au revoir, Paris.

Our last day in Paris was a little more chill. We scratched off a couple things from our itinerary so we weren't running around desperately trying to hit every last tourist spot in Paris (which is impossible anyways...).

However, one thing that we just couldn't miss was Versailles. We got there early-ish in the morning, so we barely had to wait in line. Earliness is something that has really helped us enjoy our experience here, I believe. In fact, I am absolutely positive that I would not have enjoyed Versailles nearly as much if we had had to wait in line for three hours (by the time we left, the line was SO long. Unbelievably long.). 

I liked Versailles, but I wasn't blown away as much as I thought I would be. Maybe it was because I'd already seen pictures...maybe it was because I'd seen so many royal palaces (and La Alhambra) in Spain already...or maybe I didn't like feeling like a little raindrop in the pulsing sea of tourists that poured through every corridor and flooded every room and impeded any progress forward.

Don't get me wrong, the building was still incredible, and the gardens even more so. We only had around three hours there though, so I just didn't have enough time to get the full effect. 

outside of the palace.

inside of Versailles.

outside of Versailles.

gardens in the background.

We ate lunch at a little sandwich shop in Versailles (the town, not the palace), and then got back on the train for Paris. We headed back to the Arc de Triomphe so we could actually get a decent picture when it wasn't so dark outside. It was nice to see it during the day. We didn't actually climb it, but it wasn't hard to appreciate its massiveness and beauty.

proof that i was actually there...

After that, we hung out by the Eiffel Tower for a while...like more than hour while. Maybe two hours. Who knows? Who even counts time when they're in Paris? [okay, we did].

We rested up for a bit and then headed to Place St-Michel for dinner. It was still a bit early to eat, so we walked around, checked out a few more stores, and tried to pick a restaurant that would be extremely tasty and not ridiculously expensive. We found one.

everything was delicious. but special props to the french onion soup. it was SPECTACULAR.

Dinner in France always takes a very long time. But in a way, it's nice...you just take your time and enjoy your food. Not such a bad deal, eh?

By the time dinner was over, it was already starting to get a little dark, and we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle. We saw it sparkle once and it was breath-taking. So beautiful. Perfect end to a good day.

there was just something magical in the air...