhappy at your job get a new one. Stop putting it off. If you have the funds and supportive family/parents just quit. The fear will help you look more and really prepare for interviews.
7. If you do quit or are unemployed- spend your time wisely. Don’t waste it and then regret what you should have done. 9 months goes by fast!
8. SAVE. Seems like it is becoming a foreign concept. When I quit my job and went to Europe people were confused as to how. It is called savings. Yes I know a lot of factors go into not being able to save like: college loans, getting married, having kids, making dumb decisions. I also know some people have struggled their whole life in poverty and it is tough to get out of. I’m not talking about them, I’m talking about the others who could save but don’t.  Even a little amount every month is something, better than nothing. Here is a thought: Why not have kids later and travel in your twenties? Don’t be the norm. Its more fun, I promise.  Why not use your twenties to get out of debt. Why not instead of charge everything under the sun and hope you pay it off later, buy what you can afford. Save.
9. Stop day-dreaming and make it happen. Find out what makes you happy and go after it.

10. Do something that is NOT like yourself AT ALL and see how good it feels.

I have never been a person who likes change. I have always been a person who is held back by my fears and insecurties. This year has taught me that was all dumb. There is nothing (well almost nothing) I can’t do if I don’t at least try. This year I quit my job and became unemployed, went to Europe by myself for 5 weeks, and got an Awesome job at a company I have always dreamed of working for. If you’re not afraid life can be pretty sweet. Bring on 2014, I am so gonna rock you!

PARIS!!!!!

Paris, Paris, Paris!!!!!! I completely see why people fall in love in Paris. I’m not a lovey dovey person either and I didn’t fall in love with a person but the city! My one complaint is that there is not enough people around playing beautiful Parisian music, much like in Italy it creates an atmosphere. I would suggest downloading some nice French and Italian music before going to either. Just stick in your earplugs and wander around all the beauty. There is sooooooo much to see here. A month probably wouldn’t touch it but I tried. Its also an amazing city to walk. You can actually see it in a day if you have to by just walking the entire city. I was in Paris 5 amazing days!  How anyone can see the Eiffel Tower or walk down the Champs Elysee and not be impressed I don’t know. I had been traveling a month by the time I got to Paris. Luckily I hadn’t been sick but as usual I thought “wow I’m so lucky I never got sick”. BAM I got sick in Paris. Still had fun anyway!

Attractions:

• Eiffel Tower
• Arc de Triomphe
• Champs Elysees
• Notre Dame
• Sacre-Coeur
• Montmartre
• Latin Quarter
• Pantheon
• Luxembourg Gardens
• Montparnasse
• The Catacombs
• Moulin Rouge
• Sainte-Chapelle
• Jardins du Trocadero
• Jardin des Plantes
• Versailles
• Galleries LaFayette- mall

Museums:

• Louve– Most famous museum in the world and impossible to see every painting in it in a day or even a week possibly in a month. Mona Lisa is always crowded but not as bad as I would have thought. After some pushing and shoving I got to the front and took a picture. Since I knew it was small going in I wasn’t as disappointed as other people.
• Musee D’Orsay– Across from the Louve and as equally good. Has Van Gogh, Monet, and Rembrandt to name a few.
• Museum of Modern Art– Art museum close to Eiffel Tower.
• Musee de l’Orangerie–  Houses works of art most famously Monet.
• Musee de l’Armee– Army museum
• Les Invalides– Has Napoleon’s tomb and soldiers.
• Grand Palais– I really wanted to see this but with the cold wasn’t up too much. It use to be an exhibition hall for the world fair now a museum. It has art among the beautiful architecture
• Petit Palais– Close to the Grand Palais this was also an exhibition hall turned museum.
• Museum of Natural History– In the Jardin des Plantes. It has a bone, nature, and rock museum
• Ecole Militare- Close by the Eiffel Tower. Military artifacts and even knights of armor.

My tour ended in Paris, which is the perfect end. We had a drive around the city to take our pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. See the Arch de Triomphe and drive by the many museums there. Later that night me and 2 people from my tour decided to see the city at night. We started at the Eiffel tower and walked to Champs Elysees on the way coming across the replica of the statue of liberty flame now dedicated to Princess Diana. It is over the bridge she died in so it became a memorial to her after her death. Then we made it to the Arc then walked all the way down the Champs Elysee to the Louve. The Louve is lit up and beautiful at night. We then walked across the bridge next to it which is covered in Locks to the Musee D’Orsay. We didnt go in either museum just saw the outside. From there we walked to the Latin Quarter and got crepes. Then we crossed the street to Notre Dame. There was some kind of celebration going on there and bleachers were up. Close by Notre Dame is a cheap night boat tour. So we took that before heading home exhausted and happy.

