#13: Paris

April 2025

This is my third time to Paris, but I haven't updated my travel blog on the City of Light since my first visit here in 1999!  I was just 22 years old then and had an old, grainy camera.  I went back with my husband sixteen years later in 2015 and then went back again a couple weeks ago with all four of our kids!  It was fun to be with them as they experienced this beautiful city for the first time!

Our first day in the city, we went to the Louvre.

My sister-in-law Heidi and I  with the Venus de Milo.

My daughter Lacey in front of the Winged Victory of Samothrace from 190 BC.

And my daughter Ella impressed by the Mona Lisa!

Family Selfie with a Mona Lisa photo bomb.

Even the ceiling of the Louvre is a sight to see!

My son Tanner in front of Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Emperor Napoleon from 1806-1807.

Another glimpse of Winged Victory of Samothrace 

My daughter Lacey in front of one of my very favorite paintings:

Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People from 1831.

Walking along the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the background

Although this was my third time to Paris, it was the first time we made it inside St. Chapelle.  The inside of this chapel is surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows, which tell the story of Jesus's life - leading up to, during, and after.  Most of the stained glass (~70%) is original (!!) and this is where the Crown of Thorns used to lay (now in Notre Dame).  It forms the largest expanse of stained glass in the world and is a very popular spot!  So make sure to get tickets and a timed entry well in advance!

The beautiful St. Chapelle!

And Notre Dame!  Last time I was here (1999 and 2015), it was before the fire.  So, it was neat to be able to come back and see her beauty from those that saved and restored her after the fire. 

Square Louis XIII in Marais

Lacey and Riley immediately recognized this place from one of their favorite shows, The Miraculous Ladybug and had fun re-enacting the scenes.

And of course, no visit to Paris is complete without seeing the grand Arc De Triomphe!

At 163 feet high, it's the largest triumphal arch in the world.  It was erected by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate his imperial army's victories.

Macarons from Laduree along the Champs-Elsees 😍

Travel Hack:  Go to the Sacre-Coeur.  Elbow your way through the MOBS of people and make your way to the back..... where you get pretty much the same view and have the whole place to yourself!

But make sure you leave plenty of time to walk around the Montmartre neighborhood - it's artsy and fun and delightful!

And then make your way by foot down to the famed Moulin Rouge 💃

This was another first for me this time - the Rodin Museum.  I loved it!  Make sure you pick a nice weather day to do this one because much of it is outside as his sculptures are on display in beautifully landscaped gardens which surround his home/indoor museum.

I love this picture.  If you look behind my family, you can see The Thinker and if you look behind that, you can see the Eiffel Tower.  Three layers of Parisian awesomeness.

Tanner, my thinker, with Rodin's Thinker.

The Kiss.... too much passion for my 12 year old Ella 🤣😘

If you get the Museum Pass, this is included and does not require advance reservation/timed entry.

There are several options for day trips around Paris and Versailles is a must-do!

Advanced reservations/timed entry is highly recommended.  Otherwise, depending on the time of year you go, you will wait in a very long line or won't be able to go at all.  This is also included on the Paris Museum Pass.  So if you have that Pass, all you need to do is make your timed entry reservation.

I also recommend you download the (free) Rick Steve's app on your phone which offers a free audio tour of this incredible palace!

The ornate Hall of Mirrors!

And the gardens which go on for days!

And last, but certainly not least..... the Eiffel Tower.

The ultimate symbol of Paris!

While you can see it plenty throughout the city from a distance, making your way to the Trocadero to see it up close and personal is a whole other experience in and of itself.

And plan your "Eiffel Tower day" to go well into the night so that you can see the Sparkle after dark!

See below for highlights from my first time here in 1999: 

Sept. 3-5, 1999. Ahhh, Paris. This is truly one of the most amazing cities in the world. There is SO much to see! But, as we all know, the most famous thing there is to see is the Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 as a temporary structure for the Universal Exhibition. Thankfully, it wasn't taken down after the Exhibition and is truly a sight to behold in person!

We were there in 1999, so there was a countdown on the Tower to the Millennium - 120 days!

And, no trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre! Here I am with my friend, Monique, in front of the world-famous Mona Lisa!

Outside the Louvre with my friends Monique and Kelli.

Notre Dame. It's foundation stone was laid by pope Alexander III in 1163, but took nearly 200 years to complete construction. Beautiful!

And, while a bit morbid, we had to see the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed. We were there just 2 years after her death, so there were memorials of her everywhere.

Verdict: This is obviously a no-brainer. GO, GO, GO!!! In fact, after writing this post, I've decided I must go back, but this time with a nice, digital camera in one arm and my husband on the other!

#12: London

Aside from a one-night layover in 2004 (when I saw Windsor Castle in previous post), I have been to London only one other time, in August of 1999. I went on a 2-week European trip with my friends Monique and Kelli. We started our trip in London. Here I am with Monique in front of The Parliament.
Westminster Abby

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

And no trip to London is complete without a shopping excursion to Harrods!

We spent our last night in London seeing CATS. It was fabulous! I still have my ticket stub. We saw it New London Theatre on Drury Lane and paid 19.35 pounds.