Arch from the Louve

Louve at night

The next day we took a tour of Versailles that has a lot of gold. Inside was very elaborate and you could see how they bankrupted the county. The Gardens are completely amazing! They are HUGE and you can rent boats to go around in them.

Gardens of Versailles:

The next day since I stayed longer I had to check into my Hostel. Oh so much fun. I didn’t pay attention to where it was and booked it on the side of Paris close to nothing in China Town Paris. There are great bakeries there though! I super researched London and Rome and got GREAT hostels with great locations but booked Paris last and somehow didn’t pay attention. However when I came back and looked I still couldn’t find a good hostel location. I would suggest a Bed and Breakfast. I got lost on the way to my hostel which is scary in a city that doesn’t speak your language. After asking several people one finally helped. I got checked in then went back to the Eiffel Tower to go up it. I just went to the 2nd floor that cost 9 Euro, it cost more to go to the top and I heard it wasn’t worth it. From there I went back to the Champs Elysees and got more macaroons from Ladurees!! Then went back to my hostel and hung out with my roommates there who were from Scotland.

The next day I woke up not feeling great and realized I had a cold! Made it 27 days without one and it hits me in Paris. At least I made it that long. I decided I wouldn’t let that get me so I went to see Sacre Cour. It was so big and amazing and the surrounding area was just as nice. It’s in Montmartre area that is where all the artists’ paint. And where the cheapest souvenirs in Paris are. Also scammers that are fun to watch! They set up these games and all the people standing around are part of the scam. They all “play” and put down $50 bets at a time! Like anyone is that stupid. And when they loose they are like oh well. That’s $50 I wouldn’t be saying oh well! Moulin Rouge is in the same area but several blocks down, I didn’t end up going. I spent most of the day at Sacre-Cour before heading back to my hostel since I was not feeling well.

The 4th day I took my time getting around since I felt like death. When I did I went to the Jardin des Plantes that has beautiful scenery and the nature, bones, and rock museums. Along with the botanical gardens, outdoor gardens, and the Paris zoo. If you are into those things they have a 2-day pass for all of them! Spent most of the day wandering around the museums and gardens.

Paris zoo:

Gardens:

Bone Museum:

Nature Museum:

color changing ceiling

After I went to Musee D’Orsay for the 1^st Sunday of the month free admission. Line was long but went super fast. It is an old train station turned museum. They have a current exhibit on the major impressionist so that part was super crowded. They have some very impressive Monet’s and some I didn’t know he painted. They had about 6 Van Gogh painting which I managed to sneak in 3 pictures of them in a separate wing. Impressionist I wasn’t as lucky. Its definetly worth a visit.

The last day in Paris I had a super early flight! I learned an even better lesson than paying attention to where I booked my hostel. Paying attention to where I booked my flight!!! When booking cheap Ryan air flights from any European city check to see how far away the airport is. I only knew of 2 airports in Paris and for some reason thought I booked one of them. Nope. My flight was $100 and the next flight was $130 so I picked the cheaper thinking only 2 airports in Paris. Orly is one and Charles de Gaulle is the other. Apparently there is another 1.5 hours away that is considered flying out of Paris. So I got to take a nice shuttle there- luckily only $25.

Here are some more pictures and information on the major sites:

Eiffel Tower! I saw it 4 or 5 times while I was there an could have seen it a dozen times more! The lines aren’t as bad as they say just pick the shortest because there is more than one elevator. Just go to the second floor the top is even more and not worth it. There is a first floor, second, and top. The elevator takes you to the second then walk down the stairs to the first. The Ecole Militare is close by and you can take good pictures of the Eiffel Tower from there. Then cross the bridge behind the tower to the lookout point, you will see it over the bridge- an even better place to take pictures of the tower. Its called Jardins du Trocadero. If you still have energy you can walk down to porte de L’alma bridge and cross. It is where the flame donated by the US is, which is dedicated to Princess Diana. If you still have energy after that the road by the flame goes to the Champs Elysees. You will also want to see the Eiffel Tower at night for the light show!! It only happens on the hour at 10, 11, and 12.

Champs Elysees & Arc de Triomphe! So fun to walk down! At the Arc de Triomphe go to the top for one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower! From there the Champs Elysees goes all the way to the Louve where it ends. While strolling down the Champs Elysses stop at Laduree for the best Macaroons in the world! And amazing desserts! If you are walking from the arc to the Louve it will be on the right side of the road a couple of blocks down. You can always ask someone. On the way you will see the Grand Palais on the right close to the Louve- it will be the big awesome looking glass building.

Louve! The gardens are amazing to walk through. The line went fast for us and when you get in the pyramid there are a bunch of places to buy tickets. They give you a map and it has where the most important painting and sculptures are in the Louve so you don’t wander looking for them. If you have any time left Musee de Orsay is across the river.

Notre Dame: 

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