Verdict: It's expensive and a little gray, rainy and overcast. But if you can look past the cost and the weather, it's an absolute must before you die! I mean, it's LONDON after all!

Addendum:  I just returned from another trip to London.  My verdict is the same (it's a must do!), but my pictures are better!  We stayed in London for five nights (at the St. Ermin's hotel - I highly recommend!) and packed in as much as we possibly could including....

Westminster Abbey (where every coronation since 1066 has taken place).

Parliament and Big Ben

The Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's in the background.

Borough Market

Superbloom

Tower of London (which houses the Crown Jewels)

Tower Bridge

Platform 9 3/4 at King's Crossing train station

Dinner at Circle Popolare (highly recommend!)

Wimbledon! (This deserves it's own stand a lone post!)

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Exploring the grounds of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, including the new (dedicated by her sons just last year on her birthday July 1, 2021) Diana statue.

And toured the inside of Kensington Palace as well. 

We went to the British Museum (Rosetta Stone!)

Saw St. Paul's Cathedral (where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married)

And went inside for Evensong.

We wandered the streets and neighborhoods

And had tea at the Ritz!

So glad I could re-visit London after so many years and hope I get to do it again and again!

#11: Windsor Castle

So, it all started out that my friend and I were on our way home to LA from our trip to Spain. We had a brief layover in England and ended up missing our flight. We couldn't get a flight out until the next day. So, why not check out Windsor Castle? Here we are arriving in Windsor.
It was really cold, rainy and overcast, but all my luggage was en route to LA, so I was stuck wearing a light windbreaker and light spring pants. Regardless, we had a fabulous time touring this beautiful castle.

Windsor is the oldest and largest castle in Britain with ~1000 rooms. It is the largest occupied castle in the world and the present queen, Elizabeth II spent much of her childhood here.

Royal families have occupied this castle for the past 900 years. Charles II, George III and George IV all lived here.

Here is my ticket stub. As you can see, it only cost $12 for admission (in 2004 anyway). Some other fun facts of the castle is that the Order of the Garter was founded here in 1348. St. George's Chapel is located here, which is the burial site of 10 monarchs. The Queen Mother is also buried here as well as Henry VIII. We not only walked around the grounds, but also went inside and walked around the State Apartments, Drawings Gallery and Queen Mary's Doll House room. Verdict: Definitely a must if you find yourself in England. It really is something to see!

#10: Pennsylvania Dutch Country (pg 699, 2nd Ed pg 860)

A couple weeks ago, a friend came to visit me from Seattle. As I was telling her about the sights to see in the area, she immediately got excited when I told her I lived within driving distance of "Amish Country." I had been here once before, but it was over 10 years ago, so I was excited to go back! The Amish live all over Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but we spent the bulk of our time in 2 towns: Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse. Here we are about to take a ride in an Amish buggy throughout the Amish farms and land. These are available for $10 per person.

And what trip to Amish Country is complete without a visit to the actual phone booth used in the famous scene in Witness (with Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis)? This is located just outside Zimmerman's General Store.

A word to the wise. Don't buy it. We got so excited when we saw this sign for home-made rootbeer since we both love it. But, turns out, they use sassafrass root and yeast to make it instead of dry ice and store-bought rootbeer flavoring and it tastes, well, like yeast.

It is so fun just to see the Amish tilling their lands and working their fields.

We came across this incredible sight: 33 buggies in a row. It turns out, they were on their way to a funeral, so out of respect, I didn't take any more pictures than just this one. But it was very neat to see.

And this is what I call my "National Geographic" picture.

VERDICT: Go, if you can. It's very inexpensive and you get to view beautiful land and people along with eating some very yummy home-made goodies. We ate at "Bird-In-Hand Family Restaurant." I wouldn't do that one again - too touristy. But there are plenty to choose from!

#9:The Grand Palace (pg 498, 2nd Ed pg 622)

July, 2004 - I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand with three of my friends. What a fabulous, exciting, so much to see and do country! Our first stop was The Grand Palace. Notice my crazy skirt and MariEllen's (second from right) foot-wear. Capris (which I was wearing) and back-less shoes (which MariEllen was wearing) are not allowed. I knew some of the temples were going to have dress-codes, so I brought this sarong with me and just carried it around in my back-pack. It came in handy on several occasions! The Palace rents socks and shoes to those who come with backless shoes; this is what MariEllen ended up doing.
We decided to get a guide, "Mr. P" and I'm glad we did. It didn't cost very much and it was great having someone explain everything. The ornate details of everything is absolutely amazing. Not to mention the history; the Grand Palace, which houses the Emerald Buddha, was built in 1782.

The Grand Palace once walled the residence of the Thai monarch, but the current King does not live here; he lives in a nearby residence closed to the public. Here we are about to enter the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, one of the most treasured religious objects in all of Thailand. It is a 26-inch seated Buddha, carved from a solid block of jade. As you can see here, it is guarded by dozens of bronze lions.

Verdict: An ABSOLUTE must. I loved, loved, loved Thailand. Definitely one of my favorite countries I've visited. I can't wait to do all my other Thailand posts. The Grand Palace is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to experiencing this country! Page 498, 1000 Places to See Before You Die.